Leo's Cave Diary
June 10
Today we hiked up a steep trail in New Mexico. We went to see the Gila Cliff Dwellings. These are big cave rooms built high in the rock wall! A long time ago, the Mogollon people lived here. They built rooms out of stone and mud inside large caves. It was cool inside the shadow of the cave. I looked out the big cave opening and saw green trees far below.
June 11
We walked through the ancient rooms today. I saw old wooden beams that held up the roof. The park guide said those trees were cut hundreds of years ago. It is amazing that the wood is still there! I felt like a real explorer walking through the halls. I wonder what it was like to sleep in a cave house. I loved my trip to this special place.
- steep:
- Going up or down very sharply.
- stone:
- A hard, solid piece of rock.
- shadow:
- A dark area made when light is blocked by something.
- ancient:
- Very old or from a long time ago.
- explorer:
- A person who travels to new places to learn about them.
More sheets from this passage
Built from the text itself — answer key included where it counts.
fix the sentence
Sentences from the passage with the capitals and punctuation removed — rewrite each one correctly.
vocabulary worksheet
Match the passage words to their meanings, then fill the missing words back into real sentences.
writing prompts
Two writing tasks that build on the passage, with plenty of lines to write on.
- All 4 sheets as one workbookPro
One PDF with a cover, contents page and every answer key at the back.
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About this diary entry passage for Lower Elementary
“Leo's Cave Diary” is a diary entry reading passage about Gila Cliff Dwellings, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 1 minute to read (143 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.