Finding the Central Message

This worksheet helps third-grade students identify the central message or moral of a story through reading comprehension exercises.

Grade 3 ELA ReadingReading Comprehension StrategiesCentral Message

Use This Worksheet

Includes

2 TextMultiple Choice2 Short AnswerFill in the BlanksTrue / False

Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2

Topics

ELAReadingCentral MessageGrade 3Reading Comprehension

9 sections · Free to use · Printable

← More ELA worksheets for Grade 3

Finding the Central Message

Name:

Date:

Score:

Read the following stories carefully. Then, answer the questions about the central message of each story.

The Little Red Hen

Once there was a Little Red Hen who found a grain of wheat. She asked her friends, 'Who will help me plant this wheat?' The Pig, the Cat, and the Mouse all said, 'Not I!' So the Little Red Hen planted it herself. When the wheat grew tall, she asked, 'Who will help me cut this wheat?' Again, her friends said, 'Not I!' So the Little Red Hen cut it herself. When the wheat was ready to be made into flour, she asked, 'Who will help me take this wheat to the mill?' Her friends still said, 'Not I!' So the Little Red Hen took it to the mill herself. Finally, when the bread was baked, she asked, 'Who will help me eat this bread?' This time, all her friends eagerly said, 'I will!' But the Little Red Hen said, 'No, I did all the work, so I will eat it myself!' And she did.

1. What is the central message of 'The Little Red Hen'?

It is important to share with your friends.

Those who do the work should get the reward.

Baking bread is a lot of work.

Animals can talk and bake bread.

2. How did the Little Red Hen's friends show they didn't understand the central message of the story at first?

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

There once was a shepherd boy who was bored watching his flock of sheep on the hillside. To amuse himself, he cried out, 'Wolf! Wolf! The wolf is chasing the sheep!' The villagers rushed up the hill to help the boy, but when they arrived, they saw no wolf. The boy laughed at their wasted effort. He did this several times, and each time the villagers came running, only to find no wolf and the boy laughing. One day, a wolf really did come. The boy cried out, 'Wolf! Wolf! Please help! The wolf is really here!' But the villagers, thinking it was another trick, did not come. The wolf attacked the sheep, and the boy learned a very hard lesson.

3. The central message of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf' is that if you tell lies, people will not you when you tell the truth.

4. The boy in the story learned his lesson because the villagers always believed him.

True

False

5. Think about a time you learned a lesson. What was the lesson (central message) and what happened for you to learn it?