The Pony Express Begins
NARRATOR: It is a big day in St. Joseph, Missouri.
NARRATOR: People gather to watch the first rider.
RIDER: I am ready to go!
RIDER: I have the mail in my bag.
STATION KEEPER: Here is your fast horse.
STATION KEEPER: He is strong and ready to run.
RIDER: Thank you, my friend!
RIDER: I will ride as fast as I can.
NARRATOR: The rider jumps onto the horse.
NARRATOR: The horse begins to run down the street.
STATION KEEPER: Good luck on your ride!
STATION KEEPER: Take the mail across the West!
RIDER: Clip, clop, clip, clop!
RIDER: Off we go!
NARRATOR: The Pony Express is on its way.
NARRATOR: The mail will go very far today!
- gather:
- To come together in a group.
- rider:
- A person who rides an animal or vehicle.
- mail:
- Letters and packages sent from one person to another.
- strong:
- Having great physical power.
- street:
- A public road in a town or city.
More sheets from this passage
Built from the text itself — answer key included where it counts.
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 3 sheets as one workbookPro
One PDF with a cover, contents page and every answer key at the back.
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About this reader's theater passage for Lower Elementary
“The Pony Express Begins” is a reader's theater reading passage about Pony Express, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 1 minute to read (118 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.