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Reading Comprehension Activities

#1 What's Missing?

Try our fun reading comprehension activities for your upper elementary students. Here are two that super-simple for you to prepare!

reading comprehension games - questioning face

Skill: Reading comprehension

Grade level: 4-6

Players: 4-6

Objective: Guess the most correct words

Supplies: Index cards, paper & pencil, library books or other text 

To play:

1. Number the index cards according to the number of players. If there are 6 players, for example, number the cards from 1 to 6.

2. Give each player a card. Ask her to copy one paragraph from a library book or other source, omitting 2 or 3 words. (The text should be something that other players have not read.) Ideally, if the paragraph is long enough, she should leave out one noun, one verb, and one adjective. She makes a note of the missing words on her own paper.

3. One player collects all the index cards and passes one to each player, so that no one has his own card.

4. Each player numbers his paper to match the number of cards, from 1 to 6, for example, and puts an X by his own number. He reads the card he has been given and tries to guess the missing words. He writes these on his paper by the appropriate number.

5. Players pass cards around, so that each person reads all the other cards.

6. When every player has written answers for every card except his own, players take turns disclosing the correct missing words for the paragraphs they wrote.

7. Players award themselves 1 point for every word they guessed that means the same, or almost the same, as the actual word. Players receive 2 points for every exact word they guessed. Player with the most points wins.

Note: The used index cards can be placed in a learning center so that other students may play the game later.

#2  News Clues

A newspaper, from our free reading comprehension idea page

Instead of students copying text from library books, the teacher may prepare her own cards using newspaper clippings.

To Play:

1. Find 6 or more age-appropriate articles from newspapers, online articles, etc. Mark out 3 words (or more depending on the length of the piece), making note of the missing words on an answer key.

2. Glue or tape each article to a numbered piece of heavy paper.

3. Play the game as described above. Students check their answers with the answer key.

More Reading Comprehension Activities:

Cartoon rabbit, dreaming of a big, fat juicy carrot


Rabbit Reading Race: Players read and complete sentences with high-frequency words as they race to the finish line. Lots of fun! Grades 1-2

Joke Qs and As: Reading comprehension games featuring jokes. Kids love humor and will want to play these games over and over! Grades 2-5

We have spelling games, kids' crosswords, word scrambles and word searches, too!

>Reading Comprehension Activities

Try these eBooks for learning fun!


Fun Spelling Worksheets eBook

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Teach your child to read!