4th Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Fifteen original stories, myths, poems, a play and nonfiction with written responses. · RL.4 / RI.4
All 17 worksheets
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RL.4.3The Secret of Willow Creek
Character, setting and plot
RI.4.3How Hurricanes Form
Explaining a process
RL.4.2Grandpa’s Workshop
Theme
RI.4.7The Human Heart
Interpreting information
RL.4.6The Spelling Bee
Point of view
RI.4.8Coral Reefs in Danger
Reasons and evidence
RI.4.3Sally Ride, First American Woman in Space
Sequence of events
RL.4.9Arachne the Weaver
Myth and theme
RI.4.3The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Historical events
RL.4.1Lost in the Corn Maze
Making inferences
RI.4.9Electric Cars or Gas Cars?
Comparing viewpoints
RI.4.5The Great Wall of China
Text structure
RL.4.5The Wind
Poetry structure
RI.4.2Benjamin Franklin, Inventor
Main idea and summary
RL.4.5The New Kid: A Short Play
Parts of a play
RI.4.3The Underground Railroad
Historical events
RL.4.2The Science Fair Surprise
Theme
About these 4th grade reading comprehension worksheets
These 4th grade reading comprehension worksheets use fifteen original texts: realistic fiction, a Greek myth, a poem, a short play, biographies of Sally Ride and Benjamin Franklin, and nonfiction about hurricanes, the human heart, coral reefs, the Lewis and Clark expedition, electric cars and the Great Wall of China.
The questions follow the Common Core 4th grade reading standards — theme (RL.4.2), character and setting (RL.4.3), point of view (RL.4.6), poem and drama structure (RL.4.5), text structure (RI.4.5), reasons and evidence (RI.4.8) and comparing texts (RI.4.9).
What these 17 worksheets cover
- The Secret of Willow Creek (RL.4.3)
- How Hurricanes Form (RI.4.3)
- Grandpa’s Workshop (RL.4.2)
- The Human Heart (RI.4.7)
- The Spelling Bee (RL.4.6)
- Coral Reefs in Danger (RI.4.8)
- Sally Ride, First American Woman in Space (RI.4.3)
- Arachne the Weaver (RL.4.9)
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition (RI.4.3)
- Lost in the Corn Maze (RL.4.1)
- Electric Cars or Gas Cars? (RI.4.9)
- The Great Wall of China (RI.4.5)
- The Wind (RL.4.5)
- Benjamin Franklin, Inventor (RI.4.2)
- The New Kid: A Short Play (RL.4.5)
- The Underground Railroad
- The Science Fair Surprise
All worksheet sets
How to get the most out of them
- 1
Ask your child to underline evidence in the text before answering. Fourth grade answers should quote or point to the text.
- 2
For the poem and the play, read them aloud together. Structure is easier to notice when you hear it.
- 3
After each passage, ask for a one-sentence summary. It is the quickest check of understanding.
4th Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets — questions parents ask
- What reading level are these passages?
- They are written for a typical 4th grade reader, about 200 to 250 words each, with vocabulary a child can work out from context.
- Why include poems and plays?
- The 4th grade standards ask children to explain how poems, plays and stories are structured differently, so the set includes one of each.
