7th Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: RI.7.10

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

It is tough to keep seventh graders engaged when reading nonfiction. The hormones start to kick in and if they find the topic dry or not to their liking, they can be very hard to focus. The best advice we have for you when it comes to selecting works of nonfiction to have them explore is to try to stick to a topic that relates to a current event. If it is in the news, kids pay greater attention to it. These worksheets will help students improve their ability to understand what they are reading.

7th Grade Reading Comprehension To Print:

Lyophilization - Why such a big word for "freeze drying"? Lyophilization is the scientific name for what you have probably heard of before as freeze drying. We explore how it works and then ask you a series of questions about the reading passage.

The Howler Monkey - What a cool animal! Howler monkeys are the loudest animal in the New World. They are named for their habit of howling loudly to other troops to signal ownership of territory, for which they are in constant competition. You will read about them and then answer a series of questions and fill out a graphic organizer to see if you grasped what you read.

The Montgomery Alabama Bus Boycott - Rosa Parks' actions really helped civil rights steer into the proper position.

American Sign Language (ASL) - Although we call it "American", many nations use this means of communication.

How Does Carbon Dating Work? - This was a breakthrough technique to actual put an age on everything.

Susan B. Anthony Speaks - What document does Anthony use to provide the centerpiece of her argument?

The Hypocrisy of American Slavery - Why do you think he took advantage of this particular opportunity to express these particular thoughts? C

How the Navaho Live - Which words best describe how an area where the Navaho live would appear to a casual traveler?

The Birdwatcher - Why does the author think that the birds stayed in the bush for so long? Re‐read the last paragraph. How would you characterize the author's philosophy about the relationship between experience and art?

Snakebite! - Name two ways in which snakebite antidotes have been intended to work. What are the two different theories of the action of snake poison that have been entertained throughout history?

On Disease in General in Farm Animals - Students learn all about diseases that farm animals suffer from in this reading passage. We may divide diseases into three classes: non‐specific, specific and parasitic. Non‐specific diseases have no constant cause. A variety of causes may produce the same disease.

The Black Vulture - How can you tell a Black Vulture from a Turkey Vulture? Read the article. Then answer the questions.

The Challenge of Art - Explain how, according to the author, something new and unfamiliar comes to be accepted and perhaps even appreciated.

First Lady Michelle Obama - Michelle Obama gave up her job in corporate law to dedicate her life to public service. Discuss whether or not she has been successful in this field.

Portland, Oregon - What are the two general types of people that inhabited Portland during this time?

Reading Skills Should 7th Graders Have Mastered by Now

Students are now in what is considered the true middle of their schooling or middle school. After at least a half of a dozen years of training their reading skills there are a number of skills that they should have conquered by this time. When it comes to reading the works of another author, they should be able to identify a theme or key concepts of what they read. Students should also be able to answer routine questions and support those answers with evidence from the text itself. When students come across unfamiliar words, they should be able to use multiple reading strategies to determine the meaning of that term. We can also expect students at this level to understand the difference between a figurative and literal meaning of a term. They should be able to identify when a writer is attempting to boast or exaggerate for affect.


When it comes to larger bodies of work such as an essay, story, or novel students are ready to begin comparing larger bodies of work. They often will do this through writing opinion-based pieces. In the realm of nonfiction, they will often cite evidence within the work itself to form an argumentative piece that takes a position and is support by evidence within the work itself.


Tips When Reading Nonfiction

Nonfiction content contains facts and information. Nonfiction can include historical events, biographies, true stories or other such related content. As kids grow up reading fiction stories and other such works, it is a little difficult for them to make up their minds to start reading a nonfiction book. It is a must for one to read nonfiction as much as possible. Nonfiction books become interesting when they capture one's attention, but the problem is that it is a little difficult to build up interest towards a nonfiction book. Following are some tips that can help one while reading to understand and enjoy nonfiction:


Understand the Central Theme


For a nonfiction book, it is always preferred to begin by reading the foreword of the book. This will help you to understand the topic and will tell you more about the central idea of the book. Also note down the most informative points of the book, this will help you to remain focused while reading.


Highlight the Important Points


Always keep colorful highlighters with you while reading. Highlight important words, sentences or any other information you find interesting. Use different colors on the same page to make your book look attractive to read.


Infer the Meanings of Words


Infer the words you do not understand, use your previous knowledge or context of the word to guess the meaning of that word. Try to correctly infer the meaning of a word and if you fail in your try, use a thesaurus to understand the meaning and note it down to help you in future.


Write an Abstract


If you want to enjoy reading nonfiction and to understand in between the lines, write an abstract. You can either write an abstract of the whole book or each chapter separately. Write the abstract neatly and keep it with you so that if you need some information in the future, you will not have to go through the whole book again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



American Sign Language (ASL) Preview