Free Teacher Resource: Printable 3rd or 4th Grade Story with Interactive Review Questions.
Read and test reading comprehension online or print and use offline.
Who Is St. Valentine?
There are many legends about St. Valentine. It is hard to know which ones are true.
One legend is that Valentine was a priest who lived in ancient Rome during the 3rd century (mid 200's AD). The Emperor at that time, Claudius, decided that more men would join his army if they weren't married. So he passed a law to prevent young men from getting married.
The priest Valentine thought that the law was very unfair. So he secretly married young couples. When the Emperor found out, he had Valentine sent to jail and put to death.
Many young people visited Valentine in jail. They threw flowers and notes up to his window telling him that they believed in love. One of his frequent visitors was the prison guard's daughter. It is said that Valentine fell in love with her. Before he was sent to his death on February 14, he wrote the daughter a letter and signed it, 'Love from your Valentine' - words still used on cards today.
Valentine died on February 14 and was made a saint two hundred years later.
What was Valentine's job? poet priest prison guard priest
Where did Valentine live? London, England Sao Paulo, Brazil Rome, Italy Rome, Italy
Around what time did Valentine live? 250 AD 1300 AD 300 BC 250 AD
Who was the Emperor when Valentine was alive? Augustus Claudius Valerian Claudius
On what day did Valentine die? January 31 February 14 June 1 February 14
Who was Valentine's favorite visitor? the prison guard's daughter his sister the Emperor the prison guard's daughter
When was Valentine made a saint? on the day he died 200 years after his death on Christmas Day the year he died 200 years after his death
Why did the Emperor not want young men to marry? If married, they might not want to join the army. He thought men should wait until they were 30 years old. It doesn't say in the story. If married, they might not want to join the army.
Why was Valentine sent to jail? He stabbed the Emperor. He married couples, which was against the law. He stole red roses from the Emperor's garden. He married couples, which was against the law.
Why did young people throw flowers and notes at Valentine's window? to show their support for him to show their support for the Emperor to help him escape from jail to show their support for him
