Science Reading Passages Grades 4 to 6, How Things Work Nonfiction With Questions

24 nonfiction passages on how things work, for about grades 4 to 6. 132 pages in all. Topics include a simple circuit, a switch, an electric motor, a lever, gears, three kinds of bridge, a four-stroke engine, a wing, a refrigerator, a solar cell and a canal lock.

Each passage has 180 to 250 words and a plain diagram drawn for it, followed by six questions: two Word meaning, two Detail, one Why and one Main idea. The key has the answer in green, with the sentence that proves it.

The fact list at the back of the book sets out the claims each passage makes, so a parent or a teacher can check them.

The passages avoid some common wrong explanations. For example, the circuit passage does not say that electricity gets used up.

WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Science-Reading-How-Things-Work-Letter.pdf, 132 pages
- Science-Reading-How-Things-Work-A4.pdf, 132 pages
- Start-Here-Science-Reading.pdf, which file to use, print settings

Digital download. Nothing is shipped.

COMPATIBILITY
Print PDF. Page sizes in the files: US Letter 612 x 792 pt and A4 595 x 842 pt. A script confirmed the sizes, that the fonts are embedded and that no ink falls within 0.25 inch of the page edge. Test printing on a real printer has not been recorded for this file.

QUESTIONS AND HOW-TO
How were the facts checked?
AI wrote the passages and the fact list. An AI research pass then compared the facts with published sources. No person has checked them, which is why the fact list is in the book.

Are the diagrams exact?
No. They are plain drawings that show the idea. They are not to scale and are not plans for building anything.

Does it have experiments?
No. It is reading only, with no instructions for building or testing anything.

Where are the answers?
After the worksheets, in the same order. The fact list is at the very end.

Can I use it with a class?
The license is for personal use, so one family or one child.

Print settings for this PDF
Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Reader or Preview, not in a browser tab. Browsers can change the scale without telling you.
In the print window, pick the paper size that matches the file name.
In Acrobat Reader, set Page Sizing to Actual Size. In Preview, set Scale to 100%. If the edges get cut off, switch to Fit in Acrobat Reader or Scale to Fit in Preview.
Print one page first and check it before you print the rest.
To print only some pages, type the numbers in the Pages box, for example 3-8.
For double-sided pages, choose flip on long edge for portrait pages.

A4 or US Letter
US Letter is 8.5 x 11 inches (216 x 279 mm). It is the usual paper in the United States and Canada.
A4 is 210 x 297 mm (8.3 x 11.7 inches). It is the usual paper in most other countries.
The paper size is in each file name. Print the one that matches the paper in your printer.
If you only have the other size, use Fit or Scale to Fit in the print window. The page will come out slightly smaller, with wider margins.

HOW AI WAS USED
AI helped write the passages, the questions, the fact list, the listing text, the how-to text and the code that builds this file and draws the diagrams. Scripts tested: word counts, the reading grade formula, that each key points at the choice the writer marked right and quotes a real sentence, that every number in a passage is on its fact list, that every fact is printed, and that a key equals its page plus green. A second AI pass answered the questions without seeing the key, and its answers were compared with the key. An AI research pass compared the listed facts with published sources, some of them encyclopedias or search excerpts, and worked out a few example numbers by arithmetic. No person is claimed to have checked it unless stated here.

PLEASE NOTE
Printer and paper are not included. These are practice pages, not lesson plans and not a reading test. They make no promise about results. Digital files cannot be returned once downloaded; if a file does not open or a link is broken, send a message through Etsy. License: for your personal use only. No resale or sharing of this file.