Grandma’s Kimchi Notebook
On November 22, Mina arrived at Grandma’s apartment carrying a new notebook and a very sharp pencil.
“I’m going to write down your kimchi recipe,” she announced. “Every step, exactly the way you’ve always made it.”
Grandma smiled and made room for her at the kitchen table. Napa cabbage leaves filled one bowl, and radishes and green onions lay in another. Clean jars stood in a row by the window.
“Exactly?” Grandma asked. “That might be tricky.”
Mina opened her notebook. “How much radish?”
“Today? Two of those,” Grandma said, pointing. “Your grandfather brought home the smaller ones.”
Mina wrote down the number. Then she drew a little picture to show their size.
As Grandma prepared the vegetables, Mina asked how her great-grandmother had made kimchi. Grandma paused, holding a green onion in midair.
“She used more radish than I do,” she said. “And when I was young, our neighbors sometimes shared vegetables from their gardens. The kimchi tasted a little different each year.”
Mina frowned at her neat page. “But which way is the real recipe?”
Grandma set down the onion. “They’re both real. This is how our family makes it now. Other families make it differently, and ingredients and methods can vary from region to region, too.”
- ingredients:
- Foods or other items used to make a dish.
- methods:
- Ways of doing something.
- region:
- An area that is part of a larger place.
- seasonings:
- Ingredients added to food to give it flavor.
- tangy:
- Having a sharp, slightly sour taste.
- milder:
- Less strong or spicy.
- heritage:
- Traditions and customs passed down through generations.
One passage, many ways to practice
Reading-skill questions, word work and writing prompts — all built from this text.
Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
Use clues in the passage to work out what words mean. A separate printable Vocabulary worksheet is also available.
Summarize
Select, organize, and restate the most important information without adding opinion.
Purpose
Analyze what the author aims to do and how choices serve audience and purpose.
Structure
Analyze how sections and organizational choices build the text's ideas or effects.
Language & Tone
Interpret nonliteral language and analyze how word choice shapes tone and meaning.
Vocabulary
Practice words from the passage with a printable worksheet.
Writing Prompts
Use the passage as a springboard for short written responses, from personal reflection to evidence-based arguments.
Fix the Sentence
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why does Mina initially think writing down Grandma’s recipe will be simple?
- 2How does Grandma’s story about Great-Grandma challenge Mina’s idea of a real recipe?
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About this short story passage for Upper Elementary
“Grandma’s Kimchi Notebook” is a short story reading passage about Family traditions and change, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 4 minutes to read (556 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.