Story Elements - Character, Plot, Setting worksheet - Free Printable

Let’s go through the story and answer each question step by step.

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Story Summary (to help us):

- Josh is a 5th grader who loves baseball, especially his team, the Lightning Bolts.
- It’s April — that’s springtime.
- He got embarrassed in class because he said “Outfield!” instead of “outback” when asked about central Australia.
- On his way home, Diana (a new girl) invites him to her birthday party on Saturday at 3:00 PM.
- But Josh knows the Lightning Bolts game starts at 3:05 PM on Saturday — so he can’t go to both!

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Now let’s answer each question:

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1. The two main characters are:

We look for the people the story focuses on most.

- Josh – yes, the whole story is about him.
- Diana – she shows up and gives Josh a big problem (the party vs. game). She’s important.
- Lightning Bolts – that’s a team, not a person. Not a character.
- Mr. Carpenter – he only appears once in a small moment. Not main.

✔ So the two main characters are: Josh and Diana

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2. The story takes place in the ___

The story says:
> “It was hard for Josh to concentrate on schoolwork during April.”
> “...strolling home from school in the soft April air...”

April is in the spring (in the Northern Hemisphere, which this story seems to be based on).

✔ Answer: spring

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3. The action happens ________________.

This means: When does the main part of the story take place?

The story starts with Josh thinking about baseball in April, then talks about what happened *today* in class, then what happens *now* as he walks home and meets Diana.

So the main action is happening after school, on a day in April.

But since the question is open-ended, we can say:

✔ Answer: after school on a day in April

*(Or if they want time of day: “in the afternoon” — since he’s walking home from school and the party/game are later.)*

But looking at context, best fit: after school

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4. One of Josh’s problems is that ________________.

From the story:

- He couldn’t focus on school because he was thinking about baseball.
- He embarrassed himself in class by saying “Outfield!” instead of “outback”.

Either one works. Let’s pick the first one since it’s mentioned first.

✔ Answer: he can’t concentrate on schoolwork because he’s thinking about baseball

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5. Another of Josh’s problems is that ________________.

Now the second big problem:

- Diana invited him to her party at 3:00 PM on Saturday.
- But the Lightning Bolts game starts at 3:05 PM — so he can’t go to both.

✔ Answer: he has to choose between going to Diana’s birthday party or watching his favorite team’s game

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6. Which of these statements is not true about Josh?

Wait — the worksheet doesn’t list any statements here! That’s odd. Maybe it’s a typo or missing part? Since no options are given, we can’t answer this unless we assume something.

But looking back — maybe the student is supposed to think of false statements? Or perhaps it’s an error.

Since there are no choices provided in the image, we’ll skip this for now — but note: this question cannot be answered as written.

However, if we had to guess what might be “not true”, we could say things like:

- “Josh likes math more than baseball.” → Not true.
- “Josh remembered the right answer in class.” → Not true.

But since no options are given, we leave it blank or note the issue.

For now, we’ll write:

✔ Answer: *(No options provided — cannot determine)*

But since this is for a student, maybe the teacher meant to include choices. We’ll mark it as incomplete.

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7. What is the term of the bush country of central Australia? Write the one-word answer...

In the story:

> “Mr. Carpenter had asked the term for the bush country of central Australia. Josh had shot his hand into the air and called ‘Outfield!’ instead of ‘outback.’”

So the correct word is outback.

✔ Answer: outback

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## Final Answers:

1. Josh and Diana
2. spring
3. after school
4. he can’t concentrate on schoolwork because he’s thinking about baseball
5. he has to choose between going to Diana’s birthday party or watching his favorite team’s game
6. *(No options provided — cannot determine)*
7. outback