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Reading comprehensionGrade 5

5th grade reading comprehension

Longer original stories and articles, about 220 to 235 words, each with three four-choice questions and two questions answered in writing. For fifth graders practicing inference and explanation from the text.

By Paul Gunder. Free to print for home, classroom and office use; see how our printables are made.

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5th Grade Reading Comprehension2 pages, answer key from page 2 · US Letter

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NameDateScore5th Grade Reading ComprehensionRead the article carefully. Then answer the questions: circle the best answer, or write your answer on the lines.Look back at the text to check.How Hurricanes FormA hurricane is a huge, spinning storm that forms over warm ocean water. It begins when the sun heats thesea surface, usually to about 26 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) or more. Warm, damp air risesfrom the water. As it climbs, cooler air rushes in below to take its place. The rising air cools and formsclouds, releasing heat that powers the storm further.Because Earth rotates, the growing storm begins to spin. In the Northern Hemisphere, it spinscounterclockwise. At the center is a calm area called the eye, where skies can be clear and winds light.Surrounding the eye is the eyewall, where the strongest winds and heaviest rain are found.A storm is called a hurricane once its winds reach 74 miles per hour (119 kilometers per hour). When ahurricane moves over land, it loses its supply of warm water and slowly weakens. Still, it can cause greatdamage with powerful winds, heavy rain, and a rise in sea level called a storm surge. Scientists trackhurricanes with satellites and aircraft, which gives people time to prepare.Hurricanes are rated from Category 1 to Category 5 according to their wind speed. Hurricane season in theAtlantic Ocean runs from June through November. Storms are given names from a list, which makeswarnings easier to follow. In the western Pacific Ocean, the same kind of storm is called a typhoon.1. What does a hurricane need in order to form?acold, dry airbwarm ocean waterca tall mountainda desert wind2. Why does a hurricane weaken over land?aThe land is too flat.bIt loses its supply of warm water.cThe sun gets brighter.dThe air becomes damp.3. In the passage, what does "damp" mean?aslightly wetbvery coldcquite louddcompletely dry4. Where are the strongest winds in a hurricane found?5. How does tracking hurricanes help people?PrintablePal.com · free printables5th Grade Reading Comprehension
Worksheet, page 1
5th Grade Reading Comprehension: answer keyHow Hurricanes FormA hurricane is a huge, spinning storm that forms over warm ocean water. It begins when the sun heats thesea surface, usually to about 26 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) or more. Warm, damp air risesfrom the water. As it climbs, cooler air rushes in below to take its place. The rising air cools and formsclouds, releasing heat that powers the storm further.Because Earth rotates, the growing storm begins to spin. In the Northern Hemisphere, it spinscounterclockwise. At the center is a calm area called the eye, where skies can be clear and winds light.Surrounding the eye is the eyewall, where the strongest winds and heaviest rain are found.A storm is called a hurricane once its winds reach 74 miles per hour (119 kilometers per hour). When ahurricane moves over land, it loses its supply of warm water and slowly weakens. Still, it can cause greatdamage with powerful winds, heavy rain, and a rise in sea level called a storm surge. Scientists trackhurricanes with satellites and aircraft, which gives people time to prepare.Hurricanes are rated from Category 1 to Category 5 according to their wind speed. Hurricane season in theAtlantic Ocean runs from June through November. Storms are given names from a list, which makeswarnings easier to follow. In the western Pacific Ocean, the same kind of storm is called a typhoon.1. What does a hurricane need in order to form?acold, dry airbwarm ocean waterca tall mountainda desert wind2. Why does a hurricane weaken over land?aThe land is too flat.bIt loses its supply of warm water.cThe sun gets brighter.dThe air becomes damp.3. In the passage, what does "damp" mean?aslightly wetbvery coldcquite louddcompletely dry4. Where are the strongest winds in a hurricane found?In the eyewall, around the calm eye.5. How does tracking hurricanes help people?It gives them time to prepare.PrintablePal.com · free printablesAnswer key
Answer key, page 1

On this page

The longest passages on the site

Fifth grade passages are the longest in this tool, between about 222 and 235 words. They are set in the smallest type used here, which lets four paragraphs fit on the same page as five questions. The vocabulary includes terms like "atria" and "ventricles" in nonfiction, and the reasoning in the questions asks for more than finding a line. Length and vocabulary rise by grade, but no Lexile or other formal level is attached.

What prints

The page is headed "5th Grade Reading Comprehension". The instructions come first, then the passage with its bold title. Below it:

  • three multiple-choice questions with four lettered choices each, in two columns;
  • two questions to answer on the lines beneath them.

The key rings the correct choices and shows a model response for each written question on the top line.

Passages by title

  • The Letter in the Wall, a story built around a hidden letter.
  • The Broken Window, a story about a broken window.
  • The Human Heart, an article on the heart, its chambers and valves.
  • How Hurricanes Form, an article on how these storms develop.
  • How Ocean Tides Work, an article on the pull that causes tides.

The settings

  • Grade opens on 5th grade, with 1st through 4th also on the menu. New problems brings another 5th grade passage, with the chance of a repeat.

Worked example: The Human Heart

This article explains that the heart is a fist-sized muscle that pumps blood, with four chambers and valves that keep it flowing one way.

The first multiple-choice question asks what the ventricles do. The choices are to receive blood, to push blood out, to make oxygen, or to filter food. The text says the lower chambers, called ventricles, push the blood out. The second asks what causes the "lub-dub" sound, and the answer is "valves closing", found in the third paragraph.

The two written questions are "Why must blood reach every part of the body?" and "How do arteries differ from veins?" The key models them as "It carries oxygen and nutrients that cells need" and "Arteries carry blood away from the heart; veins carry it back." Look for a comparison in the second answer, with both halves present. A student who writes only about arteries has done half the job.

Getting more from it

The fifth grade standards ask students to quote accurately from the text. Have your child copy a phrase from the passage into the margin next to each written answer. Then go over the key together and talk about differences, because a different wording can still be right. If a longer practice is wanted, the reading comprehension worksheets page covers every grade, and 5th grade spelling words is a good companion.

Sources

  1. Common Core State Standards: Reading Literature, Grade 5 (RL.5.1) thecorestandards.org
  2. Common Core State Standards: Reading Informational Text, Grade 5 (RI.5.1) thecorestandards.org
  3. Institute of Education Sciences: Improving Reading Comprehension in Kindergarten Through 3rd Grade (WWC practice guide) ies.ed.gov