Paul Holmes -
University
English Professor

Free Materials For ESL Teachers and Learners

Short Stories for Kids

Complete lesson plans, including stories, listening, classroom activities, quiz questions and more!

The Legend of the Phantom Ship

Three friends discover the truth behind the Phantom Ship, finding laughter and friendship instead of fear.

Try this story at a different level?

 

In a small village called Windy Cove, there was a spooky story about a Phantom Ship. The ship sailed at night with a glowing light. People said they heard funny sounds from the ship. Kids liked to talk about Captain McGuffin, a sailor who loved to play tricks.

One stormy night, Tommy, Bella, and Max wanted to find out if the story was true. They took a telescope, a big flashlight, and a pie Bella made. “We can give the pie to Captain McGuffin,” Bella said. They were excited and a little scared.

When they got to the dock, they saw a glowing light. It was the Phantom Ship! A figure on the ship was waving. It was Captain McGuffin, but he looked like a silly old man. “I’m looking for my lost sock!” he said. The kids laughed.

Captain McGuffin was friendly. They gave him the pie, and he was very happy. They all sat together, sharing the pie and telling jokes. The captain said, “The best treasure is friends and fun.” He gave each child a silver coin and said goodbye. The kids went home, happy with their new friend and a great story to tell.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1spookyA little bit scary
2PhantomA ghost or something you can’t see
3telescopeA tool to see things far away
4dockA place where boats stop
5figureA shape of a person or thing
6sillyFunny in a goofy way
7friendlyNice and kind
8treasureSomething very valuable
9silverA shiny gray metal
10goodbyeWhat you say when you leave

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. What did Tommy, Bella, and Max want to find out about?
2. What did Bella bring with her to give to Captain McGuffin?
3. How did the kids feel when they saw the glowing light?
4. What did Captain McGuffin say he was looking for?
5. What did the kids and Captain McGuffin do together?
6. What did Captain McGuffin give to each child before they left?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

In a small village called Windy Cove, there was a spooky story about a Phantom (1)______. The ship sailed at night with a glowing light. People said they heard funny sounds from the ship. Kids liked to talk about Captain (2)______, a sailor who loved to play tricks.

One stormy (3)______, Tommy, Bella, and Max wanted to find out if the story was true. They took a telescope, a big (4)______, and a pie Bella made. “We can give the pie to Captain McGuffin,” Bella said. They were excited and a little scared.

When they got to the dock, they saw a glowing (5)______. It was the Phantom Ship! A figure on the ship was waving. It was Captain McGuffin, but he looked like a silly old man. “I’m looking for my lost (6)______!” he said. The kids laughed.

Captain McGuffin was friendly. They gave him the pie, and he was very happy. They all sat together, sharing the pie and telling jokes. The (7)______ said, “The best treasure is (8)______ and fun.” He gave each child a silver coin and said goodbye. The kids went home, happy with their new friend and a great story to tell.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a spooky story you know?

2. How would you feel if you saw a ghost ship?

3. Do you like to tell stories with your friends? Why or why not?

4. What is your favorite kind of pie?

5. How would you feel if you met a funny sailor?

6. Do you think having friends is important? Why?

7. What is a fun game you like to play with friends?

8. How would you feel if someone gave you a shiny coin?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. spooky
2. Phantom
3. telescope
4. dock
5. figure
6. silly
7. friendly
8. treasure
9. silver
10. goodbye

Meanings:
(A) A tool to see things far away
(B) A ghost or something you can’t see
(C) Funny in a goofy way
(D) A little bit scary
(E) Something very valuable
(F) A shape of a person or thing
(G) What you say when you leave
(H) A shiny gray metal
(I) A place where boats stop
(J) Nice and kind
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the village?
(a) Sunny Town
(b) Windy Cove
(c) Happy Place
(d) Quiet City

2. Who did the kids want to meet?
(a) Captain Hook
(b) Captain America
(c) Captain McGuffin
(d) Captain Crunch

3. What did Bella bring with her?
(a) A cake
(b) A cookie
(c) A sandwich
(d) A pie

4. What did the kids see at the dock?
(a) A big fish
(b) A small boat
(c) A glowing light
(d) A tall tree

5. What was Captain McGuffin looking for?
(a) A lost hat
(b) A lost shoe
(c) A lost toy
(d) A lost sock

6. What did the kids give to Captain McGuffin?
(a) A pie
(b) A toy
(c) A book
(d) A fish

7. What did Captain McGuffin say was the best treasure?
(a) Gold and silver
(b) Friends and fun
(c) Toys and games
(d) Food and drinks

8. What did the kids get from Captain McGuffin?
(a) A silver coin
(b) A gold coin
(c) A chocolate coin
(d) A paper coin

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. The Phantom Ship has a flickering light that shines at night.
2. Tommy, Bella, and Max wanted to see if the story about the ship was real.
3. The children devoured the pie with Captain McGuffin and became friends.
4. They brought a compass, a lantern, and a pie to share with Captain McGuffin.
5. When they found the Phantom Ship, Captain McGuffin was searching for his missing hat.
6. Captain McGuffin is a sailor who enjoys playing tricks.
7. There is a spooky story about a Phantom Ship in Windy Cove.
8. Kids in the village like to talk about Captain McGuffin.
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 did Tommy, Bella, and Max want to find out about?
They wanted to find out if the story of the Phantom Ship was true.

2. What did Bella bring with her to give to Captain McGuffin?
Bella brought a pie.

3. How did the kids feel when they saw the glowing light?
They felt excited and a little scared.

4. What did Captain McGuffin say he was looking for?
He said he was looking for his lost sock.

5. What did the kids and Captain McGuffin do together?
They shared the pie and told jokes.

6. What did Captain McGuffin give to each child before they left?
He gave each child a silver coin.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) Ship
(2) McGuffin
(3) night
(4) flashlight
(5) light
(6) sock
(7) captain
(8) friends
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. spooky
Answer: (D) A little bit scary

2. Phantom
Answer: (B) A ghost or something you can’t see

3. telescope
Answer: (A) A tool to see things far away

4. dock
Answer: (I) A place where boats stop

5. figure
Answer: (F) A shape of a person or thing

6. silly
Answer: (C) Funny in a goofy way

7. friendly
Answer: (J) Nice and kind

8. treasure
Answer: (E) Something very valuable

9. silver
Answer: (H) A shiny gray metal

10. goodbye
Answer: (G) What you say when you leave
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the village?
Answer: (b) Windy Cove

2. Who did the kids want to meet?
Answer: (c) Captain McGuffin

3. What did Bella bring with her?
Answer: (d) A pie

4. What did the kids see at the dock?
Answer: (c) A glowing light

5. What was Captain McGuffin looking for?
Answer: (d) A lost sock

6. What did the kids give to Captain McGuffin?
Answer: (a) A pie

7. What did Captain McGuffin say was the best treasure?
Answer: (b) Friends and fun

8. What did the kids get from Captain McGuffin?
Answer: (a) A silver coin
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. The Phantom Ship has a flickering light that shines at night. (Answer: False)
2. Tommy, Bella, and Max wanted to see if the story about the ship was real. (Answer: True)
3. The children devoured the pie with Captain McGuffin and became friends. (Answer: False)
4. They brought a compass, a lantern, and a pie to share with Captain McGuffin. (Answer: False)
5. When they found the Phantom Ship, Captain McGuffin was searching for his missing hat. (Answer: False)
6. Captain McGuffin is a sailor who enjoys playing tricks. (Answer: True)
7. There is a spooky story about a Phantom Ship in Windy Cove. (Answer: True)
8. Kids in the village like to talk about Captain McGuffin. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

Three siblings embark on a daring quest to solve the mystery of the Sapphire Sphinx.

The Secret of the Sapphire Sphinx

Three siblings named Mia, Max, and Ben found a special book about a secret. They went on an adventure to find it. They had to answer tricky questions from a big blue sphinx. They worked together and used their knowledge to solve the puzzles. They found out that the real treasure was learning new things. They were happy and shared their adventure with everyone.

Freddie the squirrel learns a valuable lesson about the true meaning of happiness and unity.

The Peacock Parade

Freddie the squirrel wanted to see pretty peacock colors, but naughty monkeys tricked him with a secret feather.

The Brave Knight

Once upon a time, there was a brave knight named Sir Richard. He lived in a castle with his family,

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