Leo's First Day
Leo woke up early. Today was a big day.
It was his first day at a new school. He felt a little bit sad.
He missed his old friends. He missed his old teacher too.
Leo put on his blue shirt. He put on his new shoes.
His mom gave him a big hug. "You will have fun," she said.
Leo walked to the big school building. It had red bricks.
The door was very tall. Many kids were talking and laughing.
Leo held his mom's hand. He felt small in the big crowd.
They went to room number five. A lady stood at the door.
"Hello! I am Mrs. Hill," she said with a smile.
She had a bright yellow sweater. Leo liked the color yellow.
"Welcome to our class, Leo," she said softly.
Mrs. Hill showed Leo his desk. It had his name on it.
The letters were neat and clear. There was a box of crayons too.
Leo sat down and looked around. A girl sat at the next desk.
She had a book about space. Leo loved stars and planets.
The girl looked at Leo. "I am Sam," she said.
"Do you like to draw?" Sam asked him.
Leo nodded his head. He took out a red crayon.
They began to draw a big sun together.
- Crayons:
- Small sticks of colored wax used for drawing or coloring.
- Neat:
- Very clean, tidy, and easy to see or read.
- Nodded:
- Moved the head up and down to say 'yes' or agree with someone.
- Crowd:
- A large group of people gathered together in one place.
- Softly:
- In a quiet and gentle way.
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.
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.
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
Practice editing sentences drawn from this passage with a printable worksheet.
Ready to use this passage in class?
Start free with the Mixed worksheet and 3 PDF downloads each week. Focused skill sets depend on plan.
Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why did Leo feel sad at the beginning of the story?
- 2What color was the shirt Leo chose to wear?
Where this passage belongs
About this short story passage for Lower Elementary
“Leo's First Day” is a short story reading passage about Starting School, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 2 minutes to read (258 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.