There was a small town where the sun always rose in the morning. But one day, the sun did not come up, and it was very dark. The people in the town were scared and did not know what to do.

A little girl named Lily wanted to help. She took her flashlight and went into the forest. She found squirrels taking sunflowers. The squirrels thought they could be like the sun. Lily told the squirrels they needed to put the flowers back.

The people in the town planted the sunflowers again. They took care of the flowers and sang to make the sun come back. After a while, the sun began to rise, and everyone was very happy.

The sun always came up after that day. The people learned to love each sunrise. They understood that even when it’s dark, staying hopeful can make things better. Lily showed that even a little bit of light is important.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened in the small town when the sun didn’t come up?
2. What did Lily do to try and help?
3. What did Lily find in the forest?
4. What did Lily tell the squirrels to do with the sunflowers?
5. What did the people in the town do to make the sun come back?
6. What did the people learn from this experience?
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🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

There was a small town where the sun always rose in the morning. But one day, the sun did not (1)______ up, and it was very dark. The (2)______ in the town were scared and did not know what to do.

A little girl named Lily wanted to (3)______. She took her flashlight and went into the (4)______. She found squirrels taking sunflowers. The squirrels thought they could be like the sun. Lily told the squirrels they needed to put the flowers back.

The people in the town planted the sunflowers again. They took care of the flowers and (5)______ to make the sun come back. After a (6)______, the sun began to rise, and everyone was very happy.

The sun always came up after that day. The people (7)______ to love each sunrise. They (8)______ that even when it’s dark, staying hopeful can make things better. Lily showed that even a little bit of light is important.
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💬 Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a sunrise?
2. How would you feel if the sun didn’t come up in the morning?
3. Do you like flowers? Why or why not?
4. What do you think the squirrels were trying to do by taking the sunflowers?
5. How do you think the people in the town felt when the sun started to rise again?
6. Have you ever planted flowers before? How did you take care of them?
7. Do you think singing can make the sun come back? Why or why not?
8. Why do you think Lily’s flashlight was important?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. difficult
2. flashlight
3. forest
4. squirrels
5. sunflowers
6. planted
7. sang
8. sunrise
9. hopeful
10. important

Meanings:
(A) Hard to do or understand
(B) Little animals with bushy tails that climb trees
(C) Put seeds in the ground so they can grow
(D) Made music with your voice
(E) Big yellow flowers that look like the sun
(F) A small light you can carry in your hand
(G) A place with many trees
(H) Thinking that good things will happen
(I) Very special or needed
(J) When the sun comes up in the morning
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🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What happened in the small town?
(a) The moon did not come up
(b) The stars did not come up
(c) The clouds covered the sun
(d) The sun did not come up

2. Who wanted to help in the town?
(a) Tom
(b) Lily
(c) Sarah
(d) Jack

3. What did Lily find in the forest?
(a) Birds taking sunflowers
(b) Rabbits taking sunflowers
(c) Squirrels taking sunflowers
(d) Bears taking sunflowers

4. What did Lily tell the squirrels to do?
(a) Put the flowers back
(b) Take the flowers home
(c) Eat the flowers
(d) Give the flowers to Lily

5. What did the people in the town do after the sunflowers were planted again?
(a) Took care of the flowers and danced
(b) Took care of the flowers and slept
(c) Took care of the flowers and cried
(d) Took care of the flowers and sang

6. What happened after a while?
(a) The moon began to rise
(b) The sun began to rise
(c) The stars began to rise
(d) The clouds began to rise

7. How did the people feel when the sun began to rise?
(a) Very sad
(b) Very scared
(c) Very happy
(d) Very angry

8. What did the people learn to love?
(a) Each sunrise
(b) Each sunset
(c) Each rainstorm
(d) Each snowfall

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🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. One day, the sun didn’t come up and it was very dark.
2. The people in the town were fearless and had a clear plan.
3. The people in the town decided not to replant the sunflowers and remained silent, hoping for the sun to disappear.
4. Lily avoided the forest with her flashlight to avoid discovering what happened to the sun.
5. She found squirrels taking sunflowers because they thought they could be like the sun.
6. A little girl named Lily wanted to help.
7. Lily instructed the squirrels they needed to remove the flowers.
8. In a small town, the sun always came up in the morning.
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📝 Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this story in two sentences. Here are some hints:
Who are the main characters?
What happens in the story?

✅ Answers

🤔✅ Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What happened in the small town when the sun didn’t come up?
The town became very dark and the people were scared.

2. What did Lily do to try and help?
Lily went into the forest with her flashlight to find out what happened.

3. What did Lily find in the forest?
Lily found squirrels taking sunflowers.

4. What did Lily tell the squirrels to do with the sunflowers?
Lily told the squirrels to put the sunflowers back where they found them.

5. What did the people in the town do to make the sun come back?
The people in the town planted the sunflowers again and took care of them. They also sang to make the sun come back.

6. What did the people learn from this experience?
The people learned to stay hopeful even when it’s dark. They learned that even a little bit of light is important.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) come
(2) people
(3) help
(4) forest
(5) sang
(6) while
(7) learned
(8) understood
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. difficult
Answer: (A) Hard to do or understand

2. flashlight
Answer: (F) A small light you can carry in your hand

3. forest
Answer: (G) A place with many trees

4. squirrels
Answer: (B) Little animals with bushy tails that climb trees

5. sunflowers
Answer: (E) Big yellow flowers that look like the sun

6. planted
Answer: (C) Put seeds in the ground so they can grow

7. sang
Answer: (D) Made music with your voice

8. sunrise
Answer: (J) When the sun comes up in the morning

9. hopeful
Answer: (H) Thinking that good things will happen

10. important
Answer: (I) Very special or needed
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What happened in the small town?
Answer: (d) The sun did not come up

2. Who wanted to help in the town?
Answer: (b) Lily

3. What did Lily find in the forest?
Answer: (c) Squirrels taking sunflowers

4. What did Lily tell the squirrels to do?
Answer: (a) Put the flowers back

5. What did the people in the town do after the sunflowers were planted again?
Answer: (d) Took care of the flowers and sang

6. What happened after a while?
Answer: (b) The sun began to rise

7. How did the people feel when the sun began to rise?
Answer: (c) Very happy

8. What did the people learn to love?
Answer: (a) Each sunrise
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. One day, the sun didn’t come up and it was very dark. (Answer: True)
2. The people in the town were fearless and had a clear plan. (Answer: False)
3. The people in the town decided not to replant the sunflowers and remained silent, hoping for the sun to disappear. (Answer: False)
4. Lily avoided the forest with her flashlight to avoid discovering what happened to the sun. (Answer: False)
5. She found squirrels taking sunflowers because they thought they could be like the sun. (Answer: True)
6. A little girl named Lily wanted to help. (Answer: True)
7. Lily instructed the squirrels they needed to remove the flowers. (Answer: False)
8. In a small town, the sun always came up in the morning. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧