EnglishFreePrintable

Narrative Elements Using Moana

A free english worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Narrative Elements Using Moana

Read the original mini-story, then investigate how its characters, setting, problem, events and resolution work together. Use details from the story to support your answers.

The Tidepool Promise

At dawn on the island of Motu Rere, twelve-year-old Leilani hurried down to the shore. A storm had torn the village’s small waka from its mooring, and it was drifting towards a reef. Her grandfather’s carved paddle lay inside it. Without the waka, the village would also struggle to bring food across the lagoon. Leilani wanted to swim after it, but her cousin Losa pointed to the dark clouds gathering over the sea. “We need a safer plan,” he said. They found a coil of rope by the boat shed. Leilani tied one end around a sturdy pōhutukawa tree, while Losa waded into the shallows with the other end. Together they pulled the rope taut across a sheltered part of the beach. A passing fishing boat spotted their signal and slowed near the lagoon entrance. Its crew helped guide the waka away from the reef and back towards shore. Leilani climbed aboard and found the paddle safe beneath a woven mat. By midday, the storm had passed. The cousins secured the waka properly, and Leilani promised to teach the younger children how to check its mooring before every storm.

Find the narrative elements

Use evidence from “The Tidepool Promise.”

1.Who is the main character? Choose the best answer.

Losa
Leilani
The fishing-boat crew
Grandfather

2.Where and when does the story begin? Include one detail that shows the setting.

3.What is the central problem? Select the most complete answer.

Leilani cannot find her cousins.
A storm has loosened the waka, which is drifting towards a reef with an important paddle inside.
The village has run out of rope.
The fishing boat is lost at sea.

4.Match each story event to its role in the plot.

The cousins find rope and make a plan.
The waka drifts towards the reef.
The crew helps bring the waka back safely.
Leilani promises to teach the younger children.

Resolution
Attempt to solve the problem
Ending / lasting change
Problem begins

5.Why does Losa advise Leilani not to swim after the waka? Use a detail from the story to explain.

6.Put these events in the order they happen by writing 1–4 beside each one: the fishing boat helps; Leilani and Losa find rope; the storm clouds gather; Leilani finds the paddle.

7.Which quality does Leilani show when she works with Losa? Choose one quality and support it with an action from the story.

8.The storm, the reef and the drifting waka all add tension. Which detail makes the danger feel most immediate, and why?

9.The story ends with Leilani making a promise. How does this ending show a change or lesson for her?

10.Create a brief story plan about a character facing a problem in a place you know. Include a character, setting, problem, two actions and a possible resolution.