Once there was a happy jellyfish named Finley who lived in the ocean. Finley loved to swim around with his friends and laugh a lot. He enjoyed playing at the coral reef with other sea animals every day. But one day, a big storm came, and Finley got lost from his friends.

Finley was swimming alone and got scared when a tricky octopus named Oscar showed up. Oscar liked to play jokes on others to make himself laugh. He swam up to Finley, ready to give him a fright.

But Finley surprised Oscar by shooting out shiny ink that sparkled in the water. A group of small fish saw the glittery ink and swam over to see Finley. They liked Finley’s ink trick and decided they wanted to help him get home.

The fish swam with Finley through the ocean. They went through tight caves and even raced dolphins. Finley saw new places and met lots of new friends on the way back to the coral reef.

Finally, Finley got back to the coral reef and his friends threw a big party. They were really happy he was back. Finley learned that even when times are tough, he could make new friends and have fun. From that day on, other animals in the ocean asked Finley for help because he was brave. Finley kept swimming and making everyone laugh.

🎧 Listen:

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📖 Vocabulary:

🤔 Comprehension Questions:

1. Who is the main character in the story?
2. What did Finley like to do with his friends?
3. What happened to Finley when the big storm came?
4. Who tried to scare Finley?
5. How did Finley surprise Oscar?
6. What did Finley learn from his adventure?
Go to answers ⇩

🎧✍️ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

Once there was a happy jellyfish named Finley who lived in the (1)______. Finley loved to swim around with his friends and laugh a lot. He (2)______ playing at the coral reef with other sea animals every day. But one day, a big storm (3)______, and Finley got lost from his friends.

Finley was swimming alone and got scared when a tricky octopus (4)______ (5)______ showed up. Oscar (6)______ to play jokes on others to make himself laugh. He swam up to Finley, ready to give him a fright.

But Finley surprised Oscar by shooting out shiny ink that sparkled in the water. A group of small fish saw the glittery ink and swam over to see Finley. They liked Finley’s ink (7)______ and decided they wanted to help him get home.

The fish (8)______ with Finley through the ocean. They went through (9)______ caves and even raced dolphins. Finley saw new places and met lots of new friends on the way back to the coral reef.

Finally, Finley got back to the coral reef and his friends threw a big party. They were really (10)______ he was back. Finley learned that even when (11)______ are tough, he could make new friends and have fun. From that day on, other animals in the ocean asked Finley for (12)______ because he was brave. Finley kept swimming and making everyone laugh.
Go to answers ⇩

💬 Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is a coral reef? Why is it a fun place to play?
2. How would you feel if you got lost from your friends? Why?
3. Do you like playing jokes on others? Why or why not?
4. What do you think it means to be brave? Can you give an example?
5. How would you feel if you were swimming alone and saw a tricky octopus? Why?
6. Do you think it’s important to make new friends? Why or why not?
7. What is something you have learned from a tough situation? How did it make you feel?
8. Why do you think Finley’s friends threw a big party when he got back?

📖💭 Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. jellyfish
2. coral
3. storm
4. tricky
5. octopus
6. fright
7. sparkled
8. glittery
9. caves
10. dolphins
11. tough
12. brave

Meanings:
(A) Something that is not easy to understand or do
(B) Shined brightly with little flashes of light
(C) Smart sea animals that like to jump and play in the water
(D) Big holes in the ground or in the side of a hill or mountain
(E) Having courage and not being afraid
(F) A soft sea animal that can sting and looks like a clear, wobbly umbrella
(G) Very bad weather with a lot of rain, wind, or snow
(H) A feeling of being scared suddenly
(I) Shiny and looks like it has little pieces of light on it
(J) When something is very hard or difficult
(K) A kind of rock in the sea where lots of small sea animals live together
(L) A sea creature with eight long arms
Go to answers ⇩

🔡 Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What is the name of the jellyfish in the story?
(a) Oscar
(b) Watson
(c) Smith
(d) Finley

2. What did Finley shoot out that surprised Oscar?
(a) Bubbles
(b) Shiny ink
(c) Seaweed
(d) Sand

3. Who saw the shiny ink and swam over to help Finley?
(a) Dolphins
(b) Small fish
(c) Octopuses
(d) Sharks

4. Where did Finley and the fish go on their journey?
(a) To the surface of the ocean
(b) To the North Pole
(c) To a different coral reef
(d) Through tight caves

5. How did Finley’s friends react when he got back to the coral reef?
(a) They threw a big party
(b) They ignored him
(c) They laughed at him
(d) They swam away

6. Why did the other animals in the ocean ask Finley for help?
(a) Because he was scared
(b) Because he was mean
(c) Because he was brave
(d) Because he was lost

7. What did Finley learn from his adventure?
(a) That he could make new friends and have fun
(b) That he should stay away from the coral reef
(c) That he should never swim alone
(d) That he should never trust small fish

8. What did Finley enjoy doing with his friends before he got lost?
(a) Swimming with dolphins
(b) Racing octopuses
(c) Playing at the coral reef
(d) Hiding in caves

Go to answers ⇩

🕵️ True or False Questions:

1. Finley gets lost from his friends during a big storm.
2. Oscar is an octopus who dislikes playing tricks on others.
3. Finley is a jellyfish who lives in the ocean and enjoys swimming with friends.
4. A group of small fish see Finley’s ink trick and decide not to help him get home.
5. Finley and the fish go on an adventure through the ocean, encountering tight caves and racing dolphins.
6. Finley surprises Oscar by shooting out shiny ink that sparkles in the water.
7. Finley learns that even in tough times, he cannot make new friends and have fun, and other animals start avoiding him because he is cowardly.
8. Finley finally returns to the coral reef and his friends ignore him.
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?
Finley is the main character in the story.

2. What did Finley like to do with his friends?
Finley liked to swim around and play at the coral reef with his friends.

3. What happened to Finley when the big storm came?
Finley got lost from his friends when the big storm came.

4. Who tried to scare Finley?
Oscar, the tricky octopus, tried to scare Finley.

5. How did Finley surprise Oscar?
Finley surprised Oscar by shooting out shiny ink that sparkled in the water.

6. What did Finley learn from his adventure?
Finley learned that even when times are tough, he could make new friends and have fun.
Go back to questions ⇧

🎧✍️✅ Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) ocean
(2) enjoyed
(3) came
(4) named
(5) Oscar
(6) liked
(7) trick
(8) swam
(9) tight
(10) happy
(11) times
(12) help
Go back to questions ⇧

📖💭✅ Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. jellyfish
Answer: (F) A soft sea animal that can sting and looks like a clear, wobbly umbrella

2. coral
Answer: (K) A kind of rock in the sea where lots of small sea animals live together

3. storm
Answer: (G) Very bad weather with a lot of rain, wind, or snow

4. tricky
Answer: (A) Something that is not easy to understand or do

5. octopus
Answer: (L) A sea creature with eight long arms

6. fright
Answer: (H) A feeling of being scared suddenly

7. sparkled
Answer: (B) Shined brightly with little flashes of light

8. glittery
Answer: (I) Shiny and looks like it has little pieces of light on it

9. caves
Answer: (D) Big holes in the ground or in the side of a hill or mountain

10. dolphins
Answer: (C) Smart sea animals that like to jump and play in the water

11. tough
Answer: (J) When something is very hard or difficult

12. brave
Answer: (E) Having courage and not being afraid
Go back to questions ⇧

🔡✅ Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What is the name of the jellyfish in the story?
Answer: (d) Finley

2. What did Finley shoot out that surprised Oscar?
Answer: (b) Shiny ink

3. Who saw the shiny ink and swam over to help Finley?
Answer: (b) Small fish

4. Where did Finley and the fish go on their journey?
Answer: (d) Through tight caves

5. How did Finley’s friends react when he got back to the coral reef?
Answer: (a) They threw a big party

6. Why did the other animals in the ocean ask Finley for help?
Answer: (c) Because he was brave

7. What did Finley learn from his adventure?
Answer: (a) That he could make new friends and have fun

8. What did Finley enjoy doing with his friends before he got lost?
Answer: (c) Playing at the coral reef
Go back to questions ⇧

🕵️✅ True or False Answers:

1. Finley gets lost from his friends during a big storm. (Answer: True)
2. Oscar is an octopus who dislikes playing tricks on others. (Answer: False)
3. Finley is a jellyfish who lives in the ocean and enjoys swimming with friends. (Answer: True)
4. A group of small fish see Finley’s ink trick and decide not to help him get home. (Answer: False)
5. Finley and the fish go on an adventure through the ocean, encountering tight caves and racing dolphins. (Answer: True)
6. Finley surprises Oscar by shooting out shiny ink that sparkles in the water. (Answer: True)
7. Finley learns that even in tough times, he cannot make new friends and have fun, and other animals start avoiding him because he is cowardly. (Answer: False)
8. Finley finally returns to the coral reef and his friends ignore him. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧