Those winter months can be long and cold, so I look for any opportunity to mix things up in my classroom. Celebrating holidays can often add a little extra and engage students in reading. Presidents’ Day provides a great opportunity to teach some history, while also changing up the daily routine just enough to get a little extra engagement from students. This post shares free Presidents’ Day reading activities for grades 4-5.
About the Free Presidents’ Day Reading Activities
This free reading resource for grades 4-5 includes 3 nonfiction Presidents’ Day-related passages and activities for each – comprehension questions, context clues, and additional skill activities. Students can still focus on reading instruction while learning about the holiday and presidential history.
Here is a quick overview of the passages and the related activities they come with:
Passage 1 – What is Presidents’ Day?
This text is all about the celebration of Presidents’ Day. The text informs the reader about the origin of Presidents’ Day, why and how it is celebrated, and how it evolved over time.
After reading the text, students can respond to what they read by completing any or all of the included activities:
- Comprehension questions – students will answer short comprehension questions related to the text
- Context clues – students will determine the definitions of given words using context clues from the passage
- True or False – students will cut and paste statements into columns to identify if each statement is either true or false
Passage 2 – Washington and Lincoln
This passage is focused on two past presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Students can read about the lives of both former presidents and learn about their legacies.
This Presidents’ Day text includes these activities:
- Comprehension questions – students will answer short comprehension questions related to the text
- Context clues – students will determine the definitions of given words using context clues from the passage
- Text structure – students will identify the text structure used by the author then provide text evidence to support their answer
- Compare and Contrast – students will compare and contrast the similarities and differences of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. There are 3 versions of this activity for you and your students to choose from
- Essay – students will write an essay to compare and contrast
- Venn Diagram – students will use a Venn Diagram to organize the similarities and differences of the two presidents
- Cut and Paste – students will cut and paste given statements to compare and contrast Washington and Lincoln
Passage 3 – All About Air Force One
This reading is all about Air Force One. This passage covers what Air Force One is, its history, and several interesting facts.
This fascinating Presidents’ Day text includes these activities:
- Comprehension questions – students will answer questions related to the reading
- Context clues – students will determine the definitions of given words using context clues from the passage
- Main idea – students will summarize the main idea of each paragraph and the entire passage
- Evaluating summaries – students will analyze given summaries of the text and identify errors in each summary
About the Digital Presidents’ Day Activities
You can assign this free set of passages and activities digitally as they are also available via Google Slides. You have the option to assign them to students individually or use them as a whole group reading activity. Each activity can be completed digitally by using the provided text boxes on each slide (or moveable pieces).
If you need help getting started assigning activities with Google Slides, click here!
Ways to Use the Activity
This set has a variety of activities for your students to meet the needs of all types of learners. You can provide your students with the opportunity to choose their reading and/or activity, or you can offer some extra challenge by having them complete multiple readings/activities.
Below are some examples of ways these passages and activities can be used in your classroom:
- small group reading instruction
- reading centers or literacy station
- independent reading practice
- reading homework
- early finisher activities
Get the FREE Presidents’ Day Reading Here
To get these free Presidents’ Day Reading activities, simply click here or on the image below. In the download, you will find a PDF containing the printable version. Digital access links are on pages 4 and 5 of the PDF.
Want More Holiday & Seasonal Reading Comprehension Activities?
If you love the variety of topics and skills included in this free set, you will love this bundle that includes all of the major holidays and seasons.
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