How the Brain Learns (Nonfiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: What happens in your mind when you practice something over and over? Then have students read the passage on page 1, about 250 words in 6 short paragraphs, pencil in hand. They can underline facts as they go. Page 2 holds five questions. Ask students to support each answer with evidence from the text, and have partners swap the two written responses to give feedback. Check the work with the answer key.

How the Brain Learns gives 5th grade students a nonfiction passage of about 250 words about how the brain changes when you practice and why mistakes matter, followed by five questions. The questions practice vocabulary in context, cause and effect and how a character feels, and the sheet is aligned to Common Core RI.5.1. An answer key is included.

How the Brain Learns is a nonfiction passage of about 250 words about how the brain changes when you practice and why mistakes matter. It is written for 5th grade readers (ages 10-11) and has 6 short paragraphs, so students can read it in one sitting.

Its five questions, three multiple choice and two written, practice the author's purpose, vocabulary in context, how a character feels and cause and effect. Questions include "In the tall-grass analogy, what does the clear path stand for". The sheet is aligned to Common Core RI.5.1, and the answer key is included so you can check responses quickly.

Try this conversation starter: What happens in your mind when you practice something over and over? Before reading, preview the title and ask students what they already know. After reading, have them restate the topic in one sentence before they answer the questions.

Most students need about 20 to 25 minutes for the passage and the questions together. The sheet works at a kitchen table with a parent talking through the written answers, or at a reading center as independent work on vocabulary in context and cause and effect.