📖 Part 1: Read, Notice, and Learn

Directions: Read the story carefully. Underline or circle details that show the setting, characters, problem, and values. Then answer the questions using evidence from the text.

The Empty Pantry

On Saturday morning, Lena noticed that the community pantry was nearly empty. Only a few cans of beans and soup remained on the shelves. Her neighbor, Mr. Peters, was organizing the cans into boxes while checking a list of families who might arrive that afternoon.

Lena remembered her family’s saying: “When we have enough, we share.” Her parents often helped neighbors, and Lena had learned that service was not always a large or dramatic act. Sometimes it meant noticing a need and doing something useful.

She called her younger brother, Eli, and asked him to help gather vegetables from their garden. Together, they carried baskets through the cool morning air. The leaves felt damp, and the smell of turned soil followed them as they worked.

“Do you think this will be enough?” Eli asked.

Lena looked at the small pile of carrots, potatoes, and squash. She was not sure. Still, she remembered how many people in their community had helped her family during difficult seasons. She thought about the families who might come to the pantry because they needed food.

“It is a beginning,” Lena said. “Maybe others will notice and help, too.”

As they carried the vegetables toward the pantry, Lena wondered whether there would be enough food for everyone. At the corner, she saw a truck turning into the parking lot. Its side was painted with the name of a nearby farm.

Vocabulary Box

community: a group of people who live, work, or belong together

service: helpful work done for other people

faith: trust or belief that guides a person

setting: where and when a story takes place

character: a person, animal, or figure in a story

evidence: details from a text that support an idea

Sentence frame: The setting is ______________________________ because the text says ______________________________.

✏️ Part 2: Enter the Story

Complete each box with a detail from the story.

Setting: Where?

Setting: When?

Character and action:

Evidence from the text:

How does this point of view help the reader understand the story?

I notice: ________________________________________________

I think: _________________________________________________

Because: __________________________________________________

Sentence frame: I predict __________________________________ because the text says/shows __________________________________.

Word bank: pantry, harvest, neighbor, service, community, notice, share, enough, surprised, grateful

Success Criteria

I can identify where and when the story takes place.

I can identify important characters and describe their actions.

I can make a reasonable prediction.

I can use exact details from the story as evidence.

I can listen respectfully and build on a partner’s idea.

Support for Developing EAL Learners

Use the sentence frames above. You may draw and label your ideas, rehearse your answer with a partner, or give an oral answer to your teacher. Helpful words: setting, character, problem, evidence, prediction, because, notice, share, help.

Grades 7–8 Challenge

🌟 Part 3: Reflect and Extend

Extension Challenge

Write two possible next events. Then compare them. Which event is more likely, and which two clues from the story support your choice?

Concise Answer Key

1. The community pantry on Saturday morning. Evidence includes “community pantry” and “Saturday morning.”

2. Lena notices the empty pantry and gathers vegetables; Eli helps her; Mr. Peters organizes cans and boxes.

3. The pantry may not have enough food for everyone who comes.

4. Accept accurate setting, character, action, and quoted or paraphrased evidence from the story.

5. A narrator outside the story tells about Lena using “she.” This lets readers learn about Lena’s actions and thoughts while seeing the events from outside her perspective.

6. Answers will vary. A strong inference connects a noticed detail to a logical idea using “because.”

7. Likely predictions include Lena and Eli bringing vegetables to the pantry, the farm donating food, or community members joining to help. Answers must include supporting evidence.

8. Answers will vary. Look for a setting detail, character action, and consequence.

9–10. Answers will vary but should use specific evidence and explain the character’s values or the effect of point of view.