Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a dragon named Sparkle who was super friendly. This dragon had shiny blue scales and a glittery purple mane. Every year on his birthday, Sparkle threw a big party and invited all the animals in the forest, no matter if they could fly or not.

But this year, something odd happened. The whole forest was talking about how Sparkle had somehow lost his voice. As his birthday got closer, Sparkle started to worry a lot. He was thinking, “How can I tell everyone about the party if I can’t talk?”

But Sparkle didn’t let this problem ruin his party plans. He came up with a magical idea. He made magical cards that had his birthday message on them and flew around the forest, dropping them at every animal’s house. The cards fell slowly to the ground, and all the animals found an invite right outside their doors when they woke up.

The animals were super excited when they got the invites. They all thought it was funny that Sparkle couldn’t talk but still invited them. They knew his parties were the best, with fun games, awesome music, and really good food. So, when the day came, the forest was filled with excitement. The animals gathered around Sparkle, who had learned sign language to communicate with them during the party.

The party started with everyone surprised when Sparkle accidentally breathed out a little flame while trying to fill balloons, making everyone jump. But, this just made everyone laugh and showed them that Sparkle’s party was going to be great even without his voice. The animals played fun games, danced to lively songs, and ate lots of tasty treats, including a huge pile of ice cream sundaes just for Sparkle. He was so happy to see everyone having fun, even though he couldn’t speak. As the party ended, Sparkle realized that birthdays are really about making others happy. He finished the night with a beautiful fireworks show, showing his thanks. Although he got his voice back the next day, Sparkle never forgot what made his birthday special: laughter, friendship, and thinking of clever ways to solve problems.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character of the story?
2. What problem did Sparkle have this year on his birthday?
3. How did Sparkle solve the problem of not being able to talk?
4. Why were the animals excited when they received the invitations?
5. What happened at the party that made everyone laugh?
6. What were some of the things the animals did at the party?
7. What did Sparkle realize at the end of the story about birthdays?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there was a dragon named (1)______ who was super friendly. This dragon had shiny blue scales and a glittery purple mane. Every year on his birthday, Sparkle threw a big (2)______ and invited all the animals in the forest, no matter if they could fly or not.

But this year, something odd happened. The whole forest was (3)______ about how Sparkle had somehow lost his voice. As his birthday got (4)______, Sparkle started to worry a lot. He was thinking, “How can I tell everyone about the party if I can’t talk?”

But Sparkle didn’t let this problem ruin his party plans. He came up with a magical idea. He made magical (5)______ that had his birthday message on them and flew around the forest, dropping them at every animal’s house. The cards fell slowly to the (6)______, and all the animals (7)______ an invite right outside their doors when they woke up.

The animals were super excited when they got the (8)______. They all thought it was funny that Sparkle couldn’t talk but still invited them. They knew his parties were the best, with fun (9)______, awesome music, and really good food. So, when the day came, the forest was filled with excitement. The animals gathered around Sparkle, who had learned sign (10)______ to communicate with them during the party.

The party started with everyone surprised when Sparkle accidentally breathed out a little flame while trying to fill balloons, (11)______ everyone jump. But, this just made everyone laugh and showed them that Sparkle’s party was going to be great even without his voice. The animals (12)______ fun games, danced to lively songs, and ate lots of tasty treats, including a huge pile of ice (13)______ sundaes just for Sparkle. He was so happy to see everyone having fun, even though he couldn’t speak. As the party ended, Sparkle realized that birthdays are really about making others happy. He (14)______ the night with a beautiful fireworks show, showing his thanks. Although he got his voice back the next day, Sparkle never forgot what made his birthday special: (15)______, (16)______, and thinking of clever ways to solve problems.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What do you think makes a party special?
2. How would you feel if you couldn’t talk for a day? Why?
3. Do you think it’s important to find creative solutions to problems? Why or why not?
4. What kind of games do you like to play at parties? Why?
5. Have you ever been to a party where something unexpected happened? What was it and how did you feel?
6. Do you think it’s important to make others happy on your birthday? Why or why not?
7. How do you think Sparkle felt when he saw everyone having fun at his party, even though he couldn’t speak?
8. What is the most memorable birthday party you have ever been to? Why was it special?
9. Do you like surprises at parties? Why or why not?
10. How would you solve the problem of not being able to talk if you were in Sparkle’s situation? Why?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. dragon
2. scales
3. glittery
4. magical
5. invite
6. communicate
7. excitement
8. accidentally
9. flame
10. lively
11. treats
12. sundaes
13. laughter
14. friendship
15. clever

Meanings:
(A) The sound of people chuckling or giggling because something is funny
(B) To share thoughts or information without talking
(C) Having special powers that can do things that seem impossible
(D) Shiny and sparkly, catching the light in a pretty way
(E) Special snacks or small items of food that are enjoyable to eat
(F) A feeling of being very happy and eager about something
(G) Full of energy and fun
(H) A stream of burning gas from something on fire
(I) By mistake or without intending to
(J) The relationship between people who care about each other
(K) Thin, hard plates that cover the skin of certain animals
(L) Smart and inventive in finding ways to solve problems
(M) To ask someone to come to an event or place
(N) A mythical creature that breathes fire and often guards treasure
(O) Frozen desserts made with ice cream and various toppings, often served in a glass
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What color were Sparkle’s scales?
(a) Blue
(b) Red
(c) Green
(d) Yellow

2. How did Sparkle invite the animals to his party?
(a) By sending them text messages
(b) By calling them on the phone
(c) By sending them emails
(d) By dropping magical cards at their houses

3. What did Sparkle use to communicate with the animals during the party?
(a) A magic spell
(b) A special whistle
(c) Sign language
(d) A note pad and pen

4. What surprised the animals at the beginning of the party?
(a) Sparkle singing a song
(b) Sparkle accidentally breathing out a little flame
(c) Sparkle performing a magic trick
(d) Sparkle playing a funny prank

5. What did the animals think about Sparkle’s party?
(a) They thought it was boring without his voice
(b) They thought it was great even without his voice
(c) They thought it was strange that he couldn’t talk
(d) They thought it was better than his previous parties

6. What did the animals do at Sparkle’s party?
(a) Played fun games, danced, and ate tasty treats
(b) Watched a movie, sang songs, and painted pictures
(c) Read books, solved puzzles, and had a picnic
(d) Went on a treasure hunt, had a race, and had a water balloon fight

7. How did Sparkle end his birthday party?
(a) By giving everyone a special gift
(b) By singing a song for the animals
(c) By making a speech to thank everyone
(d) With a beautiful fireworks show

8. What did Sparkle learn from his birthday party?
(a) Birthdays are about receiving lots of presents
(b) Birthdays are about having the biggest party
(c) Birthdays are about making others happy
(d) Birthdays are about being the center of attention

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The animals in the forest are disappointed when they receive the regular cards.
2. Sparkle is a friendly dragon with shiny blue scales and a glittery purple mane.
3. Sparkle realizes that birthdays are about making others happy and finishes the night with a beautiful fireworks show.
4. Despite not being able to talk, Sparkle’s party is a great success with fun games, awesome music, and delicious food.
5. Sparkle does not learn sign language to communicate with the animals during the party.
6. This year, Sparkle loses his voice before his birthday.
7. Every month, Sparkle throws a big party and invites all the animals in the forest.
8. Sparkle comes up with a mundane idea to invite everyone to his party using regular cards.
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 of the story?
The main character of the story is Sparkle, the friendly dragon.

2. What problem did Sparkle have this year on his birthday?
Sparkle lost his voice and couldn’t talk.

3. How did Sparkle solve the problem of not being able to talk?
Sparkle made magical cards with his birthday message and dropped them at every animal’s house.

4. Why were the animals excited when they received the invitations?
The animals were excited because they knew Sparkle’s parties were always fun and they wanted to celebrate with him.

5. What happened at the party that made everyone laugh?
Sparkle accidentally breathed out a little flame while trying to fill balloons, which made everyone jump and laugh.

6. What were some of the things the animals did at the party?
The animals played fun games, danced to lively songs, and ate lots of tasty treats, including a huge pile of ice cream sundaes just for Sparkle.

7. What did Sparkle realize at the end of the story about birthdays?
Sparkle realized that birthdays are really about making others happy and that laughter, friendship, and clever problem-solving are what make birthdays special.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Sparkle
(2) party
(3) talking
(4) closer
(5) cards
(6) ground
(7) found
(8) invites
(9) games
(10) language
(11) making
(12) played
(13) cream
(14) finished
(15) laughter
(16) friendship
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. dragon
Answer: (N) A mythical creature that breathes fire and often guards treasure

2. scales
Answer: (K) Thin, hard plates that cover the skin of certain animals

3. glittery
Answer: (D) Shiny and sparkly, catching the light in a pretty way

4. magical
Answer: (C) Having special powers that can do things that seem impossible

5. invite
Answer: (M) To ask someone to come to an event or place

6. communicate
Answer: (B) To share thoughts or information without talking

7. excitement
Answer: (F) A feeling of being very happy and eager about something

8. accidentally
Answer: (I) By mistake or without intending to

9. flame
Answer: (H) A stream of burning gas from something on fire

10. lively
Answer: (G) Full of energy and fun

11. treats
Answer: (E) Special snacks or small items of food that are enjoyable to eat

12. sundaes
Answer: (O) Frozen desserts made with ice cream and various toppings, often served in a glass

13. laughter
Answer: (A) The sound of people chuckling or giggling because something is funny

14. friendship
Answer: (J) The relationship between people who care about each other

15. clever
Answer: (L) Smart and inventive in finding ways to solve problems
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What color were Sparkle’s scales?
Answer: (a) Blue

2. How did Sparkle invite the animals to his party?
Answer: (d) By dropping magical cards at their houses

3. What did Sparkle use to communicate with the animals during the party?
Answer: (c) Sign language

4. What surprised the animals at the beginning of the party?
Answer: (b) Sparkle accidentally breathing out a little flame

5. What did the animals think about Sparkle’s party?
Answer: (b) They thought it was great even without his voice

6. What did the animals do at Sparkle’s party?
Answer: (a) Played fun games, danced, and ate tasty treats

7. How did Sparkle end his birthday party?
Answer: (d) With a beautiful fireworks show

8. What did Sparkle learn from his birthday party?
Answer: (c) Birthdays are about making others happy
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The animals in the forest are disappointed when they receive the regular cards. (Answer: False)
2. Sparkle is a friendly dragon with shiny blue scales and a glittery purple mane. (Answer: True)
3. Sparkle realizes that birthdays are about making others happy and finishes the night with a beautiful fireworks show. (Answer: True)
4. Despite not being able to talk, Sparkle’s party is a great success with fun games, awesome music, and delicious food. (Answer: True)
5. Sparkle does not learn sign language to communicate with the animals during the party. (Answer: False)
6. This year, Sparkle loses his voice before his birthday. (Answer: True)
7. Every month, Sparkle throws a big party and invites all the animals in the forest. (Answer: False)
8. Sparkle comes up with a mundane idea to invite everyone to his party using regular cards. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧