Pizza Moon Comprehension Worksheet
How a Pizza Pie Became the Moon
Poem by Diana Murray • Reading Comprehension & Analysis
Short Answer Practice
Name:
Date:
Class:
Reading Passage 20 Lines
How a Pizza Pie Became the Moon
by Diana Murray
Once upon a moonless night,
a long, long time ago,
a royal chef was hard at work
preparing pizza dough.
5
He hoped to make the biggest pie
the world had ever seen!
A pizza pie to satisfy
the fussy king and queen.
Because the ball of dough was huge,
10
he had to work outside.
He patted it, and flattened it,
and stretched the dough out wide.
Perhaps the chef was too ambitious
making such a pie,
15
for when he tossed it in the air . . .
it spun into the sky.
And there it hung, among the stars,
a shining disk of dough.
And that is how a pizza pie
20
became the moon we know.
Word Watch
fussy: picky; difficult to satisfy
ambitious: having very big, bold goals
disk: a thin, flat, round shape
Directions: Answer each question in complete sentences using evidence from the poem.
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Why did the chef have to prepare the pizza dough outside instead of inside the kitchen? (Lines 9–10)
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What three specific actions did the chef take to shape the dough before tossing it? (Lines 11–12)
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In line 13, the speaker says the chef was "too ambitious." What happened that proved his plan was too ambitious? (Lines 13–16)
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How does the poet describe the dough once it reaches the sky? What details make it resemble the moon? (Lines 17–20)
Think & Connect: This poem is a playful "origin myth." What other object in nature could be explained by a silly food story?
Poetry Comprehension • Page 1 of 1
Pancake Wind Comprehension Worksheet
When the Wind Stole the Pancake
Narrative Poetry • Stanza Summary & Open-Ended Response
Poetry Comprehension
Name:
Date:
Class:
Reading Passage 5 Stanzas • 20 Lines
When the Wind Stole the Pancake
A Whimsical Tale
Grandma flipped a pancake high,
a golden, sizzling treat.
The sweetest breakfast on the stove
a hungry town could eat.
5
But swooping down the chimney flue,
a gust of winter air
snatched the pancake from the pan
and spun it through the air!
Above the rooftops, over trees,
10
it drifted like a plate.
The mayor gasped, the children cheered,
the hound dog barked at fate.
It floated past the weather vane,
and settled on the hill,
15
where maple syrup poured like rain
and morning stood quite still.
And now when fog rolls in at dawn,
the sleepy townsfolk say,
the wind is warming breakfast up
20
to start another day.
Word Watch
chimney flue: an opening or pipe that lets smoke escape
drifted: floated gently through the air
weather vane: a rooftop tool that spins to show wind direction
Directions: Re-read the poem closely, then write detailed responses in complete sentences.
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Please summarize Stanza 3 in your own words. What happens as the pancake travels across the town? (Lines 9–12)
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How does the poet show that the flying pancake was an exciting surprise for everyone who saw it? Support your answer with details from the text.
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In the final stanza, the townsfolk say "the wind is warming breakfast up." What does this creative idea tell you about how the community feels about the runaway pancake? (Lines 17–20)
Poetry Connection: Compare this poem with "How a Pizza Pie Became the Moon." Which food adventure would you rather witness?
Poetry Comprehension • Page 1 of 1
