Building the Panama Canal : Reading Comprehension Passage and Assessment

This is an informational passage and assessment on the building of the Panama Canal, a monumental engineering feat of the early 20th century. The text focuses on the role of George Goethals, a US Army General and civil engineer who is best known for his administration and supervision of the construction and the opening of the Panama Canal. The text is suitable for Grades 4-8 and can be used in a number of ways by teachers (close reading, direct instruction in class, independent practice, homework, test prep, assessment, centers, etc).

Please see the Preview for part of the text and all the assessment questions.

This “printable/no prep” resource includes:

1) An informative and engaging 720-word historical passage called "The Impossible: Building the Panama Canal.” Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level = 5.9

2) A set of 29 questions, including vocabulary, comprehension, and short- answer work, written to align with these Common Core Informational Text Standards: RI.4.1, RI.4.7, and L.4.5.C

3) An additional crossword puzzle for early finishers or as an alternative form of assessment.

4) Answers to every question.

This item is a digital download from my TpT store. This item is bound by copyright laws and the redistributing, editing, selling, or posting this item (or any part thereof) on the Internet are all strictly prohibited without first gaining permission from the author. Violations are subject to the penalties of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Any claims of correlation or alignment to the Common Core State Standards are solely those of Mark Aaron and have not been evaluated or endorsed by the NGA. Mark Aaron is the sole creator of this product and does not claim endorsement or association with the creators of the CCSS.