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 Polka-Dot Pirate

Captain Pete, the Polka-Dot Pirate, embarks on a treasure hunt and discovers the true meaning of sharing.

Try this story at a different level?

 

Once upon a time, there was a pirate named Pete. He loved colorful dots and wore them all over. He had a funny crew of talking birds and monkeys. They liked to play hide and seek with dotted things to make Pete happy.

One day, Pete heard about a special dotted treasure on a faraway island. The island had monkeys with dots too! They told Pete he had to guess a tricky question to find the treasure. Pete and his animal friends thought hard, and a bird knew the answer! The monkeys were happy and gave Pete a new dotted hat.

Pete found the treasure and they all danced with joy. When they were ready to leave, they heard a sound from the treasure box. Inside, there was a small dotted snail named Spotty. Spotty said the treasure should be shared with everyone.

Pete listened to Spotty and turned his ship into a fun place with dots everywhere. He sailed around making people smile and laugh. Pete showed that sharing and being kind is the best treasure. And this is the story of the happy dotted pirate.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

Normal

📖 Vocabulary:

1pirateA person who sails on ships and looks for gold
2colorfulFull of many different bright colors
3crewA group of people who work together on a ship
4treasureSomething very special and valuable that is hidden
5islandA piece of land with water all around it
6guessTo try and answer a question when you’re not sure
7monkeysAnimals that can climb trees and are really good at jumping
8dancedTo move your body to music
9sharedTo let others have some of what you have
10kindTo be nice to others

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who was the pirate in the story?
2. What did the pirate like to wear?
3. What kind of animals were Pete’s friends?
4. What did Pete have to do to find the treasure?
5. What was inside the treasure box?
6. What did Pete do after he found the treasure?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once upon a time, there was a pirate named Pete. He loved colorful dots and wore them all over. He had a funny crew of talking birds and monkeys. They liked to (1)______ hide and seek with dotted things to make Pete happy.

One day, Pete (2)______ about a special dotted treasure on a faraway island. The island had (3)______ with dots too! They told Pete he had to guess a tricky question to find the treasure. Pete and his animal friends thought hard, and a (4)______ knew the answer! The monkeys were happy and gave Pete a new (5)______ hat.

Pete found the treasure and they all danced with joy. When they were ready to leave, they heard a sound from the treasure box. Inside, there was a small dotted snail (6)______ Spotty. Spotty said the treasure should be shared with everyone.

Pete listened to Spotty and turned his ship into a fun place with dots everywhere. He (7)______ around making people smile and laugh. Pete showed that sharing and being kind is the best treasure. And this is the (8)______ of the happy dotted pirate.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a pirate?
2. How would you feel if you found a treasure?
3. Do you like colorful dots? Why or why not?
4. Do you think it’s important to share with others? Why or why not?
5. What would you do if you had a ship like Pete’s? Why?
6. How do you think Pete and his animal friends felt when they found the treasure?
7. Have you ever played hide and seek? How did it make you feel?
8. What do you think is the best treasure in the world? Why?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. pirate
2. colorful
3. crew
4. treasure
5. island
6. guess
7. monkeys
8. danced
9. shared
10. kind

Meanings:
(A) To be nice to others
(B) To let others have some of what you have
(C) Animals that can climb trees and are really good at jumping
(D) A piece of land with water all around it
(E) To move your body to music
(F) To try and answer a question when you’re not sure
(G) Something very special and valuable that is hidden
(H) Full of many different bright colors
(I) A group of people who work together on a ship
(J) A person who sails on ships and looks for gold
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What did Pete love to wear?
(a) Stripes
(b) Polka dots
(c) Plain clothes
(d) Colorful dots

2. Who did Pete play hide and seek with?
(a) Fish and dolphins
(b) Talking birds and monkeys
(c) Lions and tigers
(d) Elephants and giraffes

3. Where did Pete hear about the special treasure?
(a) A faraway island
(b) His backyard
(c) The city park
(d) His friend’s house

4. What did Pete have to do to find the treasure?
(a) Solve a puzzle
(b) Follow a map
(c) Guess a tricky question
(d) Dig in the sand

5. Who knew the answer to the tricky question?
(a) A monkey
(b) Pete
(c) Spotty the snail
(d) A bird

6. What did Pete receive as a reward for finding the treasure?
(a) A new dotted hat
(b) A shiny necklace
(c) A golden crown
(d) A big bag of coins

7. What did Pete do with the treasure?
(a) Kept it all for himself
(b) Buried it on the island
(c) Shared it with everyone
(d) Threw it into the ocean

8. What did Pete turn his ship into?
(a) A scary haunted house
(b) A fun place with dots everywhere
(c) A big library
(d) A fancy restaurant

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Pete and his animal enemies liked to play hide and seek with striped things to make Pete happy.
2. Pete and his animal friends had to answer an easy question to find the treasure.
3. There was a pirate named Pete who loved colorful dots and wore them all over.
4. Pete heard about a plain treasure on a nearby island.
5. The island had monkeys with dots too!
6. Pete turned his ship into a fun place with dots everywhere and sailed around making people smile and laugh.
7. Pete found the treasure and they all danced with joy.
8. Pete had a serious crew of silent birds and monkeys.
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 was the pirate in the story?
The pirate in the story was Pete.

2. What did the pirate like to wear?
The pirate liked to wear colorful dots.

3. What kind of animals were Pete’s friends?
Pete’s friends were talking birds and monkeys.

4. What did Pete have to do to find the treasure?
Pete had to guess a tricky question to find the treasure.

5. What was inside the treasure box?
Inside the treasure box, there was a small dotted snail named Spotty.

6. What did Pete do after he found the treasure?
After he found the treasure, Pete turned his ship into a fun place with dots everywhere and sailed around making people smile and laugh.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) play
(2) heard
(3) monkeys
(4) bird
(5) dotted
(6) named
(7) sailed
(8) story
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. pirate
Answer: (J) A person who sails on ships and looks for gold

2. colorful
Answer: (H) Full of many different bright colors

3. crew
Answer: (I) A group of people who work together on a ship

4. treasure
Answer: (G) Something very special and valuable that is hidden

5. island
Answer: (D) A piece of land with water all around it

6. guess
Answer: (F) To try and answer a question when you’re not sure

7. monkeys
Answer: (C) Animals that can climb trees and are really good at jumping

8. danced
Answer: (E) To move your body to music

9. shared
Answer: (B) To let others have some of what you have

10. kind
Answer: (A) To be nice to others
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What did Pete love to wear?
Answer: (d) Colorful dots

2. Who did Pete play hide and seek with?
Answer: (b) Talking birds and monkeys

3. Where did Pete hear about the special treasure?
Answer: (a) A faraway island

4. What did Pete have to do to find the treasure?
Answer: (c) Guess a tricky question

5. Who knew the answer to the tricky question?
Answer: (d) A bird

6. What did Pete receive as a reward for finding the treasure?
Answer: (a) A new dotted hat

7. What did Pete do with the treasure?
Answer: (c) Shared it with everyone

8. What did Pete turn his ship into?
Answer: (b) A fun place with dots everywhere
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Pete and his animal enemies liked to play hide and seek with striped things to make Pete happy. (Answer: False)
2. Pete and his animal friends had to answer an easy question to find the treasure. (Answer: False)
3. There was a pirate named Pete who loved colorful dots and wore them all over. (Answer: True)
4. Pete heard about a plain treasure on a nearby island. (Answer: False)
5. The island had monkeys with dots too! (Answer: True)
6. Pete turned his ship into a fun place with dots everywhere and sailed around making people smile and laugh. (Answer: True)
7. Pete found the treasure and they all danced with joy. (Answer: True)
8. Pete had a serious crew of silent birds and monkeys. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧

📚 How about these other Level 1 stories?

A jolly jellyfish named Finley gets lost in the deep sea but finds new friends along the way.

The Jolly Jellyfish

Finley the jellyfish got lost in the sea, but with the help of new friends, he found his way home.

The Magic Toy Plane

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Tom who loved airplanes. He loved to watch them fly

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