Pollution Reading Comprehension Passage & Activities for Elementary Students
Help students learn about the three types of pollution and their effects on the environment through an easy-to-read and fun Pollution reading comprehension passage. Included are website QR codes for additional research as well as reading comprehension activities that support the
Students will gain an understanding of air pollution, water pollution, and waste management—all integral pieces in ensuring a healthy future!
The pollution reading passage and related comprehension activities are perfect for Earth Day! The article outlines the three types of pollution (water, land, and air) and their effects on the environment. This pollution reading comprehension passage and related activities are a great way to combine reading, writing, and social studies.
Pollution Reading Passage and Comprehension Activities
Students learn about pollution and its effect on the environment through an easy-to-read and fun passage.
What is included in the Pollution Reading Comprehension Passage & Activities?
Included in this resource are:
- Vocabulary Cards with key terms from the reading passage
- Posters of the Big Ideas
- Reading Passage in two formats (black and white one page; color with photos two-page)
- QR Codes for additional research
- Cloze Reading Passage
- Graphic Organizer for note-taking
- Short Answer Comprehension Questions
- Comprehension Activities for Main Idea & Details and Cause & Effect
- Fact Sort where students can categorize the key events and attributes
- Discussion Questions & What Would You Do Scenarios
- Writing Page
- Quiz
- Answer Key
Digital resources are now available for the Pollution Article & Activities. Take a look here!
Below are a few photos and details about the pages included.
Vocabulary Cards & Big Idea Posters about Pollution
Included in the teaching resource are big idea posters and vocabulary cards.
You can use the vocabulary cards and big idea posters in several ways. Display the posters or use them to introduce the major concepts in the article.
The vocabulary cards are built in three parts. They can be cut apart and used as a matching activity or kept together and displayed on a wall or anchor chart.
Pollution Reading Comprehension Passage in Two Formats
The pollution reading passage comes in two main formats. One format is just the text with no pictures. This format is one-page.
The second format is two-pages and includes vivid photographs that support the text.
Cloze Reading Passage with a Word Bank
Another resource that is included in many of my nonfiction articles is a Cloze Reading Passage. For this activity, the passage has been rewritten with only the key points and concepts. Words have been removed. Students can either listen to the passage read aloud and write the correct word in the blank or they can do it as an independent activity to strengthen their vocabulary skills.
Pollution Reading Passage and Comprehension Activities
Students learn about pollution and its effect on the environment through an easy-to-read and fun passage.
A Variety of Comprehension Activities
Included in the resource are many comprehension activities. There are simple short answer questions that encourage students to reflect on what was read in the passage.
Main Idea and Details Comprehension Activities
There are also more detailed activities to work with comprehension skills. This particular pollution nonfiction article lends itself well to working with main idea and details as well as cause and effect.
Included are two versions for each of those comprehension skills.
For main idea and details, one version asks students to determine the main idea and sort the details. The second version gives students the main idea and only asks them to sort the details.
Cause & Effect Scaffolded Practice
Similarly, the cause-and-effect worksheets are also scaffolded. One version asks students to determine which are cause and which are the effect. The other version asks students to match the cause and effect.
You can choose which version of these comprehension activities to use with your whole class or differentiate the activities based on the needs of your students. If you would like more ideas on how to develop cause and effect relationships, take a look at this science lesson that focuses on cause and effect with soil erosion.
Pollution Reading Passage and Comprehension Activities
Students learn about pollution and its effect on the environment through an easy-to-read and fun passage.
How to Purchase the Pollution Article & Comprehension Activities
The Pollution Article and Activities are available on my website as well as on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Jessica BOschen
Jessica is a teacher, homeschool parent, and entrepreneur. She shares her passion for teaching and education on What I Have Learned. Jessica has 16 years of experience teaching elementary school and currently homeschools her two middle and high school boys. She enjoys scaffolding learning for students, focusing on helping our most challenging learners achieve success in all academic areas.