Skip to main content
← Back to the stories

Print “Nell Helps”

Level 4 · Magic e · black-and-white friendly, A4. Untick any sheet you don’t need.

Sheets to print
Name Date

1. Picture answers

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 4 · Roo Bloom

Read the story. Circle the right picture.

Nell Helps

  1. Dad had a big stack of plates to wash.
  2. "I can help," said Nell.
  3. Nell got on a step at the sink.
  4. Dad did the washing, and Nell did the wiping.
  5. She put the dry plates on a shelf.
  6. The job was done in no time.
  7. Dad and Nell had time for a game.
  1. 1. What did Dad have to wash?

    • plates
    • shoes
    • car
  2. 2. Where did Nell stand?

    • sink
    • bed
    • bath
Name Date

2. Word answers

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 4 · Roo Bloom

Read the story. Tick the right word.

Nell Helps

  1. Dad had a big stack of plates to wash.
  2. "I can help," said Nell.
  3. Nell got on a step at the sink.
  4. Dad did the washing, and Nell did the wiping.
  5. She put the dry plates on a shelf.
  6. The job was done in no time.
  7. Dad and Nell had time for a game.
  1. 1. Who did the wiping?

    • Dad
    • Nell
    • Mum
  2. 2. What did Nell say?

    • I can help
    • I am off
    • I can hop
Name Date

3. Find the clue

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 4 · Roo Bloom

Find the clue. Write the number of the sentence, then underline it.

The answer can be hiding in the story.

Nell Helps

  1. 1Dad had a big stack of plates to wash.
  2. 2"I can help," said Nell.
  3. 3Nell got on a step at the sink.
  4. 4Dad did the washing, and Nell did the wiping.
  5. 5She put the dry plates on a shelf.
  6. 6The job was done in no time.
  7. 7Dad and Nell had time for a game.
  1. 1. Why did Dad and Nell have time for a game?

    The clue is in sentence number

    Now say or write the answer:

Name Date

4. Short answers

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 4 · Roo Bloom

Read the story. Write or say your answer.

Nell Helps

  1. Dad had a big stack of plates to wash.
  2. "I can help," said Nell.
  3. Nell got on a step at the sink.
  4. Dad did the washing, and Nell did the wiping.
  5. She put the dry plates on a shelf.
  6. The job was done in no time.
  7. Dad and Nell had time for a game.
  1. 1. What did Nell put on the shelf?

  2. 2. What did Dad and Nell do at the end?

Name Date

5. Put it in order

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 4 · Roo Bloom

What happened first? Write 1, 2, 3 in the boxes.

Nell Helps

  1. Dad had a big stack of plates to wash.
  2. "I can help," said Nell.
  3. Nell got on a step at the sink.
  4. Dad did the washing, and Nell did the wiping.
  5. She put the dry plates on a shelf.
  6. The job was done in no time.
  7. Dad and Nell had time for a game.
  • Dad and Nell had a game
  • Nell helped at the sink
  • Dad had lots of plates

Tell a grown-up the story in your own words: first, next, last.

Name Date

6. Draw the story

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 4 · Roo Bloom

Draw something you remember from the story.

Nell Helps

  1. Dad had a big stack of plates to wash.
  2. "I can help," said Nell.
  3. Nell got on a step at the sink.
  4. Dad did the washing, and Nell did the wiping.
  5. She put the dry plates on a shelf.
  6. The job was done in no time.
  7. Dad and Nell had time for a game.

Draw Nell and Dad at the sink with the plates.

Write a word or sentence about your picture:

Answers for grown-ups

Read, Decode & Understand · Level 4 · Roo Bloom

Nell Helps · Level 4 (Magic e) · focus words: plates, wiping, time, game · tricky words: to, wash, said, I, the, she, put, dry, was, done, no, for

1. Picture answers

  1. Yes! Dad had a big stack of plates to wash.
  2. Yes — Nell got on a step at the sink.

2. Word answers

  1. Yes! Nell did the wiping.
  2. Yes — Nell said, "I can help."

3. Find the clue

  1. Sentence 6. The job was done in no time, so they had time left for a game.

4. Short answers (any wording that shows they understood is fine)

  1. She put the dry plates on the shelf.
  2. They had a game.

5. Put it in order

1. Dad had lots of plates · 2. Nell helped at the sink · 3. Dad and Nell had a game

There is no score. If an answer is not the one, read the sentence together and ask the question again.