My Purple Tree
Tuesday, October 4
Dear Diary,
Today in art class, we painted trees.
Mr. Hall gave us big sheets of paper. He gave us little cups of paint.
Everyone at my table made brown trunks. They made fluffy green tops.
I picked up my brush. I dipped it into bright purple paint instead.
I painted a tall, curly trunk. Then I made giant polka dots of orange and pink all over the branches.
Leo looked at my paper. His eyes got wide.
"Trees are not purple," Leo said. "Your tree looks funny."
My cheeks felt hot. I looked down at my messy paper.
All the other trees on the drying rack looked real. They looked like the trees outside our window.
My tree looked like a magical monster from space.
Then Mr. Hall walked over to my desk. He smiled at my painting.
"Look at that," Mr. Hall said. "You made something totally new."
I looked at my purple tree again.
I looked at the bright orange dots. The paint was thick and shiny.
Leo's tree was very neat, but my tree made me smile.
It felt happy and wild. It was my very own idea.
Real trees are nice, but I like my purple tree best.
- trunks:
- The thick main woody stems of trees.
- branches:
- The woody parts of a tree that grow out from the trunk.
- magical:
- Special, wonderful, or seeming like magic.
- shiny:
- Bright and glowing with reflected light.
- wild:
- Full of energy, bold, and not ordinary.
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1What did the class paint in art class today?
- 2What color of paint did the narrator dip the brush into?
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About this diary entry passage for 1st Grade
“My Purple Tree” is a diary entry reading passage about art and self-expression, written for 1st Grade. It takes about 1 minute to read (206 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.