Once upon a time, there was a friendly dragon named Sparkle with bright blue scales and a purple mane. Every year, Sparkle had a big birthday party for all the forest animals. Anyone could come, flying or not.

This year was different because Sparkle lost his voice. He couldn’t talk to invite his friends. As his birthday got closer, he started to worry about how he would let everyone know.

But Sparkle was smart. He made magic cards that said “You’re invited” and flew around, dropping them at each animal’s home. The next morning, every animal found an invitation.

The day of the party, all the animals showed up. Sparkle used sign language to say hi. The party was fun right from the start, even though Sparkle couldn’t talk. He tried to blow up balloons and accidentally breathed out fire, making everyone laugh.

The party was full of games, music, and yummy food, like a huge mountain of ice cream for Sparkle. At the end, he set off colorful fireworks as a thank you. Sparkle learned birthdays are about making others happy, not just getting gifts. Even after his voice came back, he never forgot that lesson.

🎧 Listen:

Slow

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📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What color were Sparkle’s scales?
3. What did Sparkle do when he lost his voice?
4. How did Sparkle invite his friends to his party?
5. What happened when Sparkle tried to blow up balloons?
6. What did Sparkle learn about birthdays?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once upon a time, there was a (1)______ dragon named (2)______ with bright blue scales and a purple mane. Every year, Sparkle had a big birthday party for all the forest animals. Anyone could come, (3)______ or not.

This year was different because Sparkle lost his voice. He couldn’t talk to invite his friends. As his birthday got closer, he started to worry about how he would let everyone (4)______.

But Sparkle was (5)______. He made magic cards that said “You’re invited” and flew around, dropping them at each animal’s home. The (6)______ morning, every animal found an invitation.

The day of the party, all the animals (7)______ up. Sparkle (8)______ sign language to say hi. The party was fun right from the start, even though Sparkle couldn’t talk. He tried to blow up (9)______ and accidentally breathed out fire, making everyone laugh.

The party was full of games, music, and yummy food, like a huge mountain of ice cream for Sparkle. At the end, he set off colorful (10)______ as a thank you. Sparkle learned birthdays are about making (11)______ happy, not just getting (12)______. Even after his voice came back, he never forgot that lesson.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a birthday party?
2. How would you feel if you couldn’t talk to invite your friends to your birthday party?
3. Do you like parties? Why or why not?
4. What do you think Sparkle learned from his birthday party?
5. How do you think Sparkle felt when he accidentally breathed out fire?
6. Have you ever been to a party with games, music, and yummy food? What was it like?
7. Do you think birthdays are just about getting gifts? Why or why not?
8. Why do you think Sparkle never forgot the lesson he learned at his birthday party?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. dragon
2. scales
3. mane
4. invite
5. magic
6. sign language
7. balloons
8. accidentally
9. fireworks
10. gifts
11. lesson
12. flew

Meanings:
(A) Things you give to someone to show you care
(B) To ask someone to come to an event
(C) A big, mythical creature that breathes fire
(D) A way to talk using your hands instead of your voice
(E) Thin rubber bags that can be filled with air or gas and float
(F) Small, thin pieces that cover the skin of some animals
(G) Special powers that can do things that seem impossible
(H) Moved through the air with wings
(I) Long hair on the neck of a horse or around the head of a lion
(J) Something important you learn, especially from an experience
(K) By mistake; not on purpose
(L) Colorful explosions in the sky used for celebrations
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What color were Sparkle’s scales?
(a) Red
(b) Green
(c) Yellow
(d) Bright blue

2. How did Sparkle invite his friends to his birthday party?
(a) By sending them text messages
(b) By calling them on the phone
(c) By dropping magic cards at their homes
(d) By sending them emails

3. What happened when Sparkle tried to blow up balloons?
(a) He accidentally breathed out fire
(b) He couldn’t blow them up
(c) The balloons popped
(d) The balloons floated away

4. What did Sparkle learn about birthdays?
(a) They are about making others happy
(b) They are about getting lots of gifts
(c) They are about eating lots of cake
(d) They are about having the biggest party

5. What did Sparkle do at the end of the party?
(a) Blew out the candles on his cake
(b) Set off colorful fireworks
(c) Gave everyone a present
(d) Sang a song for his friends

6. Who was invited to Sparkle’s birthday party?
(a) Only the flying animals
(b) All the forest animals
(c) Only the animals with purple manes
(d) Only the animals with blue scales

7. What did Sparkle use to communicate at the party?
(a) A microphone
(b) A magic spell
(c) A megaphone
(d) Sign language

8. What did Sparkle do when he lost his voice?
(a) Cried and gave up on the party
(b) Tried to talk louder
(c) Made magic cards to invite his friends
(d) Went to the doctor for help

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. This year, Sparkle couldn’t talk because he lost his voice.
2. The party had games, music, and delicious food, including a huge mountain of ice cream for Sparkle.
3. Sparkle learned that birthdays are about receiving gifts, not just making others happy.
4. Half of the animals received an invitation at their home the next morning.
5. Sparkle, the dragon, had a birthday party every five years for only a few animals in the forest.
6. Sparkle made regular cards to invite his friends to his party.
7. Sparkle accidentally breathed out fire while trying to blow up balloons, which made everyone laugh.
8. At the party, Sparkle used sign language to communicate with his friends.
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 is the main character in the story?
The main character in the story is Sparkle, the friendly dragon.

2. What color were Sparkle’s scales?
Sparkle’s scales were bright blue.

3. What did Sparkle do when he lost his voice?
When Sparkle lost his voice, he made magic cards to invite his friends to his party.

4. How did Sparkle invite his friends to his party?
Sparkle flew around and dropped invitation cards at each animal’s home.

5. What happened when Sparkle tried to blow up balloons?
When Sparkle tried to blow up balloons, he accidentally breathed out fire, which made everyone laugh.

6. What did Sparkle learn about birthdays?
Sparkle learned that birthdays are about making others happy, not just getting gifts.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) friendly
(2) Sparkle
(3) flying
(4) know
(5) smart
(6) next
(7) showed
(8) used
(9) balloons
(10) fireworks
(11) others
(12) gifts
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. dragon
Answer: (C) A big, mythical creature that breathes fire

2. scales
Answer: (F) Small, thin pieces that cover the skin of some animals

3. mane
Answer: (I) Long hair on the neck of a horse or around the head of a lion

4. invite
Answer: (B) To ask someone to come to an event

5. magic
Answer: (G) Special powers that can do things that seem impossible

6. sign language
Answer: (D) A way to talk using your hands instead of your voice

7. balloons
Answer: (E) Thin rubber bags that can be filled with air or gas and float

8. accidentally
Answer: (K) By mistake; not on purpose

9. fireworks
Answer: (L) Colorful explosions in the sky used for celebrations

10. gifts
Answer: (A) Things you give to someone to show you care

11. lesson
Answer: (J) Something important you learn, especially from an experience

12. flew
Answer: (H) Moved through the air with wings
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What color were Sparkle’s scales?
Answer: (d) Bright blue

2. How did Sparkle invite his friends to his birthday party?
Answer: (c) By dropping magic cards at their homes

3. What happened when Sparkle tried to blow up balloons?
Answer: (a) He accidentally breathed out fire

4. What did Sparkle learn about birthdays?
Answer: (a) They are about making others happy

5. What did Sparkle do at the end of the party?
Answer: (b) Set off colorful fireworks

6. Who was invited to Sparkle’s birthday party?
Answer: (b) All the forest animals

7. What did Sparkle use to communicate at the party?
Answer: (d) Sign language

8. What did Sparkle do when he lost his voice?
Answer: (c) Made magic cards to invite his friends
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. This year, Sparkle couldn’t talk because he lost his voice. (Answer: True)
2. The party had games, music, and delicious food, including a huge mountain of ice cream for Sparkle. (Answer: True)
3. Sparkle learned that birthdays are about receiving gifts, not just making others happy. (Answer: False)
4. Half of the animals received an invitation at their home the next morning. (Answer: False)
5. Sparkle, the dragon, had a birthday party every five years for only a few animals in the forest. (Answer: False)
6. Sparkle made regular cards to invite his friends to his party. (Answer: False)
7. Sparkle accidentally breathed out fire while trying to blow up balloons, which made everyone laugh. (Answer: True)
8. At the party, Sparkle used sign language to communicate with his friends. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧