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Grade 5 nonfiction reading passage about Earth Systems. Dinosaurs theme. 6 comprehension questions covering main idea, inference, vocabulary, text evidence and more. Answer key included (NGSS.5-ESS2-1).
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Page 1 — Reading Passage
Page 2 — Answer Key
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What is included
Before reading, display an image of real rock strata from a canyon or fossil dig site and ask students to predict what the colored layers might mean — this activates prior knowledge and gives Zoe's discovery immediate visual context.
What is this passage mostly about?
What evidence from the passage shows that the land where Zoe was digging was once very different from how it looks today?
What does the word sediment mean as it is used in this passage?
+ 4 more questions in the full worksheet
Zoe pressed her brush gently against a rock wall and uncovered a dinosaur bone buried in stone. She was on a real fossil dig in Wyoming, learning how Earth stores its history underground. The rock layers around her told a story millions of years old. Zoe studied the colored bands of rock called str...
Download the full worksheet to read the complete passage and answer comprehension questions.
About this Grade 5 Reading Comprehension Passage
This printable reading comprehension passage is designed for Grade 5 students. The Dinosaurs theme makes reading engaging while students build essential comprehension skills. Six questions cover a range of reading strategies including main idea, text evidence, vocabulary in context, inference, cause and effect, and author's purpose (NGSS.5-ESS2-1).