How Vaccines Work (Nonfiction Passage)

Start with a minute of talk: How does your body learn to fight germs it has not met before? Then have students read the passage on page 1, about 260 words in 6 short paragraphs, pencil in hand. They can underline facts as they go. Then students move to page 2 for three multiple choice items and two written responses, citing evidence for each answer in their own words. Check the work with the answer key.

How Vaccines Work gives 5th grade students a nonfiction passage of about 260 words about how vaccines teach the immune system to defend the body, followed by five questions. The questions practice vocabulary in context, cause and effect and figurative language, and the sheet is aligned to Common Core RI.5.1. An answer key is included.

How Vaccines Work is a nonfiction passage of about 260 words about how vaccines teach the immune system to defend the body. 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 figurative language, the order of events, vocabulary in context and cause and effect. Questions include "Which is the correct sequence after a vaccine enters the body" and "Why can a vaccine not make you sick". 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: How does your body learn to fight germs it has not met before? Have students look at the title and predict three facts they might learn. Afterward, ask which prediction was closest.

Expect about 20 to 25 minutes from first read to last answer. It suits homework, a sub plan or small group reading time, and the answer key makes it quick to check vocabulary in context and cause and effect.