Jelly Beans Reading Comprehension Passage - Cored Ed Encyclopedia

This jelly beans reading comprehension contains the following:

Visualize on the Cover

Start your lesson by taking a few moments to visualize the topic and share thoughts or feelings about it.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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Lesson Snapshot

• Title: Jelly Beans

• Genre: Nonfiction (Informational Text)

• Subject: Reading (Informational Text)

• Primary Topic: How jelly beans look, are made, and enjoyed

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

What This Lesson Teaches Best

• Explains what jelly beans are like (a chewy center with a thin candy shell and bright colors).

• Describes a step-by-step process for how the hard shell is built by adding warm sugar syrup in layers.

• Shares history clues about jelly beans (possible early story, late 1800s testing, and a 1930s Easter connection in the United States).

• Teaches how senses affect flavor (smell helps the tongue recognize what’s being eaten, and color can be misleading).

• Uses headings to organize information in an informational passage (making, history, flavors).

Learning Goals

• Identify the main idea of the passage and support it with details.

• Describe what jelly beans look like and what is inside them.

• Explain how warm sugar syrup is added in layers to build a smooth shell.

• Describe at least one clue from the text about jelly beans’ history in the United States.

• Explain how smell can change how someone guesses a jelly bean flavor.

• Use the headings to locate information about making, history, and flavors.

Key Vocabulary From the Text

• syrup — sweet, sticky liquid used to build layers.

• glaze — a coating that can make candy shiny.

• pectin — a thickener used to help candy set.

• thickeners — ingredients that help a mixture become thicker.

• invented — made for the first time; created.

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.