Lighthouses Reading Comprehension Passage - Cored Ed Encyclopedia

This lighthouses reading comprehension contains the following:

Visualize on the Cover (Teacher Read Aloud Script)

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. Includes summary writting question.

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: Lighthouses

• Genre: Nonfiction (informational text)

• Subject: Science & Technology / Social Studies (navigation and safety)

• Primary Topic: Lighthouse signals, fog warnings, and why lighthouses matter

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

What This Lesson Teaches Best

• What lighthouses do for ships: help pilots find safe water, avoid reefs and shoals, and line up with a harbor entrance.

• How lighthouse lights communicate: a strong beam can sweep as the lamp and lens rotate, and timed flashes form patterns that identify a lighthouse.

• Why special tools are needed in fog: thick fog can hide light, so lighthouses use other signals like foghorns and sometimes radio or radar signals.

• How lighthouses connect to history and change: the Lighthouse of Alexandria (built around 280 BCE) became ruins after earthquakes, and many modern lights are now automatic and may use LEDs.

Learning Goals

• Students will explain the main job of a lighthouse using details from the passage.

• Students will describe how a lighthouse lens helps shape and send light into a strong beam.

• Students will explain how blinking patterns help sailors know which lighthouse they are seeing.

• Students will identify at least two signals lighthouses can use when fog makes the light hard to see.

• Students will summarize one way lighthouses have changed from the past to today (keepers, automation, LEDs, navigation).

Key Vocabulary From the Text

• sandbar — a shallow pile of sand near/under water.

• shoals — shallow water areas that can be dangerous.

• beam — a strong line of light shining outward.

• rotate — to turn around in a circle.

• daymark — bold paint patterns that help in daylight.

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.