What is a First Responder? – Reading Comprehension 

What do you think of when you hear the word “hero”? Do you think of a brave superhero who is always ready to save the day? Or perhaps a heroic villain? Maybe even just someone who is brave and selfless enough to help others in need?

Either way, there are plenty of heroes out there—and this worksheet will help your kids learn about some of them!

This reading comprehension activity includes a leveled text that is perfect for 3rd and 4th grades,  plus easy-to-grade multiple-choice and written response questions.

The reading is about people who have risked their lives for others. The text will introduce your children to various first responders like firefighters, paramedics, and police officers.

Ways to Use This Printable First Responder Worksheet

Use this comprehension activity to build a week or more of your American Hero lesson plans. You could pair this passage with many different activities, including a hero study and a first responder project.

In addition to being an excellent resource to model positive character traits and types of community helpers, use this worksheet as a:

• Fast finisher activity
• Reading center activity
• Post-lesson exit ticket
• Homework assignment
• Whole-class review (via smartboard)

Sustainability Tips: Print on cardstock and slip the pages into dry-erase sleeves. Students can record their answers with a dry-erase marker, then erase and reuse them. You can also project the worksheet and work through it as a class, having students record their answers in their notebooks.

Before You Download

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the Google Slides version and the resource’s black-and-white PDF version.

An answer key is also included with this download.

This resource was created by Beth Hindi, a teacher in Texas and a Teach Starter collaborator.