Why Leaves Change Color: Grade 2 Reading Passage

About this worksheet

A second grade science passage that explains chlorophyll, why leaves turn yellow, orange and red in the fall, and why pine trees stay green. A free printable 2nd grade nonfiction passage (96 words) with multiple-choice what questions, true-or-false sentences, fill-in-the-blanks with a word bank and a short written answer. Answer key on page 2. Second graders usually finish it in 10 to 15 minutes, reading the text twice before the questions.

On this sheet

In summer, most tree leaves are green. They get their green color from chlorophyll. Chlorophyll helps leaves use sunlight to make food for the tree. In the fall, the days get shorter and cooler. Many trees stop making chlorophyll. As the green fades, yellow and orange colors that were hidden in the leaves start to show. Some trees, like red maples, also make bright red colors. Soon the leaves dry up and drop to the ground. In spring, new green leaves grow. Not every tree loses its leaves, though.

Tips for using it

• Before reading, look at the picture and the title together and guess what the passage will be about.
• Ask your child to underline the sentence in the passage that proves each answer.
• Talk about the story afterwards: what was the problem, how was it solved, and what would your child have done?

Printing tips

Download the PDF and print at 100% (or “fit to page” on A4). Page 1 is the worksheet and page 2 is the answer key with the answers in red; print just page 1 if you want to keep the answers for checking. The PNG shows page 1 only. Free for personal, family and classroom use.