5th Grade 5th Grade Reading: The First Airplane (Nonfiction)
Read an informational passage about the Wright brothers' first flight and answer main-idea, detail, and inference questions.
- Homework
- Review
- Test Prep
- Centers
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No sign-up required. Clean, low-ink US Letter format.
- Grade
- 5th Grade
- Subject
- Reading
- Skill
- Reading Comprehension
- Topic
- nonfiction comprehension and author's purpose
- Difficulty
- Standard
- Time
- 20 minutes
- Pages
- 2 (incl. answer key)
- Format
- Printable PDF (US Letter)
- Answer key
- Included
- Best for
- homework, review, test prep, centers
Worksheet details
What This Worksheet Practices
Students will determine the main idea, locate details, and infer the author's purpose in an informational passage.
- Finding the main idea of nonfiction
- Locating specific facts and dates
- Inferring the author's purpose
Worksheet Preview
Reading history with a critical eye
Fifth-grade nonfiction asks readers to find the main idea, gather key facts and dates, and infer the author’s purpose. This passage shows that the first flight came from years of study and persistence — not a lucky accident.
How to use it
Require text evidence for every answer and discuss why the author wrote the passage. Builds on the water cycle passage.
👩🏫 Teacher note
Push for text evidence. The main idea is that persistence and careful study led to the first flight - not any single date. Discuss why the author wrote the passage.
🏠 Parent note
Ask 'What is the whole passage mostly about?' and 'Why did the author write it?'
Common Mistakes to Watch For
- Choosing a single fact as the main idea
- Making an inference without text support
Answer Key
Sample answers are provided; wording may vary but should be grounded in the text.
⬇ Download Answer Key (PDF)Related Worksheets
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