Understanding Character Change

Understanding Character Change

Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow about character change.

The Lonely Willow Tree

Once, there was a young willow tree named Willow, who lived on the edge of a bustling meadow. Willow was very shy. She kept her branches tucked close to her trunk and rarely spoke to the other trees or the animals that passed by. She watched the playful squirrels and the chattering birds from a distance, wishing she could join in their fun but too afraid to try. Her leaves were always a pale green, and she often drooped, feeling invisible.

One spring, a strong windstorm swept through the meadow. Many trees lost branches, and some smaller plants were uprooted. Willow, though scared, noticed a tiny bird's nest had fallen from a nearby oak tree. Two tiny, chirping chicks were exposed on the ground. Without thinking, Willow stretched out her longest branch, carefully scooping up the nest and cradling it gently within her leaves, protecting the chicks from the wind and rain. She held them there for hours until the storm passed and the mother bird returned.

From that day on, something changed in Willow. The mother bird and her chicks stayed in Willow's branches, and soon other birds began to perch there too. The squirrels, seeing her kindness, started burying their nuts near her roots. Willow found herself swaying her branches in greeting, her leaves growing a vibrant, healthy green. She still enjoyed quiet moments, but she was no longer lonely or afraid. She had found her voice and her place in the meadow, all because she chose to be brave.

1. At the beginning of the story, how would you describe Willow?

2. Willow's leaves were always a   green at the beginning of the story, but after the storm, they grew a   green.

3. What event caused Willow to begin to change?

4. Willow became more outgoing and less afraid by the end of the story.

5. Describe how Willow changed from the beginning of the story to the end. What caused this change, and what evidence from the text supports your answer?