Reading Comprehension Passage and Assessment: Tower of London Ghosts

Item description

Ghosts have fascinated humans for centuries, with some places said to be more haunted and likely to have ghosts inhabiting them than others. One of the most famous spots for ghost sightings is the eerie and ancient Tower of London, a thousand year old fortress in the center of London. This article examines the history of the Tower of London and the story of many famous ghosts who have appeared to numerous sentries and civilians living and working in the tower. This reading and assessment can be used in Grades 4-7 depending on your students’ ability levels and in a number of ways by teachers (close reading, teacher-directed study in class, independent practice, homework, test prep, sub work, etc).

This is a high-interest article designed for use with reluctant readers or in the regular classroom! Please download the Preview to see part of the text and ALL the questions included in the printable.This passage and assessment is ideal as part of a close reading program in your classroom based around mastery of the Common Core! What does that mean to you as a classroom teacher? It means that this is not the typical “one reading I’m done” comprehension work often given before the Common Core Standards were created. To complete the assessment for the passage, students will need “to undertake the close, attentive reading and re-reading that is at the heart of understanding and enjoying complex and worthy works.”
The printable includes:
1) An engaging, high-interest informational text of 950 words called “The Tower of London Ghosts.” Flesch Kincaid Reading Level = 6.0
2) A set of 28 questions, from simple to more challenging, written to align with these Common Core Informational Text Standards:
RI.4.1. Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
RI.4.3. Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
RI.4.5. Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text.
RH.6-8.8. Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
3) An additional crossword puzzle for your early finishers or to use as another form of assessment.
4) Answers to every question.