View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: the fat cat
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages227 KB
Kindergarten Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Short stories a kindergartner can read alone, plus read-aloud stories and nonfiction passages, each with picture questions and an answer key.
Download the reading comprehension worksheets
Reading passages for kindergarten
View all 2 pages
View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: meg and the hen
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages193 KB
View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: gus and the bus
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages152 KB
View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: the pig in the mud
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages170 KB
View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: ben and the fox
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages195 KB
View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: kim and the bug
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages177 KB
View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: max and the pup
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages193 KB
View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: fun in the sun
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages121 KB
View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: tom and the jet
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages166 KB
View all 2 pagesReading comprehension Passage: bob and the box
Reading a short decodable story and answering questions about key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages185 KB
Read-aloud stories
View all 2 pagesRead aloud Story: pip and the big rain
Listening to a story and answering questions about characters, setting and events
Answer key on page 2
2 pages303 KB
View all 2 pagesRead aloud Story: big bear bakes a cake
Listening to a story and answering questions about characters, setting and events
Answer key on page 2
2 pages326 KB
View all 2 pagesRead aloud Story: rosa and the seed
Listening to a story and answering questions about characters, setting and events
Answer key on page 2
2 pages342 KB
Read-aloud nonfiction: animals and weather
View all 2 pagesRead aloud Nonfiction: all about frogs
Listening to an informational text and naming the main topic and key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages346 KB
View all 2 pagesRead aloud Nonfiction: busy bees
Listening to an informational text and naming the main topic and key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages394 KB
View all 2 pagesRead aloud Nonfiction: what is Rain?
Listening to an informational text and naming the main topic and key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages247 KB
View all 2 pagesRead aloud Nonfiction: snowy days
Listening to an informational text and naming the main topic and key details
Answer key on page 2
2 pages284 KB
Print at 100% (actual size) for the cleanest tracing lines.
About these reading comprehension worksheets
Reading comprehension in kindergarten means two things. Children answer questions about a story someone reads to them, and, by spring, about a few short sentences they read on their own. These kindergarten reading comprehension worksheets practice both.
The ten reading passages for kindergarten are short stories a child can read alone. Every word is either one of our 50 kindergarten sight words or a short-vowel word like cat, hen, pig, fox or bug that can be sounded out, so there is nothing to guess. A picture sits beside each story. Four questions follow: circle the picture, circle the word, circle yes or no, and draw the story.
The seven read-aloud pages are for listening. A grown-up reads the story or nonfiction passage aloud and then reads each question, and the child answers by circling a picture or a thumbs up or down. Three are short stories about characters, setting and what happens. Four are nonfiction, about frogs, bees, rain and snow, and each starts with the big question: what is this mostly about? Every page has an answer key on page 2.
Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.1With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.2With prompting and support, retell familiar stories, including key details.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.3With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.7With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the story in which they appear (e.g., what moment in a story an illustration depicts).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.10Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.1With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.2With prompting and support, identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.7With prompting and support, describe the relationship between illustrations and the text in which they appear (e.g., what person, place, thing, or idea in the text an illustration depicts).CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.8With prompting and support, identify the reasons an author gives to support points in a text.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.10Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.2Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.4Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding.
How to use them
- Before a reading passage, read the word list together or point to any word your child is unsure of. Then have them read the story out loud, pointing to each word.
- Read the story a second time before the questions. Most wrong answers come from rushing the first read, not from not understanding.
- For the questions, have your child read each one out loud, then look back at the story to find the answer. Looking back is a skill, not cheating.
- On the read-aloud pages, read the whole passage first without stopping. Then read each question and the three picture names before your child circles.
- For the nonfiction pages, talk about the main-topic question first: what was every part of the passage about? Then do the detail questions.
- Use the drawing box to check understanding. Ask your child to tell you about their picture using words from the story.
Teaching tips
- Start with the read-aloud pages early in the year and add the reading passages once your child can sound out three-letter words.
- If a child circles the wrong picture, reread the sentence that has the answer together and ask them to point to the key word.
- Yes or no questions are a good check: a child who circles yes for every question is guessing. Ask them to show you where the story says it.
- For a child who is not reading yet, read the decodable stories aloud too. The questions still build listening comprehension.
- Talk about the pictures. Ask what the picture shows and how it matches the story; that is a kindergarten skill on its own.
- Keep it short. One page a day, done well and talked about, does more than three pages done quickly.
Questions teachers and parents ask
What does reading comprehension look like in kindergarten?
Mostly it is listening comprehension: answering questions about who, where and what happened in a story read aloud, and naming the main topic of a nonfiction text. By the end of the year, children also answer simple questions about short sentences they read themselves.
Can my child read these passages alone?
The ten reading passages are written so they can. Every word is a kindergarten sight word or a short-vowel word like cat, red or bug that can be sounded out. The read-aloud pages are meant for a grown-up to read.
What are short stories for kindergarten supposed to be like?
Short and concrete: one or two characters, one place and a simple event, told in four to seven sentences. A picture helps, and the words should be ones a child can sound out or knows by sight.
What is a main topic question?
It asks what a nonfiction text is mostly about, such as frogs or rain. Kindergartners learn to name the main topic and then a few details that tell about it.
Are there answer keys?
Yes. Every page has an answer key on page 2 with the right answers circled. For drawing questions, the key says what to look for.
Are these worksheets free?
Yes. Every page is a free PDF in US Letter and A4, with no account or email sign-up.