The Edge of the Pool
A short story about a nervous boy at a swimming lesson, with eight questions on feelings, evidence and word pictures.
Read the passage
Sam stood at the edge of the swimming pool, gripping his towel. The water was bright blue and very, very deep. Around him, the other children splashed and shouted, but Sam did not move.
“Come on, Sam,” called Miss Patel, the swimming teacher. “You can start in the shallow end.”
Sam’s knees felt wobbly. His tummy was full of fluttering butterflies. He looked down at his toes, which were curled tightly over the edge of the pool.
Then he noticed Jamal, a boy from his class, giving him a thumbs up from the water. “It’s not cold once you’re in!” Jamal grinned.
Sam took one slow, deep breath. He sat down on the edge and slid carefully into the water. It was cooler than he expected, but it wasn’t scary at all. His feet touched the bottom, and his shoulders came down from around his ears.
By the end of the lesson, Sam was floating on his back with a huge smile on his face. “Same time next week?” asked Miss Patel. “Yes, please!” said Sam.
Answer the questions
- What was the name of the swimming teacher? (1 mark)
- Who gave Sam a thumbs up? (1 mark)
- Find and copy one word that describes how Sam’s knees felt. (1 mark)
- How did Sam feel at the start of the story? Use a detail from the story to explain how you know. (2 marks)
- The story says Sam’s tummy was full of “fluttering butterflies”. Did Sam really have butterflies in his tummy? Explain what the writer means. (2 marks)
- What helped Sam to get into the water? (1 mark)
- How do you know Sam enjoyed the lesson? Give one piece of evidence. (1 mark)
- Number these events 1 to 4 in the order they happen. (2 marks)• Sam floats on his back.• Sam stands at the edge of the pool.• Sam slides into the water.• Jamal gives Sam a thumbs up.
Answer key for parents and teachers
1. Miss Patel (1 mark)
Finding information (2b). A name to find in the second paragraph.
2. Jamal (1 mark)
Finding information (2b). Finding who did something is a basic retrieval skill: the child scans the text for the right name.
3. wobbly (1 mark)
Word meaning (2a). Finding the word that describes a feeling in the body.
4. Nervous or scared. Evidence, for example: “gripping his towel”, “did not move”, “knees felt wobbly”, “fluttering butterflies”. (2 marks)
Inference (2d). The story never says “Sam was scared”, so the child reads the clues and backs the idea up from the text.
5. No. It describes the fluttery, jumpy feeling people get when they are nervous. (2 marks)
Language choices. Understanding figurative language, not just spotting it.
6. Jamal’s thumbs up and encouragement (accept: taking a deep breath). (1 mark)
Explaining from the text. Linking a cause to what happened next.
7. Any one of: he was floating on his back, he had a huge smile, he said “Yes, please!” (1 mark)
Inference (2d). Another feeling to work out, this time from what Sam does and says.
8. 1. Sam stands at the edge. 2. Jamal gives a thumbs up. 3. Sam slides into the water. 4. Sam floats on his back. (2 marks)
Sequencing events. Sequencing shows the child has followed the whole story.
What this practises
Finding information (2b), Word meaning (2a), Inference (2d), Language choices, Explaining from the text, Sequencing events. The codes in brackets are the reading content domains from the national curriculum test framework. Marks and answers are a guide: accept any sensible answer that is backed up by the text.
Now try the writing task
Write about a time you felt nervous and then felt proud. Say how your body felt.
Aim for five to eight sentences. Read it back aloud together and fix anything that does not sound right.
Want feedback on your child's own writing?
You mark the worksheet yourself with the answer key. LiteracyLab AI is different: it reads what your child has written and gives specific feedback, such as what worked, one thing to try next, and a corrected version, matched to their year. The Free plan includes 3 pieces a month and needs no card.
More Year 3 worksheets
Free to print and copy for your own family or classroom. Please do not sell or republish. The passage and questions were written for LiteracyLab AI.