3rd grade reading comprehension worksheets Eight passages of about 180–200 words, half stories and half nonfiction, each with five questions that build from recall to inference.
3rd grade reading comprehension Name ____________________ Date __________ The Monarch's Long Trip Every fall, millions of orange and black monarch butterflies begin an amazing journey. Monarchs that live in the eastern United States and Canada fly south to the mountains of central Mexico. Some travel more than 2,000 miles, which is farther than driving from New York to Utah. They cannot survive freezing winters, so they head for forests where the air stays cool but not icy. There, they cluster together on fir trees by the thousands, covering the branches like orange leaves. In early spring, the butterflies wake up and start flying north. Along the way, they lay eggs on milkweed plants, the only plants monarch caterpillars can eat. The butterflies that finish the trip north are the children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren of the ones that left Mexico. Scientists are still studying how monarchs find their way to a place they have never been. Today there are fewer monarchs than there used to be, partly because milkweed is disappearing. Many families and schools now plant milkweed gardens to give the butterflies places to eat and lay eggs. 1. Where do eastern monarchs spend the winter? a) in the mountains of central Mexico b) in Canada c) in Utah 2. Why do monarchs fly south in the fall? 3. What is the only plant monarch caterpillars can eat? a) milkweed b) fir needles c) clover 4. Who finishes the trip north in spring? 5. How do milkweed gardens help monarchs grow in number? linecraft.page · free reading comprehension worksheets · original text
The Monarch's Long Trip 3rd grade reading comprehension Name ____________________ Date __________ The Science Fair For the science fair, Theo wanted to find out which paper towel brand soaked up the most water. He bought three brands and cut each into squares of the same size. One at a time, he dipped a square into a cup of water for ten seconds, then squeezed it into a measuring cup. He wrote every result in a notebook. On the first try, the cheapest brand held the most water, which surprised him. Theo's older sister, Nia, looked at his notes. "Did you use the same amount of water each time?" she asked. Theo frowned. He had refilled the cup with whatever was in the pitcher. He decided to start over. This time he measured exactly one cup of water for every test and repeated each test three times. When he finished, a different brand came out on top. At the fair, Theo showed both sets of results on his poster. A judge asked why he had included his mistake. "Because it shows why careful measuring matters," Theo said. The judge smiled and wrote something on her clipboard. 1. What question did Theo want to answer? 2. What did Nia notice about the first experiment? a) He did not use the same amount of water each time. b) He used too many brands. c) He forgot to write the results. 3. Name two things Theo changed the second time. 4. Why did Theo put his mistake on the poster? 5. What do you think the judge thought of Theo's answer? Explain. linecraft.page · free reading comprehension worksheets · original text
The Science Fair 3rd grade reading comprehension Name ____________________ Date __________ Inside a Volcano Deep under the ground, it is so hot that some rock melts into a thick, glowing liquid called magma. Magma is lighter than the solid rock around it, so it slowly pushes upward. Sometimes it collects in a space called a magma chamber, a few miles below the surface. When enough pressure builds up, the magma forces its way out through cracks. Once magma reaches the surface, it is called lava. Some volcanoes erupt with huge explosions that throw ash and rocks high into the sky. Others ooze lava gently, and it flows downhill like slow, red-hot syrup. When lava cools, it hardens into new rock. Over thousands of years, layer after layer of cooled lava and ash can build a mountain. The islands of Hawaii were made this way, one eruption at a time. Scientists who study volcanoes are called volcanologists. They measure small earthquakes, gases and even tiny changes in the shape of the ground. These clues can warn people living nearby that an eruption may be coming, giving them time to move to safety. 1. What is magma? a) melted rock under the ground b) cooled lava c) volcanic ash 2. What is magma called once it reaches the surface? a) lava b) ash c) a chamber 3. How were the islands of Hawaii formed? 4. Name two things volcanologists measure. 5. Why is a volcanologist's job important to people who live near a volcano? linecraft.page · free reading comprehension worksheets · original text
Inside a Volcano 