Description
Help your students explore meaningful stories and build critical reading and writing skills with this ready-to-print resource.
Decisions That Define Us includes five realistic short stories that center around the real-life challenges and turning points teens face—friendship, honesty, peer pressure, and doing what’s right. Each story is written specifically for seventh-grade readers and comes with comprehension questions, vocabulary tasks, and reflective writing prompts.
This is more than a worksheet—it’s a chance for students to think deeply, connect personally, and respond thoughtfully.
What’s Included:
Five complete story-based units with:
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Two-page original fiction stories (approx. 400–420 words)
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Comprehension questions (theme, inference, cause/effect, character, etc.)
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Vocabulary in context task
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Connect to Your Life reflection prompt
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Reflective Writing Task
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Answer Keys – comprehension and vocabulary
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Teacher Guide with CCSS alignment and instructional suggestions
Story Titles & Themes:
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The Favor That Went Too Far – One small favor leads to a big choice
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Left Out of the Loop – A missed invitation, and a question of belonging
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The Missing Lunch Money – A quiet student is blamed, and one voice could make it right
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Between Two Homes – Living between two households, and the search for identity
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Just a Joke, Right? – When teasing crosses a line
Skills Addressed:
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Reading comprehension
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Character motivation and analysis
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Theme and textual evidence
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Vocabulary development
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Personal reflection and narrative writing
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Social-emotional learning integration
Standards Alignment:
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RL.7.1 | RL.7.3 | RL.7.4
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W.7.3 | W.7.10
Perfect For:
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ELA classrooms
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SEL + literacy integration
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Small group or independent reading
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Journaling, reflection, sub plans, or homework
Conclusion:
Decisions That Define Us invites students to reflect on real choices—both in fiction and in their own lives. These stories are powerful conversation starters and purposeful tools for building thoughtful, skilled readers and writers.
