In a small town, there was a big church with a laughing gargoyle named Grumpy. When Grumpy giggled, flowers grew, birds sang, and people felt very happy. Everyone in the town laughed and felt good because of Grumpy.

A mean witch named Penelope came to the town. She wanted to stop Grumpy from laughing so she could laugh like him. She tried to catch Grumpy with magic, but Grumpy laughed, and her magic didn’t work.

Then all the people in the town couldn’t stop laughing. They laughed all the time and couldn’t do anything else. The town wasn’t happy anymore; it was too much laughing!

Penelope said sorry to Grumpy, and they became friends. They made a new laugh magic that made people happy the right way, not too much. With the new magic, everyone in the town laughed and was happy again. Grumpy showed them that laughing is good, but not too much. And they all lived happily with smiles and giggles.

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What made the people in the town feel happy?
2. What did the mean witch want to do?
3. Did the mean witch’s magic work on Grumpy?
4. What happened when the people in the town couldn’t stop laughing?
5. Did Grumpy and Penelope become friends in the end?
6. How did Grumpy and Penelope make people happy again?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a (1)______ town, there was a big church with a laughing gargoyle (2)______ Grumpy. When Grumpy giggled, flowers grew, birds sang, and people felt very happy. Everyone in the town laughed and felt good because of Grumpy.

A mean witch named Penelope came to the town. She wanted to stop Grumpy from laughing so she could laugh like him. She tried to (3)______ Grumpy with magic, but Grumpy (4)______, and her magic didn’t work.

Then all the people in the town couldn’t stop (5)______ing. They laughed all the time and couldn’t do anything else. The town wasn’t happy anymore; it was too much laughing!

(6)______ said sorry to Grumpy, and they became friends. They made a new laugh magic that made people (7)______ the right way, not too much. With the new magic, everyone in the town laughed and was happy again. Grumpy showed them that laughing is good, but not too much. And they all lived happily with (8)______ and giggles.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a gargoyle?
2. How would you feel if you couldn’t stop laughing?
3. Do you like to laugh? Why or why not?
4. What do you think about the mean witch Penelope?
5. How do you think Grumpy felt when Penelope tried to catch him?
6. Do you think it’s important to make people happy? Why or why not?
7. How would you feel if you lived in a town where everyone was always laughing?
8. What do you think the new laugh magic was like?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. gargoyle
2. giggled
3. witch
4. magic
5. flowers
6. birds
7. laughed
8. sorry
9. friends
10. smiles

Meanings:
(A) Animals with wings that can fly in the sky
(B) Made happy sounds quietly
(C) The way your face looks when you’re happy
(D) A lady in stories who can do special tricks
(E) A funny-looking stone face on a building that sometimes looks scary
(F) Pretty things that grow in the ground and have colors
(G) What you say when you did something wrong
(H) Special tricks that can do things like in fairy tales
(I) Made loud happy sounds
(J) People who like each other and play together
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What was the name of the laughing gargoyle?
(a) Grumpy
(b) Happy
(c) Sad
(d) Silly

2. What happened when Grumpy giggled?
(a) Trees disappeared
(b) People cried
(c) Flowers grew
(d) Birds flew away

3. Who came to the town and wanted to stop Grumpy from laughing?
(a) Jack
(b) Sarah
(c) Penelope
(d) Michael

4. How did Penelope try to catch Grumpy?
(a) With a net
(b) With magic
(c) With a stick
(d) With a book

5. What happened to the people in the town when Grumpy laughed?
(a) They became sad
(b) They couldn’t stop laughing
(c) They fell asleep
(d) They started crying

6. What did Penelope do after her magic didn’t work?
(a) She ran away
(b) She laughed with Grumpy
(c) She cried
(d) She said sorry to Grumpy

7. What did Grumpy and Penelope make together?
(a) New cry magic
(b) New sleep magic
(c) New sad magic
(d) New laugh magic

8. How did everyone in the town feel after they had the new laugh magic?
(a) Happy
(b) Angry
(c) Scared
(d) Bored

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Penelope tried to use magic to catch Grumpy, but it didn’t work because Grumpy laughed.
2. Penelope refused to apologize to Grumpy and they remained enemies, and together they made a new magic that made people unhappy the right way, not too little.
3. The town became unhappy because there was too much laughing.
4. When Penelope’s magic didn’t work, everyone in the town stopped laughing and became constantly sad.
5. When Grumpy laughed, bad things happened like flowers wilting and birds dying.
6. The people in the town felt very happy because of Grumpy’s laughter.
7. There was a small church in a big town with a gargoyle named Grumpy who despised laughter.
8. A mean witch named Penelope came to the town and wanted to stop Grumpy from laughing.
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. What made the people in the town feel happy?
Grumpy, the laughing gargoyle, made the people in the town feel happy.

2. What did the mean witch want to do?
The mean witch wanted to stop Grumpy from laughing so she could laugh like him.

3. Did the mean witch’s magic work on Grumpy?
No, the mean witch’s magic didn’t work on Grumpy.

4. What happened when the people in the town couldn’t stop laughing?
When the people in the town couldn’t stop laughing, they couldn’t do anything else and the town wasn’t happy anymore.

5. Did Grumpy and Penelope become friends in the end?
Yes, Grumpy and Penelope became friends in the end.

6. How did Grumpy and Penelope make people happy again?
Grumpy and Penelope made people happy again by creating a new laugh magic that made people happy the right way, not too much.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) small
(2) named
(3) catch
(4) laughed
(5) laugh
(6) Penelope
(7) happy
(8) smiles
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. gargoyle
Answer: (E) A funny-looking stone face on a building that sometimes looks scary

2. giggled
Answer: (B) Made happy sounds quietly

3. witch
Answer: (D) A lady in stories who can do special tricks

4. magic
Answer: (H) Special tricks that can do things like in fairy tales

5. flowers
Answer: (F) Pretty things that grow in the ground and have colors

6. birds
Answer: (A) Animals with wings that can fly in the sky

7. laughed
Answer: (I) Made loud happy sounds

8. sorry
Answer: (G) What you say when you did something wrong

9. friends
Answer: (J) People who like each other and play together

10. smiles
Answer: (C) The way your face looks when you’re happy
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What was the name of the laughing gargoyle?
Answer: (a) Grumpy

2. What happened when Grumpy giggled?
Answer: (c) Flowers grew

3. Who came to the town and wanted to stop Grumpy from laughing?
Answer: (c) Penelope

4. How did Penelope try to catch Grumpy?
Answer: (b) With magic

5. What happened to the people in the town when Grumpy laughed?
Answer: (b) They couldn’t stop laughing

6. What did Penelope do after her magic didn’t work?
Answer: (d) She said sorry to Grumpy

7. What did Grumpy and Penelope make together?
Answer: (d) New laugh magic

8. How did everyone in the town feel after they had the new laugh magic?
Answer: (a) Happy
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Penelope tried to use magic to catch Grumpy, but it didn’t work because Grumpy laughed. (Answer: True)
2. Penelope refused to apologize to Grumpy and they remained enemies, and together they made a new magic that made people unhappy the right way, not too little. (Answer: False)
3. The town became unhappy because there was too much laughing. (Answer: True)
4. When Penelope’s magic didn’t work, everyone in the town stopped laughing and became constantly sad. (Answer: False)
5. When Grumpy laughed, bad things happened like flowers wilting and birds dying. (Answer: False)
6. The people in the town felt very happy because of Grumpy’s laughter. (Answer: True)
7. There was a small church in a big town with a gargoyle named Grumpy who despised laughter. (Answer: False)
8. A mean witch named Penelope came to the town and wanted to stop Grumpy from laughing. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧