Timmy's Christmas Presents

Students will read the short story, Timmy's Christmas Presents and answer the questions about the story. They should answer the questions without looking at the story so they can develop reading comprehension.

This lesson will be good for 3rd to 4th grade students. You can also use this short story in December for Christmas.

You will need the following story and the list of questions for each student.

Each student will need a pencil with an eraser if he/she makes mistakes. Timmy's Christmas Presents

"Tomorrow's Christmas! I can't wait!" Seven-year-old Susie said excitedly, as she finished brushing her long blonde hair.

"I can't either," Timmy, Susie's five-year-old brother replied, as he stood beside her trying to imitate her.

"I wonder what I'm getting for Christmas," Susie said.

"I'm wondering, too. I hope I get the truck I want so I can put things in it and haul them around."

"I like going over to Grandma and Grandpa's house."

"Oh no!" Timmy exclaimed.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just have to do something."

"Can I help?" Susie asked.

"No."

"Susie, Timmy, it's time for you to go to bed," their mother said, as she entered the room.

As Timmy got ready for bed, he thought, "I wanted to buy Grandma and Grandpa something. What can I do? Suddenly he came up with an idea. Maybe I can make something for them. It won't be as good, but that's all I can do."

"Susie, will you write Merry Christmas on this paper?" Timmy asked.

"Sure." After she was finished, she asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Will you write Grandma and Grandpa?"

"Sure."

"What are you going to do?"

"You'll see."

Early in the morning, Susie woke up and couldn't find Timmy anywhere. She ran downstairs hollering, "Mommy, Daddy! Timmy's gone!"

Susie's mother came into the living room where she found Susie. "What's going on?"

"Timmy's missing. He wasn't in his room when I woke up."

"Oh no!" Susie mother exclaimed.

"What's going on?" Susie father asked, as he walked into the room.

"Timmy's missing!," Susie replied.

"Missing! Are you sure?" her father asked.

"Yes," Susie replied.

"Let's look around the house and see if we can find him. He's got to be here," her father said.

After they searched the house and the outside area, Susie's mother said, "We've got to call the police."

"Susie, did you hear anything last night or early this morning?" her father asked.

"No."

"I'll call Detective Mallory and

have him come over," Susie's father said.

Shortly, Detective Mallory arrived.

"Thanks for coming," Bob, Susie and Timmy's father, said as he led Detective Mallory into the living room.

"How long has Timmy been missing?"

"He was here last night, but when Susie woke up this morning, he wasn't in his bed."

"Have you searched everywhere?" Detective Mallory asked.

"We looked in the house and outside," Susie's father replied.

"Let's look again. Maybe he's hiding somewhere in the house," Detective Mallory said.

After they searched every room upstairs and downstairs, they looked outside.

"Where could he be?" Susie's mother cried out.

"Did Timmy say anything last night before he went to bed?" Detective Mallory asked.

"Yes," Susie blurted out.

"He wanted me to write Grandma and Grandpa on a piece of paper. He also wanted me to write Merry Christmas."

"Did he say why he wanted you to write those things?" her father asked.

"No."

"How old is Timmy," Detective Mallory asked.

"He's five," Bob replied.

"Does he have any special place he likes to go?" Detective Mallory asked.

"Oh no!" Susie exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" her father asked.

"I just thought of something. I think I might know where he is."

"Where?" her mother asked.

"We have a secret hideout in the woods."

"Show us, Susie," her father said.

"Okay," with a slight hesitation in her voice. "



Susie, I know you said you have a secret hideout, but this is important. We have to find Timmy."

"I know." Susie led her parents and Detective Mallory to the secret hideout, which was in the wooded area behind their house, but he wasn't there.

"I thought for sure he'd be here," Susie said, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Susie, calm down. He might be on his way back home," her father said.

"He might have gotten lost in the woods, too," Susie replied.

"That's possible," Detective Mallory replied.

"Let's split up and see if we can find him."

"That's a good idea," Bob said.

Within a few minutes, Detective Mallory heard someone crying.

As he walked in the direction of the crying, he spotted Timmy sitting on the ground. "Timmy," Detective Mallory said.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"I'm Detective Mallory. Your parents have been looking for you."

"I was at our secret hideout, but I couldn't find my way back home."

"I'll help you back home."

On the way back home, he heard his parents calling his name.

"Mommy, Daddy!" Timmy hollered.

"Detective Mallory. Thank you for finding Timmy," Bob said.

"Where have you been?" his mother asked.

"I made these." He held out two pictures he made for his grandma and grandpa.

"Those are nice, but you should have told us what you wanted instead of running off by yourself," his mother told him.

"I'm sorry," Timmy apologized.

After they entered the house, Bob said, "Thanks again Detective Mallory."

"I'm glad he's all right. You never know what can happen when a child is missing."

"That's true," Timmy's father replied.

After Detective Mallory left, Timmy's father said, "Let's get ready to go."

Susie and Timmy were excited at Christmas time because all of their relatives on their mother's side gathered together on Christmas Eve, and all of their relatives on their father's side, gathered together to celebrate the holiday on Christmas.

Worksheet for Timmy's Christmas Presents

Directions - Answer the following questions without looking at the story.

1. Who were the main characters?

2. What was the main problem Timmy had?

3. What happened to Timmy in the story?

4. What was the detective's name?

5. What was the setting?

6. Why was Timmy and Susie excited?

7. Who found Timmy?

8. What did Timmy's mother tell him?

9. Where was Timmy?

10. What holiday did they celebrate in the story? Answer Sheet for Timmy's Christmas Presents

1. Who were the characters?

Timmy, Susie, their parents, and Detective Mallory

2. What was the main problem Timmy had?

He wanted to make his grandparents' a Christmas present.

3. What happened to Timmy in the story?

Timmy walked to their secret hideout so he could make his Christmas present, but he got lost on the way back.

4. What was the detective's name?

Detective Mallory

5. What was the setting?

Their house and the secret hideout in the woods.

6. Why was Timmy and Susie excited?

Because it was Christmas

7. Who found Timmy?

Detective Mallory

8. What did Timmy's mother tell him?

He should have told them what he wanted instead of running off by himself.

9. Where was Timmy?

In the secret hideout and in the woods.

10. What holiday did they celebrate in the story?

Christmas

First, you will copy the short story for each student. Then, you will copy the questions. After that, the students will read the short story and answer the questions without looking at the story to see what they can remember about the story.

You can grade the worksheet on how well they remembered the short story by grading the total number of correct answers.