The Lost Mitten
A short story about a missing mitten and a surprise under a bench, with eight questions on feelings, clues and what happens next.
Read the passage
Zara’s favourite red mitten was missing. She had worn both mittens to school that morning. Now only one was left in her pocket.
“I can’t go home without it,” said Zara. Her eyes felt hot and prickly. Mrs Okafor, the lunch helper, knelt down beside her.
“Let’s think,” said Mrs Okafor. “Where did you go after break?”
Zara thought hard. She had played in the garden, and then she had run back to class. At the garden gate she stopped. “The bench!” she cried. “I took my mittens off to eat my apple.”
They hurried back to the bench. There, tucked between two planks, was the red mitten. Soft leaves and moss were stuffed inside the thumb. Something small moved.
A robin hopped out of the mitten, shook his feathers and flew up to the fence.
Zara giggled. “He was making a nest!” she said. She felt sad for just a second, and then she smiled. “He can keep it warm for tonight,” she whispered. “I’ll get it tomorrow.”
Answer the questions
- What colour was Zara’s favourite mitten? (1 mark)
- Who helped Zara to look for her mitten? (1 mark)
- Find and copy one word that means “went quickly”. (1 mark)
- How did Zara feel when she could not find her mitten? Use a detail from the story to explain how you know. (2 marks)
- Why did Zara remember the bench? (1 mark)
- Why do you think the robin chose the mitten as a place for a nest? (2 marks)
- Number these events 1 to 4 in the order they happen. (2 marks)• A robin hops out of the mitten.• Zara notices that one mitten is missing.• Mrs Okafor asks where Zara went after break.• Zara remembers the bench.
- Do you think Zara was right to leave the mitten for the robin? Give a reason. (1 mark)
Answer key for parents and teachers
1. Red. (1 mark)
Finding information (2b). A simple detail to find at the start of the story.
2. Mrs Okafor, the lunch helper. (1 mark)
Finding information (2b). Finding who did something is a basic retrieval skill.
3. hurried (1 mark)
Word meaning (2a). The child matches a word in the story to a simpler meaning.
4. Upset or worried. Evidence, for example: “Her eyes felt hot and prickly” or “I can’t go home without it”. (2 marks)
Inference (2d). Feelings are shown by what a character says and how their body feels, not told directly.
5. She had taken her mittens off there to eat her apple. (1 mark)
Explaining from the text. Linking a cause to what happened next.
6. It was warm, soft and sheltered, and it was hidden between the planks (any sensible reason). (2 marks)
Inference (2d). The story never says why, so the child has to work it out from the clues.
7. 1. Zara notices that one mitten is missing. 2. Mrs Okafor asks where Zara went after break. 3. Zara remembers the bench. 4. A robin hops out of the mitten. (2 marks)
Sequencing events. Sequencing shows the child has followed the whole story.
8. Any sensible view with a reason, for example: Yes, because the robin needed somewhere warm for the night. (1 mark)
Giving a view with evidence. Giving a view with a reason builds the habit of backing up an opinion.
What this practises
Finding information (2b), Word meaning (2a), Inference (2d), Explaining from the text, Sequencing events, Giving a view with evidence. 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 a short story about a time you lost something and found it in a surprising place.
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.