4th Grade Reading Comprehension Passages

Reading Passages, Questions & Answers - Fourth Grade

Below you’ll find 4th grade reading comprehension passages along with questions and answers and vocabulary activities. These printable, 4th grade reading exercises are great for students who need comprehension skills improvement and general practice.

On the Shelf

The March sisters in Little Women have grown up. Meg, the oldest March sister, is now the mother of twins: a girl named Daisy and a boy named Demi. In this passage, the twins are toddlers. While Daisy is easy to put to bed, Demi doesn’t like to go to…

Emma’s Big Game

Emma was very excited. Today was the championship baseball game! The winners would all get trophies and be the number one players in the town. Emma was determined to bring home a trophy to put on her shelf. She had never won a trophy before. She put on her red…

Duck and Cover

DING. DING. DING. DING. Peter and the rest of his 4th grade class dove under their desks and covered their heads with their arms. After a few minutes, the bell rang again. DING. DING. DONG. DING. DING. DONG “Okay class, you can come out now,” said their teacher. Peter dusted…

Charlie Meets His Match

A chipmunk twitched his tail as he lay hidden deep under the fallen leaves. It was cold outside, wintertime was approaching, but he was snug in his den in the woods, tucked underground beneath a fallen log and covered by a crunchy carpet of faded autumn leaves. Charlie had a…

African American Inventors: Elijah McCoy

Elijah J. McCoy was born in Canada in 1844. His parents had been slaves in Kentucky, but they escaped. The anti-slavery volunteers of the Underground Railroad helped them get to Canada. After the Civil War was over in 1865, the family returned to the U.S. and lived in Michigan. As…

Rocky and the Squirrels

Rocky Raccoon was playing by himself at the park. He noticed a group of squirrels nearby, playing soccer with an acorn. It looked like fun, and Rocky wished he could play too. However, thinking about talking to others made him nervous and he wasn’t sure how to start. Why would…

The Kenny Method

It was a sunny day in the Australian Outback. Elizabeth Kenny, a self-taught nurse, was making her rounds visiting patients on farms and cattle stations. At one farm, she was told of a sick child on a neighboring farm. She knew that must be her next stop. When Elizabeth got…

The Witch Tells Fortunes Reading Passage

The Witch Tells Fortunes

Hallowe’en at Merryvale is a book about a group of boys who attend a Halloween party at the home of one of the boys. It takes place in the early 20th century in a small town called Merryvale. The boys are good friends,and most have nicknames: Reddy, Toad, Fat, etc.…

Biography: Dorothea Lynde Dix

Dorothea Dix (1802-1887) was born in Massachusetts. Her early childhood with her parents was unhappy. When she was 12 years old, she went to live with her wealthy grandmother in her house called Orange Court. That is where the passage begins. —————————— At Orange Court, Dorothea was allowed no time…

Suzanna’s Summer Cottage

When the bell rang on the last day of school, Suzanna cheered with the rest of her classmates. School was over, and summer was beginning! Suzanna’s favorite season was summer. No coats, no homework, and no shoes either! Some children were excited to go to camp, or travel on a…