Empty Pot Reading Passage Grade-Level Narrative Text
The Empty Pot
A Traditional Folk Tale • Retold for Story Plotting
Reading Level: Grades 2–4
Word Count: 360 • 5 Key Plot Events
Name:
Date:
Modality: Read Solo Listened
Reading Purpose: Read or listen to track the 5 major events from start to finish on your organizer.
Goal: 80% (4/5)
Long ago in ancient China, there lived a gentle boy named Ping who loved flowers and plants. Whatever he planted in the earth burst into magnificent, colorful blossoms. The elderly Emperor of China was growing very old and had no children of his own to rule after him. To choose an honest successor, the Emperor announced a grand contest: every child in the kingdom would receive a special flower seed. Whoever could grow the most beautiful blossom in one year would succeed him on the royal throne.
Ping eagerly took his royal seed and carefully placed it in rich, dark soil inside a fine glazed pot. He watered it tenderly every morning and placed it where the warm sun shone brightest. Days turned into weeks, but nothing sprouted from the dark earth. Worried, Ping gently transferred the seed to a larger clay pot with fresh, fertile soil. Spring passed, summer arrived, and autumn cooled the kingdom, yet Ping’s seed never grew. The pot remained completely empty.
When the year ended, children from across the empire traveled to the imperial palace dressed in their finest silk robes. Each child proudly carried an enormous porcelain pot bursting with vibrant crimson, gold, and violet flowers. Ping looked down at his barren pot with a heavy heart. His father comforted him, saying, “You gave your best effort. Now present your best to the Emperor.” With trembling hands and tear-filled eyes, Ping walked forward and carried his empty pot before the royal throne.
The Emperor walked slowly past the endless rows of breathtaking blossoms, his face stern and silent. When he reached Ping, he paused and asked gravely, “My child, why did you bring me a pot with nothing in it?” Ping bowed deeply and wept, “I planted your seed, watered it every day, and gave it my utmost care, but it would not grow. This empty pot is the best I could do.” A broad smile suddenly lit up the Emperor’s face. He announced to the crowd, “All the seeds I gave you were boiled in water! It was impossible for any of them to grow!”
The crowd fell completely silent as the Emperor turned to Ping and placed a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Only one child had the courage, integrity, and honesty to stand before me with the truth,” the Emperor proclaimed. “I have found the worthy leader I sought. I name Ping the new Emperor of China!” Ping’s honesty had won him the kingdom.
Plot Detective Clues: Event 1: The Emperor’s challenge Event 3: Ping’s empty pot Event 5: New Emperor
Ready? Record events 1–5 on your Story Trail!
Story Trail Graphic Organizer Plot Navigator
Five-Event Story Trail
Locate and sequence the 5 most important events from beginning to end.
Mastery Goal 4 / 5 Events (80%)
Name:
Date:
Mode: Read Listened
Story Title:
Author:
Transitions 1. First • 2. Next • 3. Then • 4. After that • 5. Finally
Choose major plot turning points, not minor details!
1 Event 1: Beginning / Setup Clue: First...
Who are the characters and what is the starting situation?
2 Event 2: The Rising Action Clue: Next...
What problem begins or what action starts the adventure?
3 Event 3: The Climax / Turning Point Clue: Then...
What is the biggest challenge or highest-stakes moment?
4 Event 4: Falling Action Clue: After that...
How do characters respond or work to solve the conflict?
5 Event 5: Resolution / Ending Clue: Finally...
How does the story wrap up and what is the final outcome?
Self-Check: 5 key events Chronological order Clue words used
Teacher Score: ____ / 5 80% Goal: 4/5
Story Trail Answer Key Teacher Evaluation Guide & Exemplar
Five-Event Story Trail Answer Key
Mastery scoring criteria, model exemplar, and IEP progress tracking framework.
Benchmark Criterion ≥ 80% Accuracy (4/5)
Target IEP Goal: Student will read or listen to a grade-level text to locate main events in the story and plot five events on a graphic organizer with 80% accuracy (minimum 4 of 5 major events correctly identified and sequenced).
Model Exemplar: “The Empty Pot” by Demi
Sample 5/5 (100%) Response
1
First, Beginning Setup: The Emperor gives boiled flower seeds to all children in the kingdom to see who can grow the best flowers to become the next ruler.
2
Next, Rising Action: Ping tends his seed with great care every day, but despite rich soil and water, nothing sprouts in his pot all year.
3
Then, Climax / Turning Point: Other children present pots with blooming flowers, but Ping courageously brings his empty pot before the Emperor and tells the truth.
4
After that, Falling Action: The Emperor explains that the seeds were cooked and could never grow, revealing that the other children were dishonest.
5
Finally, Resolution: The Emperor rewards Ping for his honesty and integrity by naming him the new Emperor of China.
80% Mastery Scoring Rubric
Award 1 point per correctly identified & sequenced event (Max 5 pts)
Score
Percentage
IEP Status
Performance Description
5 / 5
100%
Exceeds Goal
All 5 major narrative plot events accurate, correctly ordered, with clear character actions.
4 / 5
80%
Meets Goal
4 events accurately identified and sequenced. Minor detail omission that does not disrupt core story arc.
3 / 5
60%
Approaching
3 events correct; contains 1 sequencing inversion or includes trivial setting details instead of major plot actions.
≤ 2 / 5
≤ 40%
Emerging
Significant sequence confusion, missing major climax or resolution. Provide graphic sentence frames & reteach.
1. Event Significance
Event must be a major narrative milestone, not an isolated descriptive detail.
2. Strict Chronology
Events must follow the story timeline. Inversions lose the point for that slot.
3. Accommodation Notes
Record whether student read text independently, listened to audio, or had dictation support.
Phonics Trail Spelling Sheet Phonics & Word Study
Phonics Trail Spelling List
Master 10 target words across four essential spelling patterns.
4 Target Patterns • 10 Words
Name:
Date:
Score:
___ / 10
Target Word Bank Read aloud, trace the patterns, and prepare for sorting.
1. CCVCC plant
2. CCVCC trust
3. CCVCC stand
4. Magic e brave
5. Magic e throne
6. r-Controlled spark
7. r-Controlled stern
8. r-Controlled burst
9. Suffix (-ful) careful
10. Suffix (-ly) bravely
Part 1: Pattern Detective Sort
Write each word from the word bank into its matching pattern family.
CCVCC Pattern Blend + Short Vowel + Blend
Magic e (VCe) Silent e makes vowel say name
r-Controlled Vowel sound bossed by 'r'
Suffix Endings Base word + suffix ending
Part 2: Word Dissection
Break down the patterns by analyzing their parts.
Word
Phonics Breakdown
Identify the Rule
throne
thr - o - n - e
Silent e makes 'o' say its long sound:
burst
b - ur - s - t
R-controlled bossy vowel: sound
careful
care + ful
Base word care + suffix meaning:
bravely
brave + ly
Base word brave + suffix meaning:
Part 3: Sentence Application
Fill in the blank with the correct spelling word.
Ping placed the seed in a pot to it in the rich, moist soil. (CCVCC)
The elderly Emperor sat quietly upon his golden before the court. (Magic e)
Ping acted when he brought his empty pot to the palace. (Suffix)
Rule Tip Blend blends smoothly, keep magic ‘e’ silent, notice bossy ‘r’, and box your suffixes!
Spelling Mastery: 10 / 10
Subtraction Showdown Worksheet Multi-Digit Operations
Subtraction Showdown
Master 2-digit and 3-digit subtraction with and without regrouping.
Page 1 of 2 Part A & Part B
Name:
Date:
Score:
___ / 12
Subtraction Rule: More on top? No need to stop! • More on the floor? Go next door and borrow 10 more!
Start at the ONES!
A
Multi-Digit Subtraction: No Regrouping
Each top digit is greater than or equal to the bottom digit.
#1 2-Digit
8 7
- 3 4
#2 2-Digit
9 5
- 6 2
#3 3-Digit
4 6 8
- 1 2 5
#4 3-Digit
5 8 9
- 2 4 7
#5 3-Digit
7 9 6
- 4 5 3
#6 3-Digit
8 6 7
- 3 1 0
B
Multi-Digit Subtraction: With Regrouping
Use the top regrouping boxes to cross out and rename digits!
#7 Regroup Ones
6 2
- 2 8
#8 Regroup Ones
8 3
- 4 5
#9 Regroup Ones
4 7 3
- 1 5 8
#10 Regroup Tens
5 2 6
- 2 8 4
#11 Double Regroup
6 4 2
- 2 7 5
#12 Across Zero
5 0 6
- 2 3 8
Turn page for Part C (Mixed Practice) and Part D (Word Problems) → Check: Did you align each place value column?
Subtraction Showdown • Continued
Part C: Mixed Challenge & Word Problems
Page 2 of 2 Part C & Part D
Detective Step: Before subtracting, inspect each column. Do you need to regroup? Mark your choice! Show All Work
C
Mixed Decision: Regroup or Not?
Decide, check the box, and solve.
#13
Regroup No
9 4
- 5 1
#14
Regroup No
8 1
- 3 6
#15
Regroup No
6 5 8
- 3 2 4
#16
Regroup No
7 3 5
- 4 6 8
#17
Regroup No
Subtraction Showdown Answer Key Teacher Answer Key & Diagnostics
Subtraction Showdown Answer Key
Complete solutions, regrouping step annotations, and error analysis guidelines.
Total Points 20 / 20 Problems
Award 1 point per correct difference. For word problems, award 0.5 pt for equation and 0.5 pt for correct labeled unit. Mastery Benchmark: ≥ 16/20 (80%)
Part A: No Regrouping Solutions (Problems 1–6)
Direct column subtraction
#1
87 − 34 =
53
#2
95 − 62 =
33
#3
468 − 125 =
343
#4
589 − 247 =
342
#5
796 − 453 =
343
#6
867 − 310 =
557
Part B: With Regrouping Solutions & Steps (Problems 7–12)
Verify regrouping marks in top boxes
#7
62 − 28
34
12−8=4, 5−2=3
#8
83 − 45
38
13−5=8, 7−4=3
#9
473 − 158
315
13−8=5, 6−5=1
#10
526 − 284
242
12−8=4, 4−2=2
#11
642 − 275
367
Double regroup
#12
506 − 238
268
Across 0: 4-9-16
Part C: Mixed Decision Solutions (Problems 13–18)
Both classification and answer must be correct
#13
94 − 51
43
No Regroup
#14
81 − 36
45
Regrouped
#15
658 − 324
334
No Regroup
#16
735 − 468
267
Regrouped
#17
800 − 347
453
Regrouped (0s)
#18
967 − 542
425
No Regroup
Part D: Word Problem Solutions (Problems 19–20)
Equation + calculation + label
Problem #19 (Community Garden) 257 pounds
Equation: \( 542 - 285 = 257 \)
Step: Regroup 4 tens to 3 tens (12 − 5 = 7). Regroup 5 hundreds to 4 hundreds (13 − 8 = 5). 4 − 2 = 2.