Clockwork Garden Reading Worksheet
ELA • Story Elements Reading Comprehension
Name:
Date:
The Clockwork Garden
Read the story below. Pay close attention to the characters, the setting, and the key events.
Lexile: ~580L
1 Nine-year-old Maya loved visiting the sunlit greenhouse behind Mr. Finch’s workshop on Bramblewick Lane. Every wooden table was packed with glass jars, twisted copper pipes, and potted ferns. Mr. Finch was a kindly watchmaker who spent his days building wondrous mechanical plants. Maya’s energetic terrier pup, Pip, trotted right beside her, his tail wagging like a metronome as the greenhouse hummed with the steady, cheerful click-tick of dozens of tiny brass gears.
2 "Welcome, young inventor!" called Mr. Finch, pushing up his round wire spectacles. "You arrived just in time. The Bramblewick Flower Fair is tomorrow, but my greatest invention—the Solar Sunflower—refuses to move!" He pointed toward an oak table in the center of the room. Normally, the sunflower’s polished metal petals turned slowly to follow the sunlight streaming through the tall glass roof. Today, however, the golden flower stood completely frozen in the shadows.
3 Maya stepped forward, gently leaning over the flower’s stem. Beside her, Pip gave a soft whimper and nudged the table with his wet nose. Maya pulled a round magnifying glass from her jacket pocket and inspected the interlocking gears. "Look right here, Mr. Finch!" she exclaimed. A smooth, stray acorn had rolled right between two small cogs, jamming the wheels so they could not turn.
4 "Oh my," Mr. Finch sighed, picking up a heavy iron wrench. "If we push too hard, those fragile brass teeth will bend." Maya thought quickly. She spotted a long peacock feather quill sitting inside an inkpot. "Let’s try something gentler," Maya suggested. With steady fingers, she slipped the quill’s thin tip under the acorn. With a gentle flick, the acorn popped out and rolled across the desk. Immediately, the gears whirred to life. The Solar Sunflower clicked softly, spread its shiny leaves, and turned its golden face toward the warm sun.
mechanical
Powered by moving machine parts or gears rather than living plant cells.
spectacles
Eyeglasses worn to help someone see clearly while working.
fragile
Delicate and easily broken, cracked, or damaged if treated roughly.
Detective Tip: Look back at the numbered paragraphs to find proof for your answers!
Page 1 of 2 • Continue on Page 2
The Clockwork Garden • Comprehension Check
Name:
Total: /16 pts
Part 1: Characters Character Traits & Motivations
1. Which two words best describe Maya’s character traits in the story?
A Impatient and loud
B Observant and gentle
C Careless and clumsy
D Fearful and shy
2. Why did Mr. Finch hesitate to use his heavy iron wrench on the sunflower?
Part 2: Setting Time, Place & Environment
3. Where does the story take place?
A An outdoor flower park at night
B A school science lab on Monday
C A sunlit greenhouse workshop
D A busy hardware store basement
4. Which sound in the setting shows that Mr. Finch’s workshop is filled with clockwork machines?
Part 3: Story Events Order of Events & Cause / Effect
5. Number the events from 1 to 4 in the order they happened in the story:
Maya spots a stray acorn jammed between the gears.
Mr. Finch shares that the Solar Sunflower is stuck.
The sunflower turns its face to the sunbeam.
Maya gently flicks the acorn free with a quill.
6. Cause & Effect: What caused the Solar Sunflower to stop turning in the beginning?
Part 4: Written Response Support with Text Evidence
7. How did Maya act like a real inventor in the story? Explain how she solved the problem using at least one detail from Paragraph 3 or Paragraph 4.
Reading Comprehension • Focus: Characters, Setting, Plot Events Page 2 of 2
