Hot Air Balloons Reading Comprehension Passage - Cored Ed Encyclopedia

This hot air balloons reading comprehension with lesson plan includes:

Visualization (on the front cover)

Start your lesson by taking a minute to think and share something about the topic.

• Read the script aloud (slowly), perhaps prepare some music or sound effects. Student close their eyes and let their imaginations wander.

• Students open their eyes, read the question aloud and give them a few minutes to complete. Ask a few students to share or keep answers until the end to compare with what they learn in the passage.

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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.

• Give 1 minute for students to write what they already know (no pressure—best guess is fine).

• Read the five facts together. After each fact, do ask a student for their opinion, was it surprising?

• Set a purpose by asking students to highlight/underline one fact they want to learn more about during the reading.

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.

• First, ask students to look at the headings and see what they’ll learn about today. What do they know about the topic/heading?

• First read options:

  • Teacher read-aloud (best for support).

  • Partner reading (paragraph by paragraph).

• While reading, students underline important details, and vocabulary words they think may come up in the questions section.

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.

• Students complete the mcqs first independently, then review quickly as a class.

• For the 3 written responses, try to get students giving the answer with some form of evidence:

  • “I think ___ because the text says ___.”

• If students get stuck, send them back to check the passage.

Vocabulary Questions

Practice seven key words from the text in this section across two activities. First section is scrambled words where students will unscramble three words given a clue for each. The second section is a word to meaning matching activity.

• Before starting, have some students read out words they underlined in the passage. Ask students to say the word and read aloud the sentence(s) around each word.

• Ask students to do scrambled words and the matching exercise in pairs then go through answers as a class.

• For the scrambled spelling task, get four pairs to come up to the board and write the words for extra practice with the other student reading out the clue.

• For the matching task, prompt students to give full sentences: “I matched ___ with ___ because ___.”

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.

• Before starting, ask students write down 3 key ideas they are going to include in their piece. Ask students for ideas to share around the class to help those struggling.

• Pro writing expectations:

  • 5–8 sentences

  • At least 2 facts or details from the passage

  • At least 2 vocabulary words from the previous page

• Students read their paragraphs while classmates listen for facts and vocabulary words.

Extension Activities

This page is optional for fast finishers or to take home. There are several activities, each one requiring a different skill. Do some, do none, do all, completely optional - but you will feel reassured knowing every possibility is planned for. Includes summary writting question and additional facts.

Answer Key

There are answers for the multiple-choice questions, written response questions have sample answers, vocabulary answers and if there is a summary question then a sample summary will be provided as well.

Lesson Plan Included

Customized lesson plan for this lesson is included.

Lesson Snapshot

• Title: Hot Air Balloons

• Genre: Nonfiction (informational text)

• Subject: Science (flight/forces)

• Primary Topic: How hot air balloons rise and early ballooning history

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

What This Lesson Teaches Best

• Explains the key science idea that warm air rises and connects it to how a hot air balloon works.

• Builds historical understanding through a short timeline (1780s France experiments; June/September/November 1783 flights; return in the late 1950s–1960).

• Introduces main balloon parts and functions (envelope, basket, propane burner, valve) and how they affect rising/sinking.

• Clarifies how balloons travel (they can’t steer like airplanes; changing height helps catch winds moving different ways).

• Shows how improved materials/design (nylon fabric and powerful propane burners) helped ballooning become a sport and celebration again.

Learning Goals

• Students will explain why warm air helps a hot air balloon rise using details from the passage.

• Students will identify the Montgolfier brothers and describe what the crowd in Annonay saw on June 4, 1783.

• Students will describe what happened at the Palace of Versailles on September 19, 1783.

• Students will describe the jobs of the envelope, propane burner, and valve in a modern balloon.

• Students will explain how a balloon can travel in different directions by changing height.

• Students will explain how Ed Yost helped ballooning return in the late 1950s and what happened in 1960.

Key Vocabulary From the Text

• experiments — tests to find out if something works.

• envelope — big fabric balloon bag that fills with heated air.

• propane — fuel used to make the burner’s flame.

• valve — opening that lets hot air out.

• redesign — change how something is made to improve it.

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