Finding Text

Evidence &
Reading Comprehension Passages
Thank you for downloading this Close Reading pack. I
hope you find it is useful for your students to help
them grow into more confident readers! If you have a
moment, I appreciate your feedback. Thanks! -Lauren

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 Directions: Students should read the passage 3 times. There are boxes at the end
of the passage so they can check off each time they read it. There are 3 text
evidence questions for each passage where the students use crayons or colored
pencils to underline where the answers are found in the text. There is one
inference question that is not directly answered in the text. Students will use the
clues from the text to make an educated guess. Finally, there is a response
question to help students with text to self connection.

Check off each

time you read.

Interactive They have wings but

text they cannot fly. Text to self
I would not want a
evidence connections
Penguins eat fish, penguin for a pet
questions shrimp, and krill. because it would
have to live in our
a colony
freezer.

A predator eats other

animals.

Use context clues

*The “Penguins” passage is used for an example only. It is not included in the Spring pack.
1. The Lost Chick
2. Stay Healthy
3. Earth Day
4. The Little Seed
5. Frogs
6. The Butterfly Garden
7. A New Easter Bunny
8. Cinco de Mayo
9. The Perfect Gift
10. Jungle Party
11. Pen Pals
12. Going Fishing
13. Donut Day
14. Flag Day
15. School’s Out
 Read the passage 3 times.
Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

The Lost Chick

One day a mother hen wanted to visit her friend the sheep. She was sitting on
an egg, but she thought, “I will only be gone for a short time. My egg will be just fine.”
So she covered it up with some straw and left to visit the sheep.
Soon, the egg began to crack open, and out popped a baby chick! He was all
alone and didn’t know what to do. He began to walk around. Soon, he found a big, pink,
pig rolling in the mud. “Maybe I belong here,” thought the chick. But rolling in the mud
did not look fun, so the chick kept walking. He saw a frog hopping on lily pads in the
pond. “Maybe I belong here,” thought the chick. He stuck his foot in the water, but he
did not like being wet, so he kept walking past the pond. Next, he saw a horse galloping
around the field. “Maybe I belong here,” thought the chick. But when he tried to
gallop, he fell on his little beak. “I don’t know where I belong,” said the chick sadly. All
of a sudden, he felt a warm wing scoop him up. “You belong right here with me, my
little chick!” The mother hen hugged him tight, and took him home.

Where did the mother hen go? What would you do if

____________________________ you ever got lost?
____________________________
_________
Who did the chick see first?
____________________________ _________
____________________________ _________
Why did the chick not think he belonged _________
with the frog?________________ _________
__________________________

Make an inference. What does galloping mean? Circle words or phrases in the
passage that gave you a clue.
swimming sleeping running
1 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
 Name _______________
Read the passage 3 times.
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

Stay Healthy
Keeping your body healthy is very important. When your body is
healthy, you have less chance of getting sick or having a disease. There are
many ways to keep healthy. Washing your hands often is the best way to
prevent getting the cold or flu. Eating healthy food, such as fruits and
vegetables, gives your body energy and nutrients to keep it strong. Another
important way to keep your body healthy is by drinking a lot of water.
Try to limit soda and sweets. They have a lot of sugar, which is not good for
your body. Exercising is a great way to keep your heart, lungs, and muscles
strong. Riding your bike, jumping on a trampoline, playing soccer, and dancing
are all fun ways to get exercise. You only get one body, so do your best to
take care of it!

What is the best way to prevent the What is your favorite way
cold and flu? _________________ to get exercise?
___________________________ _________
What should you not have too much _________
of? _______________________ _________
__________________________
_________
Why is exercise good for your body? _________
__________________________
__________________________

Make an inference. Name 2 foods that Circle words or phrases in the

are healthy for your body. passage that gave you a clue.
________________________
2 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
 Name _______________
Read the passage 3 times.
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

Earth Day
Earth Day is a holiday that many people celebrate each year on April
22. It is a day to celebrate our planet and remember how to take care of it.
There are many things you can do to help take care of the earth. One
important way is to recycle. Paper, plastic, and cans are some things that can
be recycled instead of put in the trash. Another way to take care of the
earth is to conserve water. You can save water by turning the faucet off
when you are brushing your teeth. Saving energy is also important. Turn off
lights and fans when you are not using them. Too many cars can pollute the
air, so riding your bike or walking can help keep the air clean.
Celebrating Earth Day helps us remember how special the earth is and
how we can take care of it.

When is Earth Day? Tell one thing you will do

_______________________ this week to take care of
the earth.
What are 2 things that can be _________
recycled? __________________ _________
__________________________
_________
How does riding your bike instead _________
of riding in a car help the earth?
__________________________
_________
__________________________
Make an inference. What does conserve mean? Circle words or phrases in the
use not waste clean passage that gave you a clue.

3 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com

 Name _______________
Read the passage 3 times.
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

The Little Seed

Once there was a little seed. It lived inside a juicy red apple, on a tall strong
apple tree. One day, a little boy climbed up the tree and picked the apple. The boy put
the apple in his pocket, climbed down the tree, and went across the field back to his
home. The little seed was very nervous. It had never been away from the apple tree
before. Soon, the boy took the apple out of his pocket, washed it in the sink, then took
a big bite. The little seed fell onto the table. After a few minutes, the boy finished
eating the apple and threw the core away. He saw the little seed, picked it up, and put
it in his pocket. He walked back across the field, dug a small hole in the dirt, and planted
the little seed. The little seed was very sad. It felt all alone, down in the dark dirt. But
soon, a wonderful thing happened. The little seed began to sprout and grow into a
brand new apple tree. It grew and grew until it was tall and strong, with many juicy
red apples on it. It was never sad or lonely again.

Where did the little seed live? If you were a tree, what
__________________________ kind would you want to be?
__________________________ Why?
What happened to the little seed _________
when the boy took a bite?_________ _________
__________________________ _________
How did the little seed feel when the _________
boy first planted it?_____________
__________________________
_________

Make an inference. How do you think the little seed Circle words or phrases in the
feels when it becomes a tree? passage that gave you a clue.
___________________________
4 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

Frogs
Frogs are very unique animals. They are found all over the world,
except in Antarctica. They are amphibians, which means they live part of
their life in water, and part on land.
An adult female frog will lay eggs in the water. The eggs hatch into
tadpoles, which look more like fish than frogs. During the next few months,
a tadpole’s tail will get shorter, and it will start to grow legs. Soon the tail
will disappear, and the legs will be longer. The tadpole has turned into a
frog! When a frog is grown, it still needs to stay near water to keep its
skin moist.
Frogs use their long sticky tongue to catch bugs to eat. Animals that
eat frogs are birds, fish, and reptiles.

What does amphibian mean? Would you like living in

___________________________ water? Why or why not?
___________________________ _________
What happens to a tadpole’s tail? _________
___________________________
___________________________
_________
_________
What do frogs eat?
__________________________ _________
__________________________
Make an inference. Which place would be best Circle words or phrases in the
for a frog to live? passage that gave you a clue.
pond desert iceberg
5 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

The Butterfly Garden

Lisa loved butterflies. Everyday she went into her backyard to try and find
some, but she never found any.
One day Lisa came inside and plopped down at the kitchen table with a
frown on her face. Her mother had an idea. “Let’s go to the library to read some
books about butterflies and see what we can learn,” she said.
At the library, they found a book called How To Start a Butterfly Garden.
They read that they could put certain plants and flowers in their backyard to
attract butterflies.
After they left the library, Lisa and her mom went to the plant nursery to
buy some things for their garden. Lisa wanted to plant them right away.
The next morning, Lisa ran to the backyard. She saw two beautiful butterflies!
She was so proud of her very own butterfly garden.

How does the reader know that Lisa is not Would you rather have
happy?______________________ a butterfly garden or
__________________________ a vegetable garden?
What is the title of the book they read at Why?_______
the library? __________________ _________
__________________________ _________
What did Lisa and her mom do after they _________
went to the library?__________________
__________________________ _________
Make an inference. How do you think Lisa felt Circle words or phrases in the
the next morning as she ran to the backyard? passage that gave you a clue.
afraid excited sad
6 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

A New Easter Bunny

One Easter morning, after all the eggs had been hidden, the Easter Bunny
sat down on a rock to rest. He was getting very old and tired. He decided that
this would be his last year to be the Easter bunny. He needed to find a young
bunny to take his place.
So, he hopped around the garden looking for just the right bunny to be the
new Easter Bunny! Soon, he saw a young bunny named Ben, who was helping his
mom carry carrots home to their burrow. “That’s him!” thought the Easter Bunny.
The Easter Bunny talked with Ben and told him all about being the Easter Bunny.
Ben was very excited, but also a little scared. Being the Easter Bunny was a very
important job.
For the next few months, the Easter Bunny told Ben everything he needed to
know, and they even practiced hiding eggs. When Easter came the next year, Ben
did just what he practiced, and became a great new Easter Bunny!
.
Why does the Easter Bunny want a new Do you think being the
bunny to take his place?______________ Easter Bunny would be a
___________________________ fun job? Why or why
What was Ben doing when the Easter Bunny not?_______
first saw him? _________________ _________
__________________________ _________
How did Ben feel about being the new Easter
_________
Bunny? ________________________
__________________________ _________
Make an inference. Circle words or phrases in the
Where does Ben live? passage that gave you a clue.
___________________________
7 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

Cinco de Mayo
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday that many people in Mexico and the
United States celebrate on May 5th. In Spanish, Cinco de Mayo actually
means, “the 5th of May.”
Cinco de Mayo celebrates when the Mexican army won a battle
against the French in 1862 in the city of Puebla.
To celebrate, there are parades and parties. Some people decorate
with streamers and balloons. You may see a lot of red, white, and green,
because they are the colors of the Mexican flag. Some people dress up in
traditional Mexican clothes, play music, and eat lots of yummy food like
tacos, nachos, and enchiladas.

What does Cinco de Mayo mean? Color the Mexican flag

________________________
________________________
What year was the battle in Puebla?
________________________
________________________
What are the colors of the
Mexican flag?_______________
________________________
Make an inference. What language do people Circle words or phrases in the
in Mexico speak? passage that gave you a clue.
_______________________
8 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

The Perfect Gift

Mother’s Day was coming up, and Cade wanted to buy the perfect gift
for his mom. He opened his piggy bank and saw a quarter, two dimes, and
three pennies. He frowned and put the piggy bank back.
“Maybe I can make something Roses are red
for her instead,” he thought. He Violets are blue
found some paper and wrote her a poem: Of every mom in the world
I’m glad I got you

Cade put the poem in an envelope and wrote “To: Mom” on the front. On
Mother’s Day morning, he went outside and found some pretty flowers that
he picked and put in a vase. When his mom woke up, he gave her the flowers
and the poem.
When Cade’s mom read the poem, she hugged him and smiled. “Thank
you,” she said, “This is the perfect gift!”

How much money did Cade find in his piggy What is the best gift
bank? ________________________ you have ever received?
_____________________________
_________
What did Cade find outside for his mom?
_________________________
_________
_________
What did Cade’s mom do after she read _________
the poem?______________________ _________
__________________________

Make an inference. Why did Cade frown Circle words or phrases in the
when he saw the money in his piggy bank?
passage that gave you a clue.
___________________________
___________________________
9 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

Jungle Party
It was Manny Monkey’s birthday and he wanted to have a party with all of
his jungle friends. He asked Tim Tiger to come, but he was busy. He asked Sara
Snake to come, but she was not feeling well. He asked Freddy Frog to come, but he
was searching for flies. He asked Sid Sloth to come, but he was taking a nap.
Manny was feeling down in the dumps. It was his birthday, but no one could
come celebrate with him. He walked around the jungle and found some ripe bananas
to eat. Then he went for a little swim in the river. After awhile, he decided to go
home and go to bed early. “What a birthday,” he thought.
When he got close to home he saw some balloons tied to his tree. “That’s
strange,” he thought, “Who put those balloons there?” Then all of a sudden, his
friends jumped out from behind the tree and yelled, “SURPRISE!” They had been
planning a party the whole time. They had games, presents, and even a big banana
cake. “Thank you all,” said Manny, “I have the best friends ever!”

Why couldn’t Sara Snake come to the party? Tell about a time you
_____________________________ got a surprise.
_____________________________
_________
What did Manny do after he ate the bananas?
__________________________
_________
__________________________ _________
What did Manny see that he thought was _________
strange?________________________ _________
___________________________
Make an inference. What does Circle words or phrases in the
down in the dumps mean? passage that gave you a clue.
scared happy sad
10 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

Pen Pals
Layla and her family went on vacation to the beach. She met a girl named
Rosa. They had a lot of fun together swimming in the ocean and building sand castles.
When Layla’s family had to go home, she was very sad to leave her new friend.
They lived in different states, and would not be able to see each other.
“Why don’t you two become pen pals?” said Layla’s dad. “You can write letters
back and forth to each other and send them in the mail.”
“That’s a great idea!” said Layla. So, she got Rosa’s address and said goodbye. As
soon as she got home, Layla found some paper and a pen and started writing a letter
to Rosa. When she was done, she folded it up and put it in an envelope. Her dad
helped her find a stamp to put on the envelope. Then she put the letter in the mailbox
for the mail carrier to pick up and take to the post office.
A few weeks later, Layla was checking the mail when she saw a letter that was
for her. It was from Rosa! She opened it up and read it right away. It was fun having
a pen pal.

Where did Layla meet Rosa? If you could be pen pals

____________________________ with anyone in the world,
____________________________ who would it be and why?
Why will the girls not be able to see each ___________
other?______________________
__________________________ ___________
Who took the letter to the post office? ___________
_________________________ ___________
_________________________
Make an inference. What do you think Circle words or phrases in the
Layla will do after reading Rosa’s letter? passage that gave you a clue.
___________________________
11 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
 Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

Going Fishing
Tony was going on his first fishing trip with his grandpa on Saturday. He
couldn’t wait to try and catch a fish. It was going to be so much fun.
Saturday morning, Tony’s grandpa picked him up and they drove to the
lake. Tony had a special blue fishing pole that he got for his birthday. It had a
picture of a shark on it. Tony’s grandpa had a white bucket that said “Bait” on it.
He opened it up and Tony could see a pile of dirt with a lot of small pink worms
crawling around. “EWWW,” he thought, as he turned his head away and closed his
eyes.
Tony’s grandpa picked up a worm and put it on Tony’s fishing hook. Tony
held on to the fishing pole and put the hook down in the water. It took awhile, but
finally he felt something pull his pole. He grabbed on tight, and his grandpa helped
him lift the fish out of the water. It was a small catfish. Tony was very proud.
“Thanks for taking me fishing, Grandpa,” Tony said. “This has been the best
day ever!”

When did Tony and his grandpa go fishing? Would you put a worm
____________________________ on a hook? Why or why
____________________________
not?_______
What does Tony’s fishing pole look like?
____________________________
_________
____________________________ _________
What kind of fish did Tony catch? _________
____________________________ _________
____________________________

Make an inference. What did Tony think Circle words or phrases in the
of the worms? passage that gave you a clue.
______________________
______________________
12 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
 Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

Donut Day
Did you know that there is a day to celebrate donuts? Well, there
is! The first Friday of June each year is National Donut Day in the United
States. Donut Day started many years ago when a doctor in the army
brought donuts to cheer up the hurt soldiers he was taking care of. One
of the soldiers, Samuel Geary, enjoyed it so much that he set up
fundraisers to provide money to buy more donuts for soldiers. Soon,
many people, known as “Donut Dollies,” were helping serve donuts to
soldiers. Today, many years later, the Salvation Army still has fundraisers
on Donut Day to raise money to help the military.
If you’d like to celebrate Donut Day, you can donate money to the
Salvation Army . You can also visit a donut shop. Many of them give out
free donuts!

When is National Donut Day? What cheers you up

____________________________ when you are sad?
____________________________
_________
Who were “Donut Dollies”?
____________________________
_________
____________________________ _________
What do many donut shops do on Donut _________
Day?______________________ _________
_________________________
Make an inference. What is a fundraiser? Circle words or phrases in the
______________________ passage that gave you a clue.
______________________

13 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com

 Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

Flag Day
America celebrates Flag Day each year on June 14th. In 1776, a
woman named Betsy Ross is said to have sewn the first American flag.
In 1777, Congress passed the Flag Act, making it the flag for the United
States. Did you know that the flag has several nicknames? One is “The
Stars and Stripes.” When you look at the flag, it is easy to see why it
has this nickname! There are 13 stripes, red and white, that represent
the original thirteen colonies of the nation. The stars stand for the fifty
states that currently make up the United States. The flag didn’t always
have fifty stars though. It started with only 13. It has been changed 27
times over the years to include new states that have been added. The
last change was on July 4, 1960, when Hawaii was added as a part of the
country.

Who is said to have sewn the first flag? Design a flag to

____________________________ represent your family.
____________________________
What is a nickname of the flag?
____________________________
____________________________
When was Hawaii added to the United
States?___________________
_______________________
Make an inference. Hawaii is a _________? Circle words or phrases in the
country city state passage that gave you a clue.

14 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com

 Read the passage 3 times. Name _______________
Answer the questions below. Underline your evidence.

School’s Out
Jim woke up on Friday morning and hopped out of bed. It was the last day
of school before summer vacation started and he was very excited. The whole day
at school, Jim daydreamed about all the fun things he could do during the summer.
The day passed slowly, but finally the bell rang and everyone squealed with joy.
Jim had a great weekend, hanging out with his friends, and spending time
with his family. On Monday morning, Jim slept in until 9:00. He got out of bed and
watched a little T.V. Soon he was bored so he went outside to kick around a soccer
ball. He got bored of that too, so he went inside and called his best friend Will. Will’s
mom said he was away at summer camp for two weeks. Jim sighed and sat down
on the couch. Jim’s mom saw he was bored and asked him to help clean the dishes.
After that, he helped mop the floor. When his dad came home, Jim helped him pull
weeds in the garden, change the oil in the car, and sweep the driveway.
That night as he went to bed, Jim thought to himself, “It’s nice to have a little
break from school, but I sure will be ready to go back!”

Why was Jim excited in the beginning? What do you do when

_____________________________ you get bored?
_____________________________
_________
Who is Jim’s best friend?
_________________________
_________
_________
What is one thing Jim helped his dad do? _________
_________________________ _________
_________________________
Make an inference. Why is Jim ready Circle words or phrases in the
to get back to school?
passage that gave you a clue.
______________________
______________________
15 ©2015 Lauren Thompson www.mrsthompsonstreasures.com
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