In a magic forest, there was a very small elf named Oliver. The other elves were bigger and sometimes laughed at him. But Oliver didn’t care because he knew that being small didn’t stop him from doing great things.
One day, it was time for the Elf Games. This was a day when all the elves showed what they could do. Oliver was excited to play and show everyone his skills.
The first game was to cross a river on a wobbly branch. The big elves jumped over easily, but it was hard for Oliver. He rolled over in leaves like a ball and made it across. All the elves clapped for him. He then ran through a maze by climbing a mushroom to see the way. Oliver got to the end first and surprised everyone.
The last game was finding shiny stones in the forest. Oliver used his magic wand to turn mushrooms into gems. This made him win the big prize. After that day, the elves stopped laughing at him. They learned that being small is special, too. Oliver showed that even if you are small, you can do big things and win.
🎧 Listen:
Slow
Normal
📖 Vocabulary:
| 1 | magic | Special powers that can do things that are not real |
| 2 | elves | Tiny people with pointy ears that you might find in stories |
| 3 | river | A lot of water that flows across the land and you can’t walk on it |
| 4 | wobbly | Not steady and moves back and forth |
| 5 | clapped | When you hit your hands together to show you are happy or like something |
| 6 | maze | A puzzle with many paths where you can get lost |
| 7 | surprised | When something happens that you didn’t think would happen |
| 8 | shiny | Bright and sparkly like little stars |
| 9 | gems | Pretty stones that can be different colors and are worth a lot |
| 10 | prize | Something you get for doing really well or winning |
🤔 Comprehension Questions:
1. What was the name of the small elf in the magic forest?
2. Why did the other elves sometimes laugh at Oliver?
3. What was the Elf Games?
4. How did Oliver cross the river?
5. How did Oliver find his way through the maze?
6. How did Oliver win the last game?
Go to answers ⇩
🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
In a magic forest, there was a very small elf (1)______ (2)______. The other elves were bigger and sometimes laughed at him. But Oliver didn’t care because he knew that being small didn’t stop him from doing great things.
One day, it was time for the Elf Games. This was a day when all the elves (3)______ what they could do. Oliver was excited to play and show everyone his skills.
The first (4)______ was to cross a river on a wobbly branch. The big elves jumped over easily, but it was hard for Oliver. He rolled over in leaves like a ball and made it across. All the elves clapped for him. He then ran through a maze by climbing a mushroom to see the way. Oliver got to the end first and surprised everyone.
The last game was (5)______ shiny stones in the (6)______. Oliver used his (7)______ wand to turn mushrooms into gems. This made him win the big prize. After that day, the elves stopped laughing at him. They learned that being (8)______ is special, too. Oliver showed that even if you are small, you can do big things and win.
Go to answers ⇩
💬 Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is a magic forest?
2. How would you feel if someone laughed at you because you were small?
3. Do you like playing games? Why or why not?
4. What do you think Oliver did to cross the river?
5. How would you feel if you were the first one to finish a race?
6. Do you think Oliver’s magic wand was helpful? Why or why not?
7. Why do you think the other elves stopped laughing at Oliver?
8. Do you think it’s important to believe in yourself? Why or why not?
📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. magic
2. elves
3. river
4. wobbly
5. clapped
6. maze
7. surprised
8. shiny
9. gems
10. prize
Meanings:
(A) A lot of water that flows across the land and you can’t walk on it
(B) When you hit your hands together to show you are happy or like something
(C) When something happens that you didn’t think would happen
(D) A puzzle with many paths where you can get lost
(E) Tiny people with pointy ears that you might find in stories
(F) Not steady and moves back and forth
(G) Bright and sparkly like little stars
(H) Pretty stones that can be different colors and are worth a lot
(I) Something you get for doing really well or winning
(J) Special powers that can do things that are not real
Go to answers ⇩
🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is the name of the small elf?
(a) Jack
(b) Emily
(c) Lily
(d) Oliver
2. What did the other elves sometimes do to Oliver?
(a) Laughed at him
(b) Played with him
(c) Helped him
(d) Ignored him
3. What was the first game in the Elf Games?
(a) Climbing a tree
(b) Running through a maze
(c) Finding shiny stones
(d) Crossing a river
4. How did Oliver cross the river?
(a) Jumping over easily
(b) Rolling over in leaves
(c) Climbing a mushroom
(d) Swimming across
5. How did Oliver surprise everyone in the maze?
(a) He ran very fast
(b) He climbed a mushroom to see the way
(c) He got lost
(d) He flew over the maze
6. What did Oliver use to turn mushrooms into gems?
(a) Magic hat
(b) Magic shoes
(c) Magic wand
(d) Magic book
7. What did Oliver win for finding shiny stones?
(a) A toy
(b) A medal
(c) The big prize
(d) A trophy
8. What did the other elves learn about being small?
(a) It is special, too
(b) It is not important
(c) It is better than being big
(d) It is not fun
Go to answers ⇩
🕵️ True or False Questions:
1. Oliver uses his magic wand to turn mushrooms into rocks and loses the big prize at the Elf Games.
2. Oliver doesn’t let being small stop him from doing great things.
3. The Elf Games is a special day when all the elves show what they can do.
4. Oliver climbs a mushroom to find his way through a maze and surprises everyone by getting to the end first.
5. Oliver somersaults in leaves like a ball to cross a sturdy branch over the river.
6. The other elves sometimes laugh at Oliver because he is small.
7. Oliver is nervous to play and show no one his skills at the Elf Games.
8. Oliver is a tall elf in a regular forest.
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 was the name of the small elf in the magic forest?
Oliver.
2. Why did the other elves sometimes laugh at Oliver?
Because he was small.
3. What was the Elf Games?
It was a day when all the elves showed what they could do.
4. How did Oliver cross the river?
He rolled over in leaves like a ball and made it across.
5. How did Oliver find his way through the maze?
He climbed a mushroom to see the way.
6. How did Oliver win the last game?
He used his magic wand to turn mushrooms into gems.
Go back to questions ⇧
🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) named
(2) Oliver
(3) showed
(4) game
(5) finding
(6) forest
(7) magic
(8) small
Go back to questions ⇧
📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. magic
Answer: (J) Special powers that can do things that are not real
2. elves
Answer: (E) Tiny people with pointy ears that you might find in stories
3. river
Answer: (A) A lot of water that flows across the land and you can’t walk on it
4. wobbly
Answer: (F) Not steady and moves back and forth
5. clapped
Answer: (B) When you hit your hands together to show you are happy or like something
6. maze
Answer: (D) A puzzle with many paths where you can get lost
7. surprised
Answer: (C) When something happens that you didn’t think would happen
8. shiny
Answer: (G) Bright and sparkly like little stars
9. gems
Answer: (H) Pretty stones that can be different colors and are worth a lot
10. prize
Answer: (I) Something you get for doing really well or winning
Go back to questions ⇧
🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What is the name of the small elf?
Answer: (d) Oliver
2. What did the other elves sometimes do to Oliver?
Answer: (a) Laughed at him
3. What was the first game in the Elf Games?
Answer: (d) Crossing a river
4. How did Oliver cross the river?
Answer: (b) Rolling over in leaves
5. How did Oliver surprise everyone in the maze?
Answer: (b) He climbed a mushroom to see the way
6. What did Oliver use to turn mushrooms into gems?
Answer: (c) Magic wand
7. What did Oliver win for finding shiny stones?
Answer: (c) The big prize
8. What did the other elves learn about being small?
Answer: (a) It is special, too
Go back to questions ⇧
🕵️✅ True or False Answers:
1. Oliver uses his magic wand to turn mushrooms into rocks and loses the big prize at the Elf Games. (Answer: False)
2. Oliver doesn’t let being small stop him from doing great things. (Answer: True)
3. The Elf Games is a special day when all the elves show what they can do. (Answer: True)
4. Oliver climbs a mushroom to find his way through a maze and surprises everyone by getting to the end first. (Answer: True)
5. Oliver somersaults in leaves like a ball to cross a sturdy branch over the river. (Answer: False)
6. The other elves sometimes laugh at Oliver because he is small. (Answer: True)
7. Oliver is nervous to play and show no one his skills at the Elf Games. (Answer: False)
8. Oliver is a tall elf in a regular forest. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
