Once upon a time, in a magical place called Elmdale, there was a girl named Lily who was always up for a good adventure. One day, she found a secret path in the woods near her home. She followed it and came to a clearing where she found something amazing—a huge cave full of sparkling crystals!

Inside the crystal cave, the walls were covered with shiny stones of all sizes. Lily was so excited because she found out these crystals could let her talk to animals. She told her animal friends—a smart owl, a fun squirrel, and a cheeky rabbit—about her discovery.

Lily and her animal buddies had lots of fun together. They went looking for treasure and solved puzzles. Then, they met a grumpy bear who had lost his crown. Lily talked to him with her crystal powers and found his crown hidden in the cave. The bear was really thankful and said he’d be nice to everyone from then on.

But life wasn’t always just fun. One time, they were deep in the cave and ran into some bats. Lily got scared and dropped a crystal, causing the entrance to block. They were stuck inside. They made a plan to tickle the bats so that they were busy while Lily asked a mole outside for help. The mole dug a hole and helped them out.

After they escaped, Lily and her friends realized they should really value what’s important to them. They learned that making mistakes is okay as long as you grow from them. They promised to always love nature and its surprises. Lily said goodbye to the cave, grateful for the adventures and lessons she got from it.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who was the main character in the story?
2. What did Lily find in the woods near her home?
3. Who were Lily’s animal friends?
4. How did Lily help the grumpy bear?
5. What happened when Lily dropped a crystal in the cave?
6. How did they escape from being stuck in the cave?
7. What did Lily and her friends learn from their adventure in the cave?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once upon a time, in a magical (1)______ called (2)______, there was a girl named Lily who was always up for a good adventure. One day, she found a secret path in the woods near her home. She followed it and came to a clearing where she found something amazing—a huge cave full of sparkling (3)______!

Inside the crystal cave, the walls were covered with shiny (4)______ of all sizes. Lily was so (5)______ because she found out these crystals could let her talk to animals. She told her animal friends—a smart owl, a fun (6)______, and a cheeky rabbit—about her discovery.

Lily and her animal buddies had lots of fun together. They went looking for treasure and solved (7)______. Then, they met a grumpy bear who had lost his crown. Lily talked to him with her crystal (8)______ and found his crown (9)______ in the cave. The bear was really thankful and said he’d be nice to everyone from then on.

But life wasn’t always just fun. One time, they were deep in the cave and ran into some bats. Lily got (10)______ and dropped a crystal, (11)______ the entrance to block. They were stuck inside. They made a plan to (12)______ the bats so that they were busy while Lily asked a mole outside for help. The mole dug a hole and helped them out.

After they escaped, Lily and her friends realized they should really value what’s (13)______ to them. They learned that making (14)______ is okay as long as you grow from them. They (15)______ to always love (16)______ and its surprises. Lily said goodbye to the cave, grateful for the adventures and lessons she got from it.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is an adventure? Can you think of an adventure you’ve had?
2. How would you feel if you found a secret path in the woods near your home? Why?
3. Do you like talking to animals? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it would be like to solve puzzles and look for treasure with your animal friends?
5. How do you think the grumpy bear felt when he lost his crown? Why?
6. Have you ever been scared? What happened and how did you feel?
7. Do you think it’s important to ask for help when you’re in a difficult situation? Why or why not?
8. Why do you think Lily and her friends promised to always love nature and its surprises?
9. Have you ever made a mistake? What did you learn from it?
10. What adventures and lessons do you think you can find in your own life?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. adventure
2. path
3. clearing
4. crystals
5. excited
6. discovery
7. buddies
8. treasure
9. puzzles
10. grumpy
11. thankful
12. scared
13. entrance
14. stuck
15. value

Meanings:
(A) The way into a place or space
(B) Finding something new or unknown
(C) Something valuable or precious that is hidden or buried
(D) Shiny and colorful rocks
(E) Feeling very happy and enthusiastic
(F) Games or challenges that require thinking and problem-solving
(G) Friends or companions
(H) An open area in the middle of a forest or woods
(I) Easily annoyed or irritated
(J) Unable to move or escape from a particular situation
(K) Feeling grateful or appreciative
(L) The importance or worth of something
(M) A route or track that leads to a particular place
(N) Feeling afraid or frightened
(O) A fun and exciting experience
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Lily find in the woods near her home?
(a) A hidden treasure
(b) A magical creature
(c) A secret path
(d) A mysterious book

2. What could Lily do with the crystals she found in the cave?
(a) Talk to animals
(b) Fly in the air
(c) Control the weather
(d) Turn invisible

3. Who were Lily’s animal friends?
(a) A dog, a cat, and a bird
(b) A lion, a tiger, and a bear
(c) A fish, a turtle, and a snake
(d) An owl, a squirrel, and a rabbit

4. What did Lily and her animal friends do together?
(a) Play hide and seek in the cave
(b) Look for treasure and solve puzzles
(c) Build a treehouse in the woods
(d) Swim in the nearby lake

5. What did Lily find for the grumpy bear in the cave?
(a) A magic wand
(b) A hidden treasure chest
(c) His lost crown
(d) A new friend

6. How did Lily and her friends escape from the cave?
(a) By tickling the bats and asking a mole for help
(b) By using their crystal powers to teleport outside
(c) By solving a riddle and opening a secret door
(d) By waiting for someone to find them and rescue them

7. What did Lily and her friends learn from their adventure in the cave?
(a) To always be cautious and never take risks
(b) To value what’s important to them and learn from their mistakes
(c) To avoid caves and stick to safer activities
(d) To rely on others for help in difficult situations

8. How did Lily feel about her adventures and lessons from the cave?
(a) Scared
(b) Disappointed
(c) Indifferent
(d) Grateful

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The secret path led her to a cave filled with sparkling crystals.
2. Lily discovered a secret path in the woods near her home.
3. Lily and her animal friends never went on treasure hunts and never solved puzzles together.
4. Lily and her friends learned trivial lessons about the insignificance of nature and the pointlessness of making mistakes and growing from them.
5. They encountered a grumpy bear who had lost his crown, and Lily used her crystal powers to help him find it.
6. At one point, they were free to explore inside the cave, but with the help of a mole, they chose not to leave.
7. The crystals had the power to allow Lily to talk to animals.
8. Lily had three imaginary animal friends—a foolish owl, a lazy squirrel, and a timid rabbit.
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 was the main character in the story?
The main character in the story was Lily.

2. What did Lily find in the woods near her home?
Lily found a secret path in the woods near her home that led to a huge cave full of sparkling crystals.

3. Who were Lily’s animal friends?
Lily’s animal friends were a smart owl, a fun squirrel, and a cheeky rabbit.

4. How did Lily help the grumpy bear?
Lily used her crystal powers to talk to the grumpy bear and found his lost crown hidden in the cave.

5. What happened when Lily dropped a crystal in the cave?
When Lily dropped a crystal in the cave, it caused the entrance to block, trapping them inside.

6. How did they escape from being stuck in the cave?
They made a plan to tickle the bats in the cave to distract them while Lily asked a mole outside for help. The mole dug a hole and helped them escape.

7. What did Lily and her friends learn from their adventure in the cave?
Lily and her friends learned to value what is important to them and to embrace the surprises and lessons that nature brings. They also learned that making mistakes is okay as long as they learn and grow from them.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) place
(2) Elmdale
(3) crystals
(4) stones
(5) excited
(6) squirrel
(7) puzzles
(8) powers
(9) hidden
(10) scared
(11) causing
(12) tickle
(13) important
(14) mistakes
(15) promised
(16) nature
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. adventure
Answer: (O) A fun and exciting experience

2. path
Answer: (M) A route or track that leads to a particular place

3. clearing
Answer: (H) An open area in the middle of a forest or woods

4. crystals
Answer: (D) Shiny and colorful rocks

5. excited
Answer: (E) Feeling very happy and enthusiastic

6. discovery
Answer: (B) Finding something new or unknown

7. buddies
Answer: (G) Friends or companions

8. treasure
Answer: (C) Something valuable or precious that is hidden or buried

9. puzzles
Answer: (F) Games or challenges that require thinking and problem-solving

10. grumpy
Answer: (I) Easily annoyed or irritated

11. thankful
Answer: (K) Feeling grateful or appreciative

12. scared
Answer: (N) Feeling afraid or frightened

13. entrance
Answer: (A) The way into a place or space

14. stuck
Answer: (J) Unable to move or escape from a particular situation

15. value
Answer: (L) The importance or worth of something
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Lily find in the woods near her home?
Answer: (c) A secret path

2. What could Lily do with the crystals she found in the cave?
Answer: (a) Talk to animals

3. Who were Lily’s animal friends?
Answer: (d) An owl, a squirrel, and a rabbit

4. What did Lily and her animal friends do together?
Answer: (b) Look for treasure and solve puzzles

5. What did Lily find for the grumpy bear in the cave?
Answer: (c) His lost crown

6. How did Lily and her friends escape from the cave?
Answer: (a) By tickling the bats and asking a mole for help

7. What did Lily and her friends learn from their adventure in the cave?
Answer: (b) To value what’s important to them and learn from their mistakes

8. How did Lily feel about her adventures and lessons from the cave?
Answer: (d) Grateful
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The secret path led her to a cave filled with sparkling crystals. (Answer: True)
2. Lily discovered a secret path in the woods near her home. (Answer: True)
3. Lily and her animal friends never went on treasure hunts and never solved puzzles together. (Answer: False)
4. Lily and her friends learned trivial lessons about the insignificance of nature and the pointlessness of making mistakes and growing from them. (Answer: False)
5. They encountered a grumpy bear who had lost his crown, and Lily used her crystal powers to help him find it. (Answer: True)
6. At one point, they were free to explore inside the cave, but with the help of a mole, they chose not to leave. (Answer: False)
7. The crystals had the power to allow Lily to talk to animals. (Answer: True)
8. Lily had three imaginary animal friends—a foolish owl, a lazy squirrel, and a timid rabbit. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧