The Lemonade Stand
A short story about two kids and a lemonade stand, with eight questions that send children back to the text for answers.
Read the passage
On Saturday morning, Tariq and his little sister Nia set up a lemonade stand in front of their house. They had a card table, a big pitcher of lemonade, and a stack of paper cups. Nia painted a sign in bright yellow letters: LEMONADE, 50 CENTS.
“We are going to give all the money to the animal shelter,” said Tariq. “Our goal is twenty dollars.”
For a long time, nobody came. The sun was hot, and the ice in the pitcher began to melt. Nia sighed and rested her chin on her hands. “Maybe nobody is thirsty,” she said.
Then Tariq had an idea. He grabbed a marker and added a second line to the sign: HELP THE SHELTER DOGS! Almost right away, Mrs. Garcia stopped her bike. “That is a wonderful idea,” she said. She bought two cups and dropped a whole dollar into the jar.
Soon, more people came. A man walking his poodle bought a cup. Two girls from the park bought one to share. By lunchtime, the pitcher was empty, and the jar was full of coins and bills.
Tariq and Nia counted every cent. They had made twenty-three dollars and fifty cents! Nia did a happy dance right there on the sidewalk.
Answer the questions
- What did Nia paint on the sign at first? (1 point)
- Who did Tariq and Nia want to give the money to? (1 point)
- Tariq says, “Our goal is twenty dollars.” What does the word “goal” mean here? (1 point)
- Why did Tariq add a second line to the sign? Use the story to explain. (2 points)
- Write two details from the story that show Mrs. Garcia liked Tariq’s idea. (2 points)
- Number these events 1 to 4 in the order they happen. (2 points)• Mrs. Garcia stops her bike.• The jar is full of coins and bills.• Nia paints a sign.• Tariq adds a line to the sign.
- How do you know the lemonade stand was a success? Use a detail from the story. (1 point)
- Choose the sentence that best tells the main idea of the story. Write its letter. (1 point)A. Nia painted a yellow sign.B. Mrs. Garcia rode her bike to the park.C. Two kids used a lemonade stand to raise money for an animal shelter.
Answer key for parents and teachers
1. LEMONADE, 50 CENTS. (1 point)
Finding information (RL.3.1). The answer is stated in the first paragraph, so the child practices going back to the text to find it.
2. The animal shelter. (1 point)
Finding information (RL.3.1). A detail stated in the second paragraph. Pointing to where it is in the text is the skill.
3. Something you are trying to reach or achieve (here, the amount of money they wanted to raise). (1 point)
Word meaning (RL.3.4). Working out a word’s meaning from the sentence around it.
4. For a long time nobody came, so he added “HELP THE SHELTER DOGS!” to get people to stop and buy lemonade. (2 points)
Explaining from the text. The child links two parts of the story, the problem and the idea, and says why. This is how the text becomes the basis for the answer.
5. Any two of: she said, “That is a wonderful idea”; she bought two cups; she dropped a whole dollar into the jar. (2 points)
Finding information (RL.3.1). Pulling out specific details that prove a point, which is the heart of referring explicitly to the text.
6. 1. Nia paints a sign. 2. Tariq adds a line to the sign. 3. Mrs. Garcia stops her bike. 4. The jar is full of coins and bills. (2 points)
Sequencing events. Putting events in order shows the child followed the whole story.
7. They made twenty-three dollars and fifty cents, which is more than their goal of twenty dollars (accept: the pitcher was empty and the jar was full; Nia did a happy dance). (1 point)
Explaining from the text. The child supports a claim with a detail from the text instead of just saying “it was good”.
8. C (1 point)
Summarizing (RL.3.2). The main idea covers the whole story, while A and B are only small details.
What this practices
Finding information (RL.3.1), Word meaning (RL.3.4), Explaining from the text, Sequencing events, Summarizing (RL.3.2). The codes in brackets are Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (reading). Standards vary by state, so check what your child's school uses. Points 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 tried something and it did not work at first. What did you change?
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 grade. The Free plan includes 3 pieces a month and needs no card.
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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.