Helicopters Reading Comprehension Passage - Cored Ed Encyclopedia

This helicopters reading comprehension contains the following:

Pre-Reading Trivia

Students will write down one thing they already know about the subject and then read five more facts and discuss. These facts are fun, and the students will enjoy learning about the subject before reading more.

Reading Passage

The text is a high-interest reading passage with set paragraphs, roughly three to four paragraphs long. It contains a variety of themes about the topic, anywhere from history to technology. The passage is between 250 and 350 words in length.

Mixed Questions

The first question page contains four multiple-choice questions, each with a choice of four answers, and three written response questions that require a sentence or two from the student.

Creative Writing

In this question, the student will be required to write a five to eight sentence paragraph on a question related to the topic.

Extension Activities

This page is optional for fast finishers. If there are five to ten minutes left at the end of the lesson, the student can choose one of three activities, each one requiring a different skill.

Answer Key

There are answers for the multiple-choice questions and three written response questions have sample answers.

FULL CATALOG OF DOWNLOAD LINKS AND ENCYCLOPEDIA INDEX HERE

Lesson Snapshot

• Title: Helicopters

• Genre: Nonfiction (informational text with headings)

• Subject: Reading (Informational Text) / Science & Technology

• Primary Topic: How helicopters fly and what they do

• Estimated Guided Reading Level (A–Z): O

• Support pages present: Pre-reading trivia, mixed questions, creative writing, extension activities, answer key (plus a QR/index page).

What This Lesson Teaches Best

• Explains how helicopters can move differently than most airplanes (rise straight up, drop straight down, hover, slide sideways, scoot backward).

• Teaches the basic idea of lift in a helicopter by describing spinning rotors/blades and how pilots change blade tilt to move.

• Describes a problem caused by the main rotor spinning and how a tail rotor (or two opposite-spinning rotors) helps stop unwanted spinning.

• Connects early ideas about vertical flight (a Chinese bamboo spinning toy; Leonardo da Vinci’s “air screw” sketch) to modern helicopter uses.

• Builds knowledge of real-world purposes for helicopters (rescue, carrying injured patients to hospitals, fighting fires with water buckets, lifting equipment with cables).

Learning Goals

• Students can describe at least three ways a helicopter can move, based on the text.

• Students can explain that helicopters use spinning rotors/blades to make lift and move through the air.

• Students can describe why many helicopters use a tail rotor, using details from the passage.

• Students can identify two examples of early clues/ideas about vertical flight mentioned in the text.

• Students can name and describe at least two jobs helicopters do today that the passage lists.

Key Vocabulary From the Text

• rotorcraft — an aircraft that uses spinning rotors.

• hover — stay in one place in the air.

• blades — long parts that spin on top.

• vertical — straight up and down.

• cables — strong lines used to lift equipment.

Cored Ed Encyclopedia Overview

The Cored Ed Encyclopedia is a weekly series of lessons that you can pick up and use right away. These short readings fit into whatever time you have available. Each one includes a warm-up, a reading, and a set of questions, but it’s flexible — you can do just the reading, the full lesson, or skip the writing section if you need to. Each lesson focuses on a single topic so students don’t get lost. The writing is clear but never childish, making it perfect for grades two through five. Topics range from animals and science to history, inventions, and everyday things. No matter the level of the student, everyone should take away at least one new idea or fact from each lesson. The materials are easy to print, easy to explain, and require no setup. They work well for whole-class teaching, partner work, or independent study.