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5th Grade Reading Comprehension Resources

121 5th grade reading comprehension resources: 94 worksheets, 84 assessments, 12 Common Core Lessons and more. How teachers use these

5th Grade Reading Comprehension Resources

121 5th grade reading comprehension resources: 94 worksheets, 84 assessments, 12 Common Core Lessons and more. How teachers use these

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeTeam Sports Health and Fitness Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Team Sports Health and Fitness Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th graders a lively non-fiction passage about staying active, plus main-idea, detail, and inference questions. An answer key is included for fast, no-prep reading practice.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeJustin Bieber Biography Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Justin Bieber Biography Reading Comprehension Worksheet will help your students build their reading comprehension skills while reading a biography about Justin Bieber.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeFootball Time Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Football Time Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th Grade students an informational passage about football plus main idea, detail, vocabulary and written response questions, with an answer key included, so nonfiction practice feels fun.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeHarvest Festival Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Harvest Festival Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th graders a two-page informational passage about the Korean holiday Chuseok, five questions, and an answer key for no-prep practice with main idea and text evidence.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeStatue of Liberty: A Famous Gift Reading Comprehension Worksheet

The Statue of Liberty: A Famous Gift Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th Grade readers a two-page true story plus six text-evidence questions, answer key included, so comprehension practice feels like real history.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeThanksgiving Leftovers Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Thanksgiving Leftovers Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th graders a two-page story plus six evidence-based questions, with an answer key included, so close reading practice is ready to print.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeFollow the Recipe Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Follow the Recipe Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th graders a two-page story about baking, plus questions on main idea, sequence, and cause and effect. An answer key is included, so checking work takes seconds.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeMusical Instruments Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Musical Instruments Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th grade readers an original story about choosing an instrument, plus seven questions and a complete answer key for quick, no-prep comprehension practice.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeThe Lorax Reading Comprehension Worksheet

Using The Lorax Reading Comprehension Worksheet, students read and then answer questions using support from The Lorax.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeGorilla Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Gorilla Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th Grade students a two-page nonfiction article about mountain gorillas, four multiple-choice questions, a written response, and an answer key, so readers practice finding evidence in a longer text.

Activity
Activity5th GradeInference Chains Activity

This inference chains activity has 3rd to 5th grade students match each inference to two supporting clues and build paper chains. Answer key included.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeVolleyball Time Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Volleyball Time Reading Comprehension Worksheet pairs an original two-page volleyball story with six 5th grade questions and a full answer key, so readers build stamina and back up every answer with evidence from the text.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradePeter's Jobs Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Peter's Jobs Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th graders an original story about a boy earning money for a bicycle, plus seven text-evidence questions and an answer key included — no-prep practice for main idea, sequence, and inference.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeSubway Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Subway Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th Grade readers a two-page story about a first subway ride, plus four questions, a written response, and an answer key.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeHangul Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Hangul Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th Grade students a two-page nonfiction passage about the Korean alphabet, five questions and an answer key, so they practice finding evidence in a longer text.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeThe First President of the United States Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This First President of the United States Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th grade readers a two-page biography of George Washington, five questions, and an answer key that makes grading quick.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeHockey Time - Reading Comprehension Worksheet

The Hockey Time - Reading Comprehension Worksheet follows a 5th grader through her first hockey practice, then asks four multiple-choice and two written questions. An answer key is included, so grading takes seconds.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeDeer Hunting - Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Deer Hunting Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 5th graders a two-page original story about a camera hunt for deer, plus six text-evidence questions. Answer key included, so it is ready for centers or homework.

Activity
Activity5th GradeIn Your Own Words Paraphrase Activity

This in your own words paraphrase activity has 3rd to 5th grade students match texts to paraphrase cards and write their own. A practice page and an answer key are included.

Assessment
Assessment5th GradeMuscles and Bones Health and Fitness Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This muscles and bones health and fitness reading comprehension worksheet gives 5th grade readers a two-page nonfiction article, four multiple choice questions, a written response and a complete answer key, so evidence-based comprehension practice is ready to assign.

From our teachers' playbook

Quote it, compare it, connect it

What do 5th graders learn about reading comprehension?

Fifth graders learn to quote a text accurately when they explain what it says or infer something from it. They compare and contrast two characters, settings or events, find two or more main ideas in a nonfiction text, and pull information together from several sources to answer one question. They notice how a narrator's point of view shapes the way events are told and figure out figurative language like similes and metaphors. Passages get longer and topics range from history to science. The click is when a 5th grader reads two articles and says, "These authors don't agree!"

Our favorite ways to teach 5th grade reading comprehension

Fifth grade readers are connecting texts and ideas. These moves give them the tools.

Venn it out

After reading, kids compare two characters, two events or two articles on a Venn diagram, using a quote for each point. Then they turn the diagram into a short paragraph. The diagram keeps their thinking organized and the quotes keep it honest.

Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).

Is Pluto a Planet? Reading Comprehension WorksheetTry it withIs Pluto a Planet? Reading Comprehension WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Quote hunt

Ask a question about a passage and give kids 60 seconds to find the exact sentence that answers it. They read it aloud word for word. Quick, repeated practice makes accurate quoting a habit before the test asks for it.

Why it works: pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than rereading it, one of the strongest findings in learning research (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Statue of Liberty: A Famous Gift Reading Comprehension WorksheetTry it withStatue of Liberty: A Famous Gift Reading Comprehension WorksheetAssessmentsOpen it →

Story, article, repeat

Switch between stories and nonfiction from week to week, and sometimes pair a story with an article on the same topic. Kids practice choosing the right strategy and learn to connect ideas across texts.

Why it works: shuffled practice teaches kids to choose the right strategy, not just repeat one, and it improved test scores in research (Rohrer and Taylor, 2007).

Gorilla Reading Comprehension WorksheetTry it withGorilla Reading Comprehension WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

5th grade reading comprehension: your questions

What reading skills are taught in 5th grade?

Fifth graders quote accurately from a text, compare characters and events, find multiple main ideas, combine information from several texts, explain how point of view affects a story, and interpret figurative language.

How do I help my 5th grader with comprehension?

Ask them to show you where the answer is in the text and read the line out loud. Reading a news article together and talking about the author's point of view is great practice too.

What is the difference between a quote and a paraphrase?

A quote uses the author's exact words inside quotation marks. A paraphrase restates the idea in your own words. Fifth graders learn to use both to support their answers.

Why does my 5th grader struggle with longer passages?

Longer passages take reading stamina. Have them pause after each section and say in one sentence what it was about. Building up gradually from shorter passages helps a lot.