The 4th grade reading comprehension activities below are coordinated with the 4th grade spelling words curriculum on a week-to-week basis, so both can be used together as part of a comprehensive program, or each can be used separately. The worksheets include fourth grade appropriate reading passages and related questions. Each worksheet (as well as the spelling curriculum) also includes a cross-curricular focus on earth science, physical science, history, social sciences, mathematics and life sciences. This allows students to build their reading comprehension skills and reinforce knowledge in other subject areas. There are 36 weeks of fourth grade worksheets, following most standard school year calendars.
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4th Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Click on the title of each worksheets to download the printable PDF. Students should read each passage and then answer related questions. They can also write answers on another page or back of the worksheet.
Week 1 Reading Comprehension (D-1)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Where on Earth Are You?
A reading passage and questions about how to find your absolute location on Earth.
Week 2 Reading Comprehension (D-2)Cross-Curricular Focus:Life Science
Ecosystems
Reading segment about ecosystems, organisms, and communities.
Week 3 Reading Comprehension (D-3)Cross-Curricular Focus: Life Science
Chaparral Ecosystems
A passage and questions about relatively rare shrubland communities called Chaparral ecosystems.
Week 4 Reading Comprehension (D-4)Cross-Curricular Focus: Life Science
Taiga Ecosystems
A reading comprehension passage about the extremely cold ecosystems called Taiga ecosystems.
Week 5 Reading Comprehension (D-5)Cross-Curricular Focus: Life Science
Rainforest Ecosystems
A reading segment and questions about the tropical rainforest ecosystems near the equator.
Week 6 Reading Comprehension (D-6)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Natural Resources
Passage and questions about renewable and non-renewable natural resources.
Week 7 Reading Comprehension (D-7)Cross-Curricular Focus: Life Science
What’s Eating You?
A reading passage about the role of living things in an ecosystem.
Week 8 Reading Comprehension (D-8)Cross-Curricular Focus: Life Science
Hide and Seek
A reading passage and questions about the role of camouflage in the predator-prey relationship.
Week 9 Reading Comprehension (D-9)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Transcontinental Railroad
A short passage about the history of the transcontinental railroad.
Week 10 Reading Comprehension (D-10)Cross-Curricular Focus: Mathematics
Estimation
A reading segment about using estimation in mathematics.
Week 11 Reading Comprehension (D-11)Cross-Curricular Focus: Life Science
Endangered Species
A life science reading comprehension passage about endangered species.
Week 12 Reading Comprehension (D-12)Cross-Curricular Focus: Life Science
They See With Their Ears
A life science reading comprehension passage about bats.
Week 13 Reading Comprehension (D-13)Cross-Curricular Focus: Mathematics
Expressions with Parentheses
A reading segment about how parentheses are used in solving math problems.
Week 14 Reading Comprehension (D-14)Cross-Curricular Focus: Earth Science
What Glaciers Leave Behind
An activity about glaciers and what they leave behind when the move.
Week 15 Reading Comprehension (D-15)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Discrimination Against Gold Rush Immigrants
Comprehension activity about the discrimination against gold rush immigrants in the 1850’s.
Week 16 Reading Comprehension (D-16)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences / Mathematics
Eratosthenes Geographer and Mathematician
A short story and related questions about the world’s first geographer.
Week 17 Reading Comprehension (D-17)Cross-Curricular Focus: Earth Science
Water Carves the Land
An activity about how ocean waves affected the North American coastline.
Week 18 Reading Comprehension (D-18)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Public Education
A short segment about the formation of the public education system in the United States.
Week 19 Reading Comprehension (D-19)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Gold Rush Boomtowns
A passage about the origination of boomtowns during the gold rush in California.
Week 20 Reading Comprehension (D-20)Cross-Curricular Focus: Physical Science
Charge it!
A short passage about electricity, conductors, and static electricity.
Week 21 Reading Comprehension (D-21)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Import Export
How early American colonies imported and exported products.
Week 22 Reading Comprehension (D-22)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
The Great Depression
A story of the hard economic times of the 1920’s Great Depression.
Week 23 Reading Comprehension (D-23)Cross-Curricular Focus: Physical Science
Magnetic Attraction
A reading comprehension passage about the properties of magnetism.
Week 24 Reading Comprehension (D-24)Cross-Curricular Focus: Mathematics
Points on a Coordinate Grid
A reading passage and questions about plotting x and y coordinates on a 4 quadrant graph.
Week 25 Reading Comprehension (D-25)Cross-Curricular Focus: Mathematics
Basic Geometry Terms
A short story about the different terms used in geometry.
Week 26 Reading Comprehension (D-26)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Responsibilities of Citizenship
A description of how someone gets citizenship and a citizen’s rights and duties.
Week 27 Reading Comprehension (D-27)Cross-Curricular Focus: Mathematics
What’s Your Angle?
A reading passage about different types of angles.
Week 28 Reading Comprehension (D-28)Cross-Curricular Focus: Mathematics / Art
The Art of M.C. Escher
Comprehension passage about the amazing optical illusions of M.C. Escher.
Week 29 Reading Comprehension (D-29)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Branches of Government
A reading segment about the different branches of government.
Week 30 Reading Comprehension (D-30)Cross-Curricular Focus: Mathematics
Anatomy of a Circle
A short explanation about the radius, diameter, and center of a circle.
Week 31 Reading Comprehension (D-31)Cross-Curricular Focus: Mathematics
The Metric System
A brief description about the origins of the metric system.
Week 32 Reading Comprehension (D-32)Cross-Curricular Focus: History / Social Sciences
Eastern Woodland Natives
Reading passage about the Eastern Woodlands, a Native American cultural region.
Week 33 Reading Comprehension (D-33)Cross-Curricular Focus: Mathematics
Evaluating Efficiency
A passage about determining the best way to solve problems.
Week 34 Reading Comprehension (D-34)Cross-Curricular Focus: Study Skills
Self Reflection
A story and related questions about taking time out to reflect on yourself.
Week 35 Reading Comprehension (D-35)Cross-Curricular Focus: Physical Science
Measuring Temperature
A segment about temperature and the different scales used for measurement.
Week 36 Reading Comprehension (D-36)Cross-Curricular Focus: Life Science
Ecology: Taking Care of Earth
A description about the study of ecology and what it involves.