Once upon a time, there was a little town nestled in a valley where the sun always rose up, casting a warm and golden glow over the houses and fields. But one fateful morning, the sun forgot to rise! The townspeople woke up to a world shrouded in darkness, and panic spread like wildfire. They stumbled through their morning routines, squinting in the dim light, unsure of what had happened.

In the midst of the chaos, a brave little girl named Lily decided she would uncover the mystery. Armed with her trusty flashlight, she ventured into the forest, hoping to find answers. As she explored deeper, she stumbled upon a curious sight: a mischievous group of squirrels, stealing all the sunflowers from the field. “What are you doing?” Lily asked. “We heard the sun wouldn’t rise, so we thought we’d take its place!” the leader of the squirrels chuckled. Lily knew that only the sun could bring light to their town, so she convinced the squirrels to return the stolen sunflowers and stopped them from playing sun.

With the sunflowers returned, Lily and the townspeople planted them all around the town, hoping to coax the sun out of hiding. They watered them with love and sang cheerful songs, attempting to remind the sun of its important job. Just as they were about to give up hope, a gentle heat began to warm the air, and a sliver of light peeked through the clouds. The sun was rising! The town rejoiced and celebrated, their shouts of joy echoing throughout the valley.

From that day on, the sun never forgot to rise again. The townspeople realized the importance of appreciating the things they took for granted, like the warm embrace of sunlight. They learned that even in the darkest of times, hope and positivity can bring about incredible change. And so, they cherished each sunrise, knowing that it was a gift that should never be taken for granted. And little Lily became a hero, reminding everyone that even a tiny bit of light can make a big difference in the world.

🎧 Listen:

📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What happened to the sun in the little town?
2. Why did the townspeople panic when they woke up?
3. What did Lily decide to do when she saw the darkness?
4. What did Lily find in the forest?
5. Why were the squirrels stealing the sunflowers?
6. How did Lily convince the squirrels to return the stolen sunflowers?
7. What did the townspeople do to try and bring the sun back?
8. What did the town learn from this experience?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once upon a time, there was a (1)______ town (2)______ in a valley where the sun always rose up, casting a warm and golden glow over the houses and fields. But one fateful morning, the sun forgot to rise! The townspeople woke up to a world shrouded in darkness, and (3)______ spread like wildfire. They stumbled through their morning routines, squinting in the dim light, unsure of what had happened.

In the midst of the (4)______, a brave little girl named Lily decided she would uncover the mystery. Armed with her (5)______ flashlight, she ventured into the forest, hoping to find answers. As she explored deeper, she stumbled upon a curious sight: a mischievous group of squirrels, (6)______ all the (7)______ from the field. “What are you doing?” Lily asked. “We heard the sun wouldn’t rise, so we thought we’d take its place!” the (8)______ of the squirrels chuckled. Lily knew that only the sun could bring light to their town, so she convinced the squirrels to return the stolen sunflowers and stopped them from playing sun.

With the sunflowers (9)______, Lily and the townspeople (10)______ them all around the town, hoping to coax the sun out of hiding. They watered them with love and sang cheerful (11)______, attempting to (12)______ the sun of its important job. Just as they were about to give up hope, a gentle heat began to warm the air, and a sliver of light peeked through the clouds. The sun was rising! The town rejoiced and celebrated, their shouts of joy echoing throughout the valley.

From that day on, the sun never forgot to rise again. The townspeople realized the importance of appreciating the (13)______ they took for granted, like the warm embrace of sunlight. They (14)______ that even in the darkest of times, hope and positivity can bring about incredible change. And so, they (15)______ each sunrise, (16)______ that it was a gift that should never be taken for granted. And little Lily became a hero, reminding everyone that even a tiny bit of light can make a big difference in the world.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is the significance of the sun rising in our daily lives?
2. How would you feel if you woke up one morning and the sun didn’t rise?
3. Do you think it’s important to appreciate the things we often take for granted? Why or why not?
4. What role does hope play in bringing about positive change?
5. How would you describe the character of Lily? What qualities make her a hero?
6. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to solve a mystery or uncover the truth? What happened?
7. Do you think it’s possible for a small action to have a big impact? Why or why not?
8. What are some other ways the townspeople could have tried to bring back the sun, besides planting sunflowers?
9. Have you ever experienced a time when you had to rely on hope to get through a difficult situation? Can you share your story?
10. How does the story teach us the importance of teamwork and cooperation?
11. Do you think it’s important for children to be brave and stand up for what they believe in? Why or why not?
12. What lessons can we learn from this story about the power of positivity and optimism?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. nestled
2. fateful
3. shrouded
4. panic
5. ventured
6. mischievous
7. coax
8. rejoiced
9. cherished
10. sliver
11. coaxing
12. gratitude
13. embraced
14. echoed
15. hero

Meanings:
(A) Accepted or held closely, often to show affection
(B) Produced a sound that was repeated or reverberated
(C) Settled comfortably within a surrounding area
(D) Playfully causing trouble or annoyance
(E) Covered or obscured from view
(F) Held something dear or valued it highly
(G) Having significant consequences or implications
(H) Expressed great happiness or delight
(I) The feeling of thankfulness or appreciation
(J) A thin, narrow piece or portion
(K) Persuade or influence someone to do something
(L) The act of gently persuading or influencing
(M) A person admired for courage or noble qualities
(N) Dared to go somewhere new or challenging
(O) Sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did the townspeople wake up to one morning?
(a) Rain
(b) Darkness
(c) Sunshine
(d) Snow

2. What did Lily use to explore the forest?
(a) Binoculars
(b) Flashlight
(c) Compass
(d) Map

3. What were the squirrels stealing from the field?
(a) Apples
(b) Carrots
(c) Corn
(d) Sunflowers

4. Why did the squirrels steal the sunflowers?
(a) They wanted to sell them for money
(b) They were hungry and wanted to eat them
(c) They thought they could replace the sun
(d) They wanted to decorate their nests

5. What did Lily convince the squirrels to do?
(a) Return the stolen sunflowers
(b) Keep the sunflowers for themselves
(c) Plant the sunflowers in a different field
(d) Give the sunflowers to the townspeople

6. What did the townspeople do with the sunflowers?
(a) Threw them away
(b) Ate them for dinner
(c) Planted them all around the town
(d) Sold them at the market

7. What happened when the townspeople planted the sunflowers?
(a) The sun started to rise again
(b) The sunflowers wilted and died
(c) The squirrels came back to steal them again
(d) The town became even darker

8. What did the townspeople learn from this experience?
(a) To fear the darkness
(b) To never trust squirrels
(c) To never go into the forest again
(d) To appreciate the sunlight

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The story takes place in a sprawling city nestled in a valley.
2. Lily discovers a group of mischievous squirrels stealing all the sunflowers from the field.
3. A brave little girl named Lily decides to uncover the mystery of the sun’s disappearance.
4. The sun remembers to rise one fateful morning, leaving the town in darkness.
5. The squirrels were stealing the sunflowers because they knew they couldn’t replace the sun.
6. Lily ventures into the forest unarmed with her trusty flashlight.
7. Lily convinces the squirrels to return the stolen sunflowers and stop playing sun.
8. The town rejoices when the sun finally rises again, and they learn to appreciate the gift of sunlight.
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. The sun forgot to rise in the little town.
2. The townspeople panicked because they woke up to a world shrouded in darkness.
3. Lily decided to venture into the forest to uncover the mystery.
4. Lily found a group of squirrels in the forest.
5. The squirrels were stealing the sunflowers because they thought they could replace the sun.
6. Lily convinced the squirrels to return the stolen sunflowers by explaining that only the sun could bring light to their town.
7. The townspeople planted the sunflowers all around the town and watered them with love, hoping to coax the sun out of hiding.
8. The town learned the importance of appreciating the things they took for granted and that hope and positivity can bring about incredible change.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) little
(2) nestled
(3) panic
(4) chaos
(5) trusty
(6) stealing
(7) sunflowers
(8) leader
(9) returned
(10) planted
(11) songs
(12) remind
(13) things
(14) learned
(15) cherished
(16) knowing
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. nestled
Answer: (C) Settled comfortably within a surrounding area

2. fateful
Answer: (G) Having significant consequences or implications

3. shrouded
Answer: (E) Covered or obscured from view

4. panic
Answer: (O) Sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety

5. ventured
Answer: (N) Dared to go somewhere new or challenging

6. mischievous
Answer: (D) Playfully causing trouble or annoyance

7. coax
Answer: (K) Persuade or influence someone to do something

8. rejoiced
Answer: (H) Expressed great happiness or delight

9. cherished
Answer: (F) Held something dear or valued it highly

10. sliver
Answer: (J) A thin, narrow piece or portion

11. coaxing
Answer: (L) The act of gently persuading or influencing

12. gratitude
Answer: (I) The feeling of thankfulness or appreciation

13. embraced
Answer: (A) Accepted or held closely, often to show affection

14. echoed
Answer: (B) Produced a sound that was repeated or reverberated

15. hero
Answer: (M) A person admired for courage or noble qualities
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did the townspeople wake up to one morning?
Answer: (b) Darkness

2. What did Lily use to explore the forest?
Answer: (b) Flashlight

3. What were the squirrels stealing from the field?
Answer: (d) Sunflowers

4. Why did the squirrels steal the sunflowers?
Answer: (c) They thought they could replace the sun

5. What did Lily convince the squirrels to do?
Answer: (a) Return the stolen sunflowers

6. What did the townspeople do with the sunflowers?
Answer: (c) Planted them all around the town

7. What happened when the townspeople planted the sunflowers?
Answer: (a) The sun started to rise again

8. What did the townspeople learn from this experience?
Answer: (d) To appreciate the sunlight
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The story takes place in a sprawling city nestled in a valley. (Answer: False)
2. Lily discovers a group of mischievous squirrels stealing all the sunflowers from the field. (Answer: True)
3. A brave little girl named Lily decides to uncover the mystery of the sun’s disappearance. (Answer: True)
4. The sun remembers to rise one fateful morning, leaving the town in darkness. (Answer: False)
5. The squirrels were stealing the sunflowers because they knew they couldn’t replace the sun. (Answer: False)
6. Lily ventures into the forest unarmed with her trusty flashlight. (Answer: False)
7. Lily convinces the squirrels to return the stolen sunflowers and stop playing sun. (Answer: True)
8. The town rejoices when the sun finally rises again, and they learn to appreciate the gift of sunlight. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧