general

Theo, Thelma, and the Sloth

An A2 English reading comprehension worksheet about Theo, a thirsty thief, featuring activities focused on target vocabulary and the 'th' sound.

Title

Seo_intro

An A2 English reading comprehension worksheet based on the story of Theo, a love potion, and an unexpected sloth romance.

Reading Text

Theo the thief was thoroughly smitten with Thelma, but she barely thought of him at all. On a muggy Thursday evening, Theo crept through the thick fog to steal a magical love potion from a herbalist’s shop. His plan was simple: drop three drops into Thelma’s tea and win her heart forever. With the potion tucked tightly in his leather pouch, Theo ran to the park to wait for Thelma. However, the warm night air made his throat painfully dry. As his thoughts drifted, his thirst grew overwhelming. Absentmindedly, Theo pulled the smooth glass bottle from his bag and took three big gulps, believing it was simple sweet water. Instantly, his mind went hazy with romance. He looked up into the thick leaves of a nearby tree and locked eyes with a furry sloth named Tabitha. Theo fell head over heels in love! Three days later, they held a grand wedding under the stars. The ceremony lasted a full three hours—mostly waiting for the bride to slowly creep down the aisle.

Activities

Vocabulary

Items:

Label: thief
Answer: def_1
Label: crept
Answer: def_2
Label: pouch
Answer: def_3
Label: overwhelming
Answer: def_4
Label: hazy
Answer: def_5
Label: aisle
Answer: def_6

Definitions:

Text: a person who steals things from other people
Text: moved quietly and slowly so no one would see or hear
Text: a small bag used for carrying small objects
Text: very strong or powerful, hard to resist
Text: unclear, confused, or foggy
Text: a long, narrow path between rows of seats, like in a church

Fill In The Blanks:

Before: The police caught the
After: taking money from the store.
Answer: thief
Before: He
After: into the room quietly so he wouldn't wake the baby.
Answer: crept
Before: She kept her coins inside a small leather
After: .
Answer: pouch
Before: The heat during the summer afternoon was completely
After: .
Answer: overwhelming
Before: After waking up from the long nap, his mind felt very
After: .
Answer: hazy

Comprehension

Questions:

Text: Theo stole a love potion to make Thelma fall in love with him.
Answer: true
Text: Theo drank the potion on purpose because he wanted to fall in love with a sloth.
Answer: false
Text: Theo thought the bottle contained sweet water.
Answer: true
Text: Tabitha the sloth walked very fast down the aisle at the wedding.
Answer: false
Text: The wedding ceremony lasted for three hours.
Answer: true

Scrambled:

Answer: Theo stole a magical love potion from the shop.
Answer: He ran to the park to wait for Thelma.
Answer: Theo drank three big gulps from the glass bottle.
Answer: He locked eyes with a furry sloth in a tree.
Answer: They held a grand wedding under the stars.

Written Expression

Questions:

Text: Why did Theo drink the potion by mistake?
Text: What happened after Theo looked up into the tree?

Examples:

Example 1: Theo drank the potion by mistake because his throat was very dry and he thought the bottle had sweet water inside.

Example 2: After Theo looked up into the tree, he saw a sloth named Tabitha and fell deeply in love with her.

Critical Thinking

Title: Discussion & Critical Thinking Questions

Instructions:

Do you think love potions are a good idea, even if they worked? Why or why not?
How do you think Thelma felt when she found out Theo married a sloth instead of giving her the potion?