Grade 8 Reading Comprehension Worksheets

About This Worksheet Collection

The Grade 8 Reading Comprehension collection equips middle school learners with advanced reading, analysis, and writing skills across literary, informational, and argumentative texts. Each worksheet engages students in interpreting complex themes, analyzing structure and tone, and supporting ideas with evidence. The materials challenge readers to think critically about moral choices, media influence, and social issues while strengthening comprehension of figurative language, argumentation, and author perspective.

Through a balanced mix of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, students explore character motivations, bias in information, and global perspectives on creativity, justice, and technology. Tasks include writing summaries, identifying cause and effect, comparing viewpoints, and crafting analytical responses. These lessons encourage thoughtful reading, empathy, and responsible expression, preparing learners for high school-level textual analysis and evidence-based communication.

Detailed Descriptions Of These Worksheets

Social Media Balance
Students read an informational passage on social media's influence on teens and identify its main idea with three supporting details. The task develops concise summarization and balanced reasoning about technology's impact. It reinforces comprehension, evidence-based writing, and critical thinking.

Curtain Clues
In a short narrative about Maya's drama audition, learners infer her true emotions and motivations using textual evidence. This activity deepens understanding of subtext and tone, helping students interpret character psychology and implicit meaning in fiction.

Skate Park Perspectives
Students read two passages-one from a parent's view, one from a teen's-about a skate park. They compare tone, bias, and focus to see how language shapes opinion. The exercise builds analytical reading, bias recognition, and perspective evaluation.

Healthy Debate
Learners analyze an editorial about banning junk food in schools. They identify claims, supporting evidence, and counterarguments, then summarize the author's stance. This worksheet builds comprehension of argument structure and prepares students for persuasive reading and writing.

Friendship Threads
In this story of misunderstanding and reconciliation, students identify the theme and cite two pieces of supporting evidence. They reflect on honesty, communication, and empathy, developing analytical and moral reasoning through text-based responses.

Library Lock-In
Students analyze the suspenseful story of three teens trapped overnight in a library by labeling events under exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. This reinforces comprehension of plot structure and cause-and-effect sequencing.

Trophy Trouble
Learners examine a moral dilemma involving honesty after a broken trophy incident. They explore character motivation, internal conflict, and prediction through reflective questioning. The activity builds inference, ethical reasoning, and comprehension of character development.

Thunder Clues
Students read a storm passage and highlight words and phrases that reveal tone and mood. They complete a chart analyzing descriptive language and sensory imagery. This worksheet strengthens emotional interpretation and appreciation of figurative language.

Plugged Perspectives
Through a nonfiction passage about electric vehicles, students distinguish between facts and opinions. They use color coding to identify bias and evaluate reliability. The activity builds media literacy, critical reasoning, and evidence-based discussion.

Procrastination Spiral
Learners analyze a short story about delayed responsibility, completing a cause-and-effect chain that links decisions to consequences. The worksheet promotes logical sequencing, personal reflection, and comprehension of how narrative structure reflects real-life behavior.

Legacy of Maya
Students summarize a biographical passage about Maya Angelou, capturing her life, achievements, and influence in 3-5 sentences. The activity enhances summarizing, synthesis, and writing clarity while reinforcing cultural and historical awareness.

Clocked Lives
In this dystopian story, students write a 6-8 sentence analytical response explaining the author's warning about technology and freedom. They use textual evidence to support claims, practicing literary argumentation and text-to-world analysis.