Nonfiction reading passages
249 free printable nonfiction reading passages (science, history and how things work). Each has comprehension questions, vocabulary and an answer key, and downloads as a PDF. Easiest first. No sign-up.
- Ants Are StrongKindergarten · level 3 · 52 words · 5 questions
- My TeethGrade 1 · level 5 · 78 words · 6 questions
- Who Lives Under the Log?Grade 1 · level 5 · 94 words · 5 questions
- Frogs Are AmazingGrade 1 · level 5 · 100 words · 5 questions
- Ruby Goes to SchoolGrade 1 · level 5 · 131 words · 5 questions
- The Sun Is a StarGrade 1 · level 5 · 151 words · 6 questions
- Why Does Ice Float?Grade 2 · level 7 · 177 words · 5 questions
- Why Do Leaves Change Color?Grade 2 · level 7 · 180 words · 6 questions
- Rain's Long TripGrade 2 · level 7 · 193 words · 5 questions
- Why Is the Sky Blue?Grade 2 · level 7 · 218 words · 6 questions
- The First FlightGrade 2 · level 7 · 261 words · 6 questions
- Odile and the Fizzy CupGrade 2 · level 7 · 267 words · 5 questions
- The Thread That GlowedGrade 2 · level 7 · 297 words · 6 questions
- Three Rocks in a ShoeboxGrade 2 · level 7 · 313 words · 5 questions
- Look at AntsGrade 2 · level 7 · 327 words · 6 questions
- The Turtles Made ItGrade 2 · level 7 · 330 words · 5 questions
- A Sip, a Fan, a LidGrade 2 · level 7 · 357 words · 5 questions
- The Tooth Nobody LostGrade 2 · level 7 · 366 words · 5 questions
- Crunch Goes the PandaGrade 2 · level 7 · 386 words · 5 questions
- Mia and the Two RabbitsGrade 2 · level 7 · 390 words · 5 questions
- Ottilie Gets PlutoGrade 2 · level 7 · 396 words · 5 questions
- Be My RobotGrade 2 · level 7 · 400 words · 5 questions
- Mostly BlueGrade 2 · level 7 · 405 words · 5 questions
- The Four Big PagesGrade 2 · level 7 · 451 words · 6 questions
- The Frog That FreezesGrade 3 · level 8 · 441 words · 5 questions
- Looking After a DogGrade 3 · level 8 · 453 words · 5 questions
- Looking After a Leopard GeckoGrade 3 · level 8 · 457 words · 5 questions
- Looking After a CatGrade 3 · level 8 · 514 words · 5 questions
- From the Sun to the PedalsGrade 3 · level 8 · 517 words · 5 questions
- The Run to NomeGrade 3 · level 8 · 572 words · 6 questions
- Jonah and the Night HamsterGrade 3 · level 8 · 574 words · 5 questions
- The Chimp Who Fished for TermitesGrade 3 · level 8 · 590 words · 5 questions
- Twelve Blocks in One NightGrade 3 · level 8 · 595 words · 5 questions
- The Squirrels and the EngineerGrade 3 · level 8 · 609 words · 6 questions
- The X-15 Flight That Went Too FarGrade 3 · level 8 · 629 words · 5 questions
- Looking After Cocoa and NibsGrade 3 · level 8 · 636 words · 5 questions
- Kai and the Little Blue FishGrade 3 · level 8 · 646 words · 6 questions
- The Audition With the Box of ClothesGrade 3 · level 8 · 661 words · 5 questions
- The Ball That Fell 856 FeetGrade 3 · level 8 · 662 words · 6 questions
- Zendaya and the Rules for Kids on SetGrade 3 · level 8 · 666 words · 5 questions
- Just Above the SpoutGrade 3 · level 8 · 669 words · 5 questions
- A Balloon Called Red TitanGrade 3 · level 8 · 677 words · 5 questions
- Inside an E-BikeGrade 3 · level 8 · 690 words · 6 questions
- Fifty Pictures for One VideoGrade 3 · level 8 · 694 words · 6 questions
- Tavi and the Bones Under Her SkinGrade 3 · level 8 · 700 words · 5 questions
- The Race Too Close to CallGrade 3 · level 8 · 706 words · 5 questions
- The Rusty Red DotGrade 3 · level 8 · 708 words · 5 questions
- Sink or Float?Grade 3 · level 8 · 714 words · 6 questions
- Caitlin Clark's Road to the ProsGrade 3 · level 8 · 715 words · 5 questions
- A Compass, a Desk and the Speed of LightGrade 3 · level 8 · 718 words · 6 questions
- Where Did the Puddle Go?Grade 3 · level 8 · 719 words · 5 questions
- One Person or Two ThousandGrade 3 · level 8 · 720 words · 5 questions
- Twelve Seconds at Kitty HawkGrade 3 · level 8 · 720 words · 5 questions
- Under Two SecondsGrade 3 · level 8 · 720 words · 6 questions
- Hum Under My HandGrade 3 · level 8 · 726 words · 5 questions
- Mina and the Eight PlanetsGrade 3 · level 8 · 730 words · 5 questions
- Ten Eras, One NightGrade 3 · level 8 · 735 words · 6 questions
- The Dish Called VenusGrade 3 · level 8 · 742 words · 5 questions
- The Tooth on the BeachGrade 3 · level 8 · 746 words · 5 questions
- Penguins Up CloseGrade 3 · level 8 · 754 words · 5 questions
- Fifteen on Court OneGrade 3 · level 8 · 763 words · 5 questions
- Eleven Years Old and Testing the WaterGrade 3 · level 8 · 776 words · 5 questions
- Kobe Bryant's Two NumbersGrade 3 · level 8 · 777 words · 5 questions
- The Shot That Bent in MunichGrade 3 · level 8 · 785 words · 5 questions
- A Bottle of Lemonade With Honey in ItGrade 3 · level 8 · 787 words · 5 questions
- How Tennis Scoring WorksGrade 3 · level 8 · 795 words · 5 questions
- Two Pictures, One Deep WorldGrade 3 · level 8 · 800 words · 6 questions
- Where Do Taxes Go?Grade 3 · level 8 · 805 words · 5 questions
- Five Goals in One NightGrade 3 · level 8 · 815 words · 5 questions
- From Paycheck to BankGrade 3 · level 8 · 816 words · 5 questions
- Ten Feet HighGrade 3 · level 8 · 823 words · 6 questions
- Worth Three PointsGrade 3 · level 8 · 843 words · 6 questions
- Unicorns and Real HorsesGrade 3 · level 8 · 859 words · 6 questions
- Forty-Five Seconds in the BowlGrade 3 · level 8 · 866 words · 5 questions
- The Spam Filter That LearnedGrade 3 · level 8 · 867 words · 6 questions
- Is It a Robot?Grade 3 · level 8 · 874 words · 6 questions
- Four Blades UpGrade 3 · level 8 · 877 words · 6 questions
- The Player in the MiddleGrade 3 · level 8 · 895 words · 6 questions
- How Gymnastics Is ScoredGrade 3 · level 8 · 908 words · 5 questions
- Ronaldo's Road from MadeiraGrade 3 · level 8 · 918 words · 6 questions
- Michael Jordan's Six TitlesGrade 3 · level 8 · 931 words · 6 questions
- Mbappé on the RunGrade 3 · level 8 · 935 words · 6 questions
- How Does a Car Work?Grade 3 · level 8 · 947 words · 5 questions
- How Soccer and the World Cup WorkGrade 3 · level 8 · 949 words · 5 questions
- How Baseball Works, Told Through Shohei OhtaniGrade 3 · level 8 · 980 words · 5 questions
- A Hundred Meters in 9.58 SecondsGrade 3 · level 8 · 1051 words · 6 questions
- Why Do We Have Seasons?Grade 4 · level 9 · 524 words · 5 questions
- Vikings Did Not Wear HornsGrade 4 · level 9 · 540 words · 5 questions
- Dinosaurs Are Still HereGrade 4 · level 9 · 572 words · 5 questions
- Why Is the Ocean Salty?Grade 4 · level 9 · 616 words · 6 questions
- A Day on the Space StationGrade 4 · level 9 · 661 words · 5 questions
- The First StepsGrade 4 · level 9 · 755 words · 6 questions
- Eight ArmsGrade 4 · level 9 · 770 words · 6 questions
- Seven Days With PickleGrade 5 · level 10 · 721 words · 6 questions
- The Blue Dot and the ClocksGrade 5 · level 10 · 746 words · 6 questions
- The Emperor Penguin DadsGrade 5 · level 10 · 787 words · 6 questions
- Why Does My Leopard Gecko Hide?Grade 5 · level 10 · 790 words · 5 questions
- The Great Fire of LondonGrade 5 · level 10 · 821 words · 6 questions
- The Rock Cycle: A Pebble's Very Long TripGrade 5 · level 10 · 843 words · 5 questions
- Voyager's Golden RecordGrade 5 · level 10 · 872 words · 6 questions
- The Landing That Almost FailedGrade 5 · level 10 · 873 words · 6 questions
- The Honey BeeGrade 5 · level 10 · 881 words · 5 questions
- The Bus BoycottGrade 5 · level 10 · 924 words · 6 questions
- Why Do Cats Purr?Grade 5 · level 10 · 937 words · 6 questions
- How Many Continents Are There?Grade 5 · level 10 · 955 words · 6 questions
- How Did Zendaya Go From Disney to Dune?Grade 5 · level 10 · 956 words · 5 questions
- Why Do Hamsters Sleep All Day?Grade 5 · level 10 · 980 words · 5 questions
- Could We Live on Mars?Grade 5 · level 10 · 988 words · 6 questions
- Why Guinea Pigs Need a FriendGrade 5 · level 10 · 995 words · 5 questions
- What Did Jane Goodall Discover at Gombe?Grade 5 · level 10 · 996 words · 5 questions
- How Do You Learn to Code?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1021 words · 6 questions
- Too Strong for LightGrade 5 · level 10 · 1025 words · 6 questions
- How Many Planets Are There?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1026 words · 5 questions
- Why Do We Have Wisdom Teeth?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1043 words · 6 questions
- How Did Lamine Yamal Set So Many Youngest Records?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1050 words · 6 questions
- How Ryan's World Grew: From Toy Videos to a MovieGrade 5 · level 10 · 1052 words · 5 questions
- Why Does My Rabbit Thump?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1068 words · 6 questions
- Noah Lyles: Races and the Rules Behind ThemGrade 5 · level 10 · 1076 words · 6 questions
- How Did Two Bicycle Makers Learn to Fly?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1088 words · 5 questions
- How the Bulls Won with Michael JordanGrade 5 · level 10 · 1091 words · 6 questions
- How Did a Patent Examiner Change Physics?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1101 words · 5 questions
- How Does Taylor Swift Write a Song?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1112 words · 5 questions
- How Mark Rober Builds Things That Fail FirstGrade 5 · level 10 · 1137 words · 6 questions
- How Has Ronaldo Lasted So Long?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1165 words · 6 questions
- Simone Biles and the VaultGrade 5 · level 10 · 1165 words · 5 questions
- Serena Williams and the ServeGrade 5 · level 10 · 1175 words · 5 questions
- How Does Dude Perfect Plan a Trick Shot?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1178 words · 6 questions
- How Coco Gauff Became a Grand Slam ChampionGrade 5 · level 10 · 1196 words · 5 questions
- Victor Wembanyama and the Unanimous VoteGrade 5 · level 10 · 1199 words · 5 questions
- How Caitlin Clark's Records Were CountedGrade 5 · level 10 · 1207 words · 6 questions
- How Did Erling Haaland Score 36 Goals?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1217 words · 6 questions
- How Did MrBeast Build a YouTube Channel?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1217 words · 6 questions
- How Does a Paycheck Work?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1222 words · 6 questions
- How Did Gitanjali Rao Invent a Lead Detector?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1224 words · 5 questions
- What Does a Midfielder Like Jude Bellingham Do?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1244 words · 6 questions
- How Did Venus Williams Become a Champion?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1250 words · 6 questions
- LeBron James and the Long GameGrade 5 · level 10 · 1264 words · 6 questions
- How Did a Lemonade Stand Become a Company?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1279 words · 5 questions
- How Do Taxes Work?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1285 words · 6 questions
- How Does Formula 1 Work?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1321 words · 6 questions
- Shohei Ohtani and the Two-Way PlayerGrade 5 · level 10 · 1330 words · 6 questions
- Stephen Curry and the Three-Point ShotGrade 5 · level 10 · 1364 words · 6 questions
- How Did Usain Bolt Run So Fast?Grade 5 · level 10 · 1385 words · 5 questions
- How a Cat Picture Gets to YouGrade 6 · level 11 · 843 words · 6 questions
- Who Invented the Light Bulb?Grade 6 · level 11 · 844 words · 6 questions
- The Small Hunter on the SofaGrade 6 · level 11 · 867 words · 5 questions
- The First Picture of a Black HoleGrade 6 · level 11 · 873 words · 6 questions
- Slow Motion AnimalsGrade 6 · level 11 · 972 words · 5 questions
- Why Is Pluto Not a Planet?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1021 words · 6 questions
- What Do Pandas Eat?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1041 words · 6 questions
- Trouble on Apollo 13Grade 6 · level 11 · 1064 words · 6 questions
- How Many Bones Are in the Human Body?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1100 words · 5 questions
- How Does a Betta Breathe Air?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1123 words · 6 questions
- The Water Cycle Next DoorGrade 6 · level 11 · 1147 words · 6 questions
- How Do VR Headsets Work?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1164 words · 6 questions
- When Did the Dinosaurs Go Extinct?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1166 words · 6 questions
- How Do Bees Make Honey?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1176 words · 6 questions
- How Did Millie Bobby Brown Become Eleven?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1210 words · 6 questions
- Kobe Bryant and Every DetailGrade 6 · level 11 · 1218 words · 6 questions
- How Do You Learn to Drive?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1260 words · 6 questions
- How Did Neil Armstrong Become an Astronaut?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1261 words · 5 questions
- How Are Video Games Made?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1301 words · 6 questions
- How Do Drones Fly?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1318 words · 6 questions
- Lionel Messi's Long RoadGrade 6 · level 11 · 1339 words · 6 questions
- How Fast Is Kylian Mbappé?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1343 words · 6 questions
- How Do Robots Work?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1346 words · 6 questions
- How Is Park Skateboarding Judged?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1383 words · 5 questions
- How Do Electric Bikes Work?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1384 words · 6 questions
- How Does AI Work?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1472 words · 6 questions
- How Are Horses and Ponies Different?Grade 6 · level 11 · 1551 words · 6 questions
- The Thirty-Three MinersGrade 7 · level 12 · 1025 words · 5 questions
- Chameleons Up CloseGrade 7 · level 12 · 1050 words · 5 questions
- Five Needs, One DogGrade 8 · level 13 · 967 words · 5 questions
- A Predator at the WindowGrade 8 · level 13 · 1095 words · 5 questions
- The Desert Animal in the Glass BoxGrade 8 · level 13 · 1119 words · 5 questions
- A Rabbit Is Not a Small CatGrade 8 · level 13 · 1244 words · 6 questions
- Bats After DarkGrade 8 · level 13 · 1266 words · 5 questions
- The Ice-Crushed EnduranceGrade 8 · level 13 · 1278 words · 5 questions
- Build, Break, Rebuild: The Physics of Mark RoberGrade 8 · level 13 · 1301 words · 6 questions
- Rooms Within RoomsGrade 8 · level 13 · 1313 words · 5 questions
- Whose Song Is It? Two Copyrights in One SongGrade 8 · level 13 · 1313 words · 6 questions
- The Bamboo BargainGrade 8 · level 13 · 1315 words · 6 questions
- How Credit Scores Are BuiltGrade 8 · level 13 · 1339 words · 6 questions
- Zendaya, Credits and the Work of ProducingGrade 8 · level 13 · 1352 words · 5 questions
- The Hamster's Wild DesignGrade 8 · level 13 · 1366 words · 5 questions
- Counting a CareerGrade 8 · level 13 · 1371 words · 6 questions
- Field Notes and the Long Study at GombeGrade 8 · level 13 · 1383 words · 5 questions
- Click, Watch, StayGrade 8 · level 13 · 1398 words · 6 questions
- Falling Hoops: The Physics of Dude PerfectGrade 8 · level 13 · 1401 words · 6 questions
- Counting a Channel: What Ryan's World CountsGrade 8 · level 13 · 1414 words · 5 questions
- Counted in Days: Jude Bellingham's RecordsGrade 8 · level 13 · 1442 words · 6 questions
- Debugging Since 1843Grade 8 · level 13 · 1449 words · 6 questions
- Seven Is a ChoiceGrade 8 · level 13 · 1483 words · 6 questions
- Counting What Never Gets ShotGrade 8 · level 13 · 1497 words · 5 questions
- Reading Lead with Carbon: Inside the Tethys SensorGrade 8 · level 13 · 1503 words · 6 questions
- Lamine Yamal and the Arithmetic of YoungestGrade 8 · level 13 · 1513 words · 5 questions
- Venus Williams and the Math of a Tour CareerGrade 8 · level 13 · 1523 words · 6 questions
- How the Federal Tax System Is BuiltGrade 8 · level 13 · 1527 words · 6 questions
- Ranking a Run: How Park Judging WorksGrade 8 · level 13 · 1541 words · 6 questions
- How Soccer Is MeasuredGrade 8 · level 13 · 1554 words · 6 questions
- Reaction Time and the 0.005-Second MarginGrade 8 · level 13 · 1560 words · 6 questions
- Testing Einstein: Eclipses, Airplanes, SatellitesGrade 8 · level 13 · 1570 words · 5 questions
- Reading Kobe Bryant's NumbersGrade 8 · level 13 · 1588 words · 6 questions
- Four Hooves Off the GroundGrade 8 · level 13 · 1591 words · 6 questions
- Beyond the Perfect TenGrade 8 · level 13 · 1600 words · 5 questions
- Goals, Minutes and xG: Reading a StrikerGrade 8 · level 13 · 1616 words · 5 questions
- The Michael Jordan ArgumentGrade 8 · level 13 · 1641 words · 6 questions
- The Arithmetic of the ArcGrade 8 · level 13 · 1646 words · 6 questions
- Who Counts Ronaldo's Goals?Grade 8 · level 13 · 1656 words · 6 questions
- Counting Caitlin ClarkGrade 8 · level 13 · 1711 words · 6 questions
- Serena Williams, MeasuredGrade 8 · level 13 · 1720 words · 5 questions
- The Rulebook Behind a Child Actor's DayGrade 8 · level 13 · 1745 words · 6 questions
- Watt-Hours and Bike LanesGrade 8 · level 13 · 1749 words · 6 questions
- How Baseball Counts a Two-Way PlayerGrade 8 · level 13 · 1754 words · 6 questions
- Smeaton's Number and the Wrights' Wind TunnelGrade 8 · level 13 · 1754 words · 5 questions
- Fooling Two Eyes and One Inner EarGrade 8 · level 13 · 1810 words · 6 questions
- Coco Gauff and the Arithmetic of a MatchGrade 8 · level 13 · 1846 words · 5 questions
- The Physics Inside 9.58 SecondsGrade 8 · level 13 · 1855 words · 6 questions
- Downforce, Drag and the RulebookGrade 8 · level 13 · 1879 words · 6 questions
- Six Joints, Five Million RobotsGrade 8 · level 13 · 1997 words · 6 questions
- Built for Puddles, Bred for BeautyHigh School · level 14 · 1156 words · 6 questions
- The Problem With a PurrHigh School · level 14 · 1230 words · 6 questions
- Ratified on a PromiseHigh School · level 14 · 1239 words · 6 questions
- A Practical Lamp, Not a First OneHigh School · level 14 · 1267 words · 6 questions
- Ceres Was a Planet OnceHigh School · level 14 · 1269 words · 6 questions
- The Rust That Remembers WaterHigh School · level 14 · 1335 words · 6 questions
- The Tax Collector's RainHigh School · level 14 · 1355 words · 6 questions
- Nectar, Minus the WaterHigh School · level 14 · 1391 words · 6 questions
- What a Guinea Pig's Body ExpectsHigh School · level 14 · 1409 words · 6 questions
- Dark Stars and DoubtersHigh School · level 14 · 1455 words · 6 questions
- Marie Curie's ShedHigh School · level 14 · 1517 words · 6 questions
- The Mismatch at the Back of the MouthHigh School · level 14 · 1534 words · 6 questions
- The Monarch ButterflyHigh School · level 14 · 1585 words · 5 questions
- The Hive and the ShelfHigh School · level 14 · 1678 words · 5 questions
- Reading the Apollo 11 Descent LogHigh School · level 14 · 1751 words · 6 questions
- The Loop That Holds a Drone UpHigh School · level 14 · 1753 words · 6 questions
- Why New Drivers CrashHigh School · level 14 · 1755 words · 6 questions
- The Clay That Was Meant to Be a ClockHigh School · level 14 · 1781 words · 6 questions
- Measuring a Soccer SprintHigh School · level 14 · 1967 words · 6 questions
- Inside the Sixteen-Millisecond FrameHigh School · level 14 · 2146 words · 6 questions
- Imitation, Prediction, UnderstandingHigh School · level 14 · 2163 words · 6 questions
- The Hudson LandingHigh School · level 15 · 1228 words · 5 questions
- The Mantis ShrimpHigh School · level 15 · 1392 words · 5 questions
- The Top of EverestHigh School · level 16 · 1262 words · 5 questions
- The Bombardier BeetleHigh School · level 16 · 1372 words · 5 questions
- The Broad Street PumpHigh School · level 17 · 1410 words · 5 questions
- Naked Mole-RatsHigh School · level 17 · 1432 words · 5 questions
- The Storm of 1859High School · level 18 · 1391 words · 5 questions
- Water BearsHigh School · level 18 · 1602 words · 5 questions