The Shortest Day Reading Passage

Read the passage the week of December 21. Children answer on the lines and go back to the text to find each answer.

Two pages. Page 1 is a passage with a tilt diagram on why the shortest day comes in late December, where the sun's direct rays shine, the opposite season in the south, and customs at Stonehenge, on Yalda Night in Iran and for the Dongzhi Festival in China. Page 2 has 6 questions with lines. Answer key included.

Yes. We made it for 4th Grade holiday activities, and it works the same at home or at school. Families print it for one child and keep it where they will use it every day. Teachers print a copy per student or one for the whole room, whichever the day needs.

2 printable resources, all free to preview. There are 30 Winter Solstice resources in all, from Preschool to 5th Grade, gathered on our Winter Solstice activities page. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

These are written for 4th Grade students, roughly ages 9-10. Many teachers also use them a grade up for review or a grade down as an extension, so use the preview to judge the fit for a particular child.

Yes. Nothing here assumes a classroom of 25, so they work the same one-to-one at the kitchen table as they do in a 4th Grade classroom, a learning center, or a tutoring session.