In the big green jungle, there was a happy elephant named Ella. Ella loved to play in the cool river and eat yummy leaves. But one day, Ella’s ear hurt a lot. She made a loud noise because it hurt so much.

Ella’s friends, Max the monkey and Polly the parrot, came to help. Max ran and Polly flew to Ella. They found a little bug in Ella’s ear! That bug was making her ear hurt.

Polly used her beak to tickle the bug out of Ella’s ear. When the bug flew away, Ella felt better. They all laughed and were happy.

Ella and her friends learned to shake their heads after swimming. This kept bugs out of their ears. Ella, Max, and Polly had fun together every day. They were the best of friends in the jungle.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Ella like to do in the river?
3. Why did Ella make a loud noise?
4. Who came to help Ella when her ear hurt?
5. How did Polly get the bug out of Ella’s ear?
6. What did Ella and her friends learn to do after swimming?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In the big green jungle, there was a happy elephant named Ella. Ella loved to (1)______ in the (2)______ river and eat yummy leaves. But one day, Ella’s ear hurt a lot. She made a loud noise because it hurt so much.

(3)______’s friends, Max the (4)______ and Polly the parrot, came to help. Max ran and Polly flew to Ella. They found a little bug in Ella’s ear! That bug was making her ear hurt.

(5)______ used her beak to tickle the bug out of Ella’s ear. When the bug (6)______ away, Ella felt better. They all laughed and were happy.

Ella and her friends learned to shake their heads after (7)______. This (8)______ bugs out of their ears. Ella, Max, and Polly had fun together every day. They were the best of friends in the jungle.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a jungle?
2. How would you feel if your ear hurt a lot?
3. Do you like playing in the river? Why or why not?
4. Do you think bugs are good or bad? Why?
5. What do you do to keep bugs out of your ears?
6. How do you think Ella felt when the bug flew away?
7. Do you have any friends like Ella, Max, and Polly? Who are they?
8. Why do you think Ella, Max, and Polly are the best of friends?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. jungle
2. elephant
3. river
4. leaves
5. noise
6. monkey
7. parrot
8. tickle
9. swimming
10. friends

Meanings:
(A) A big animal with a long nose
(B) An animal that likes to jump in trees
(C) A sound that you can hear
(D) Parts of a plant that can be green and you can eat
(E) A place with lots of trees and plants where animals live
(F) A bird that can talk and has colorful feathers
(G) Moving in water for fun
(H) To touch someone lightly so they laugh
(I) People who like to play and be with you
(J) Water that moves and you can play in it
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the happy elephant in the story?
(a) Max
(b) Polly
(c) Ella
(d) Smith

2. What did Ella love to do in the jungle?
(a) Climb trees
(b) Play in the cool river
(c) Sleep in a cave
(d) Eat fish

3. Who came to help Ella when her ear hurt?
(a) Robert the rabbit and Lily the lion
(b) Emma the elephant and Sam the snake
(c) Lucy the ladybug and Benny the bear
(d) Max the monkey and Polly the parrot

4. How did Polly help Ella get rid of the bug in her ear?
(a) Polly used her wings to scare the bug away
(b) Polly used her tail to pull the bug out
(c) Polly used her beak to tickle the bug out
(d) Polly used her feet to stomp on the bug

5. What did Ella, Max, and Polly learn to do after swimming?
(a) Shake their heads
(b) Jump on rocks
(c) Clap their hands
(d) Sing a song

6. Who were the best friends in the jungle?
(a) Ella, Lucy, and Benny
(b) Ella, Emma, and Sam
(c) Ella, Robert, and Lily
(d) Ella, Max, and Polly

7. What did Ella eat that was yummy?
(a) Bugs
(b) Leaves
(c) Fish
(d) Apples

8. Where did Ella and her friends have fun together?
(a) In the jungle
(b) In the desert
(c) In the ocean
(d) In the mountains

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Ella’s enemies, Max the monkey and Polly the parrot, came to trouble her.
2. After the bug flew away, Ella felt better and they all laughed and were happy.
3. Ella dislikes playing in the hot river and eating tasteless leaves.
4. They found a bug in Ella’s ear that was causing the pain.
5. One night, Ella’s ear started hurting a lot.
6. Ella is a giraffe who lives in a small brown desert.
7. Max ran and Polly flew to Ella when they heard her loud noise.
8. Polly used her beak to tickle the bug out of Ella’s ear.
Go to answers ⇩

📝 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. Who is the main character in the story?
The main character in the story is Ella.

2. What did Ella like to do in the river?
Ella liked to play in the river.

3. Why did Ella make a loud noise?
Ella made a loud noise because her ear hurt.

4. Who came to help Ella when her ear hurt?
Max the monkey and Polly the parrot came to help Ella.

5. How did Polly get the bug out of Ella’s ear?
Polly used her beak to tickle the bug out of Ella’s ear.

6. What did Ella and her friends learn to do after swimming?
Ella and her friends learned to shake their heads after swimming to keep bugs out of their ears.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) play
(2) cool
(3) Ella
(4) monkey
(5) Polly
(6) flew
(7) swimming
(8) kept
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. jungle
Answer: (E) A place with lots of trees and plants where animals live

2. elephant
Answer: (A) A big animal with a long nose

3. river
Answer: (J) Water that moves and you can play in it

4. leaves
Answer: (D) Parts of a plant that can be green and you can eat

5. noise
Answer: (C) A sound that you can hear

6. monkey
Answer: (B) An animal that likes to jump in trees

7. parrot
Answer: (F) A bird that can talk and has colorful feathers

8. tickle
Answer: (H) To touch someone lightly so they laugh

9. swimming
Answer: (G) Moving in water for fun

10. friends
Answer: (I) People who like to play and be with you
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the happy elephant in the story?
Answer: (c) Ella

2. What did Ella love to do in the jungle?
Answer: (b) Play in the cool river

3. Who came to help Ella when her ear hurt?
Answer: (d) Max the monkey and Polly the parrot

4. How did Polly help Ella get rid of the bug in her ear?
Answer: (c) Polly used her beak to tickle the bug out

5. What did Ella, Max, and Polly learn to do after swimming?
Answer: (a) Shake their heads

6. Who were the best friends in the jungle?
Answer: (d) Ella, Max, and Polly

7. What did Ella eat that was yummy?
Answer: (b) Leaves

8. Where did Ella and her friends have fun together?
Answer: (a) In the jungle
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Ella’s enemies, Max the monkey and Polly the parrot, came to trouble her. (Answer: False)
2. After the bug flew away, Ella felt better and they all laughed and were happy. (Answer: True)
3. Ella dislikes playing in the hot river and eating tasteless leaves. (Answer: False)
4. They found a bug in Ella’s ear that was causing the pain. (Answer: True)
5. One night, Ella’s ear started hurting a lot. (Answer: False)
6. Ella is a giraffe who lives in a small brown desert. (Answer: False)
7. Max ran and Polly flew to Ella when they heard her loud noise. (Answer: True)
8. Polly used her beak to tickle the bug out of Ella’s ear. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧