Reading Comprehension: The Science Fair Surprise
Home › 4th Grade › Reading & Writing
Download PDF worksheetAnswer key (PDF)Worksheet + answer key (3 pages)
The worksheet is 2 pages (passage, then questions); the answer key is 1 page. Print at 100% / "Actual size" on US Letter paper. Free for personal and classroom use.
Skill: Reading an original short story and answering questions with text evidence
About this worksheet
This fourth-grade reading comprehension worksheet features "The Science Fair Surprise," an original short story about Jordan, who builds a model volcano for the school science fair and then discovers he left the vinegar at home. A classmate shares supplies, the demo works, and Jordan learns that friends make science stronger. The passage is about 200 words and is followed by four multiple-choice questions and one short written response.
The questions ask students to identify the project, name the problem, explain how a character helps, find a key line about the lesson, and write the main lesson in their own words. Each multiple-choice item can be answered by looking back at the text, which builds the habit of citing evidence.
How to use it: have your student read once for enjoyment, then reread before answering. Ask them to underline or point to the sentence that supports each choice. For the open response, a strong answer names the lesson and includes at least one story detail, such as Priya sharing vinegar so the volcano could erupt.
The answer key lists each correct choice, a supporting quotation, and a sample written answer. This worksheet supports Common Core standards RL.4.1 (refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences), RL.4.2 (determine a theme of a story from details in the text), and RL.4.3 (describe in depth a character, setting, or event).
