Comprehension exercises for third grade
These worksheets introduce comprehension concepts and skills such as identifying the main ideas of a text and their supporting details, relating cause and effect, making predictions and distinguishing between fact and opinion. The main elements of a story (characters, setting, plot) are also reviewed.
Main ideas & supporting details: what is the text mostly about? What details support that?
Identifying the 5 W's: read a story and answer who, what, when, where & why
Compare and contrast: compare how 2 stories are alike or different with a Venn diagram
Sequencing: analyze a passage for "sequencing words" and the order of events
Character traits: identify the internal (personality) and external (appearance) traits of a character
Setting: study a text for clues as to when and where a story took place
Plot: identify the 5 stages of plot in a story
Making inferences: infer what happened in the story from clues in the text
Cause and effect worksheets: identify examples of cause and effect in a text
Fact vs opinion: is the text fact or opinion? explain why
Author's purpose worksheets: identify if the author is trying to persuade, inform or entertain
Prediction worksheets: predict what will happen next in a story
Context clues: using definition clues, antonym clues, synonym clues & example clues

Sample grade 3 reading comprehension exercises