Year 4 Reading Comprehension Worksheet - Beginner

Year 4 Reading Comprehension worksheet for Year 4 (Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)). Beginner level english practice, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Print-ready with answer key included.

English•Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)•Reading Comprehensionbeginner

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The Secret of the Rainy-Day Garden

Year 4 Reading Comprehension | Ages 8–9 | Beginner

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Instructions: Read the passage carefully, then complete the activities in order. Look back at the text to find evidence, and use clues from the words and events to explain your ideas. For open-ended questions, answers may vary; support them with details from the passage.

Read the Passage

Read the whole story once to understand what happens. Then read it again, noticing the characters’ actions and the words that describe the garden.

The Rainy-Day Garden

Maya pressed her nose against the kitchen window. Rain tapped the glass, and the garden path had turned into a shiny ribbon of puddles. She had planned to plant the sunflower seeds with Grandad, but the weather had other ideas.

“Perhaps we can still help the garden,” Grandad said. He brought a small tray of pots into the warm conservatory. Maya filled each pot with dark, crumbly soil while Grandad showed her how to tuck one seed beneath the surface. She made a little label for every pot so they would know which seeds were growing.

As they worked, Maya noticed a tiny snail on a lettuce leaf. Its shell glistened with rain. She gently moved the leaf outside, away from the warm pots. “It can have its lunch, and our seeds can have their space,” she said.

By the time the rain stopped, five pots stood in a sunny row. Maya felt pleased. The garden had not been planted outside, but their careful work had given the seeds a good start. “Tomorrow,” said Grandad, “we can check for the first green shoots.”

Find the Meaning

Use the sentence around each underlined word to work out what it means. Choose the best answer for each question.

1. In “the garden path had turned into a shiny ribbon of puddles”, what does shiny mean?

2. In “dark, crumbly soil”, what does crumbly suggest about the soil?

3. In “Its shell glistened with rain”, what does glistened mean?

4. In “Maya felt pleased”, how did Maya feel?

Retrieve Details

Find each answer directly in the passage. You may use a few words or a short sentence, but make sure your answer gives the detail asked for.

1. What had Maya planned to do with Grandad?

2. Where did Grandad bring the pots?

3. What did Maya use to fill the pots?

4. How many pots stood in a row when the rain stopped?

Infer from Clues

An inference is an idea you work out from clues in the text. For each answer, include a detail that helped you decide.

1. Why did Grandad bring the pots into the conservatory?

2. How can you tell Maya was careful while planting the seeds?

3. Why did Maya move the lettuce leaf outside?

4. How do you think Maya felt about helping Grandad? Give one clue from the passage.

Predict What Happens Next

Use what the characters have said and done to make a sensible prediction. Your prediction may be different from someone else’s, but it should fit the story.

1. What will Maya and Grandad probably do tomorrow?

2. What might the first green shoots look like?

3. What might Maya do if one of the seeds does not grow?

4. Which might happen next: Maya plants the young shoots outside, or the snail helps water the pots? Choose one and explain why it is more likely.

Explain Why

Answer in a complete sentence. Explain your thinking with a reason from the story, rather than giving only a one-word answer.

1. Why was the rainy weather a problem for Maya’s original plan?

2. Why did Maya make a label for every pot?

3. Why did Maya say, “our seeds can have their space”?

4. Why does the passage say the seeds had “a good start” even though they were not planted outside?

Answer Key

Activity 1: Passage for reading; no written answer.

Activity 2: Reflecting light ; It breaks into small pieces ; Shone in the light ; Happy and satisfied

Activity 3: Plant the sunflower seeds ; Into the warm conservatory ; Dark, crumbly soil ; Five

Activity 4: Accept answers such as: to keep the pots warm and sheltered from the rain ; she tucked each seed beneath the soil and labelled every pot ; to let the snail eat the lettuce while keeping it away from the seeds ; she was pleased, or she helped willingly and spoke thoughtfully about the snail and seeds. Answers should refer to passage clues.

Activity 5: Accept sensible predictions supported by the story. Suggested answers: check for the first green shoots ; small green shoots coming up through the soil ; check the pot, keep caring for it, or plant another seed ; Maya plants the young shoots outside, because the story says the seeds are growing and she and Grandad plan to check them. Other supported predictions may be accepted.

Activity 6: Suggested answers: the rain made the path and garden wet, so planting outside was not suitable ; to identify which seeds were growing in each pot ; she wanted the snail to eat the lettuce outside and the seeds to have room in the pots ; the seeds were placed in soil in warm pots and had been cared for, so they could begin growing. Accept equivalent explanations supported by the passage.