5 Fantasy Reading Passages – Short Stories & Questions for Fourth & Fifth Grade

Five fantasy stories, chosen and adapted for fourth and fifth grade readers can be used for your genre study or as reading comprehension activities. An anchor chart, questions, and organizers are included.

Open the preview to take a closer look. All reading passages have been adapted from public domain literature.

The Stories

• “Rowing” (2 pages) – In this adaptation from The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, Mole longs to row the boat. Rat kindly explains that he needs a few lessons. Unfortunately, Mole becomes impatient, grabs the oars, and overturns the boat. Patiently, Rat saves Mole and retrieves their belongings from the water.
• “My Father Meets a Lion” (2 pages) – In this passage from My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannet, Elmer meets a lion with snarled hair. The lion tells Elmer that he will eat him, but Elmer’s quick thinking saves him. He pulls a comb and brush from his backpack and shows the lion how to braid his hair. The lion becomes so engrossed in his hair that he doesn’t even see Elmer slip away.
• “Alice and the Caterpillar” (2 pages) – This adaptation from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll finds Alice shrunk to only three inches tall. She meets a caterpillar, who tells her to eat from the mushroom. One side will make her taller, and the other will make her shorter. But which side is which? Your students will enjoy this classic fantasy story.
• “The Fairy Queen” (3 pages) – This adaptation of “The Birthday Honors of the Fairy Queen” by Hapgood Moore tells how a gloomy girl gets dimples. Nora meets fairies in the woods and attends the fairy queen’s birthday. What she sees changes her life.
• “The Velveteen Rabbit” (5 pages) – An adaptation of the entire story of The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams tells the touching story of a stuffed rabbit who becomes real.

Options for Responses to the Short Stories

• Fantasy Fiction Organizer – Kids list fantastic and realistic elements.
• Story Arc – They plot the story. If desired, the story arc can be used it to summarize and/or find a theme.
• Questions – Open-ended questions for each reading passage focus on the character’s goal, challenge, or problem and how they address it.

Your students will love these classic fantasy stories – and you will too!

Enjoy Teaching!

Brenda Kovich