Reading Worksheet · Grades 5–7
Flashback Worksheet
A 3-page worksheet for grades 5-7 that teaches flashback – the narrative technique authors use to interrupt the present action with a scene from an earlier time. Students read a short story about a young cellist on stage, then label 8 sentences from the passage as flashback or present action in Section A (balanced 4 of each), and answer 6 short-response items in Section B. Includes a strategy reference and a complete answer key.
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Subject
Reading
Grades
Grades 5–7
Skill Focus
Flashback, reading comprehension
Lesson Length
25 minutes
Lesson Overview
About this worksheet
A flashback breaks the forward flow of a story to show something that happened earlier – a memory, a backstory, a moment that explains how a character arrived here. Readers who do not track the time shift get confused about what is happening now. This worksheet builds that tracking skill by asking students to sort each sentence of a passage into flashback or present action.
The reference box at the top of page 1 defines flashback using a generic locker-room-before-the-championship example and lists the signal words that mark a jump backward (remembered, years ago, used to, back then). The example does NOT mention the cello, the recital, or any passage content – the reference teaches the SKILL, not the answers. A short story about Devon performing on stage, interwoven with memories of lessons with his grandfather, follows.
Section A on page 1, just below the passage, quotes each sentence and asks students to label it flashback or present action. The 4 present-action items (walking on stage, the hall going quiet, the conductor’s baton, drawing the bow) carry the story forward in time; the 4 flashback items (remembering the first lesson, the clumsy bow, grandpa’s advice, almost quitting) jump back, each marked by a past-time signal. The balance trains students to read tense and signal words closely.
Section B on page 2 moves to explanation and application. Students define flashback in their own words, copy a signal phrase, explain what the flashback reveals about Devon, reason about why an author breaks chronological order, locate where the story returns to the present, and write an original flashback opener. Page 3 is a complete answer key.
How to Use This Lesson
Read the reference box aloud and identify the flashback and the signal words in the locker-room example.
Have students read the passage about Devon independently and underline every word that signals a shift in time.
Work Section A item 1 together; ask how they decided PRESENT ACTION rather than FLASHBACK.
Assign the rest of Section A independently or with a partner; require students to name the signal word behind each flashback label.
Use Section B item 11 (what the flashback reveals about Devon) as a structured turn-and-talk before writing.
Use the answer key on page 3 for self-check or aide spot-check; the 8 Section A labels are unambiguous, the Section B samples are sample-only.
Printable Resource
A classroom-ready PDF with everything in one printable resource.
Full Member Resource · Printable PDF · 3 pages · Answer Key
Flashback Worksheet
A 3-page worksheet for grades 5-7 that teaches flashback – the narrative technique authors use to interrupt the present action with a scene from an earlier time. Students read a short story about a young cellist on stage, then label 8 sentences from the passage as flashback or present action in Section A (balanced 4 of each), and answer 6 short-response items in Section B. Includes a strategy reference and a complete answer key.
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