Empathy Reading Comprehension Passages — Grade 4
“I’m fine” can mean several things. These empathy reading comprehension passages give Grade 4 readers ten texts at F&P levels Q–S, with dolphins, a field trip and an empathy circle.
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About this resource
“I’m fine” can mean several things. These empathy reading comprehension passages give Grade 4 readers ten texts at F&P levels Q–S, with dolphins, a field trip and an empathy circle. The set builds Social Awareness, one of the five CASEL competencies, as fourth graders learn to listen without fixing.
What students practice
- Practicing empathy at school and at home
- Supporting a friend by listening instead of fixing
- Hearing the two sides of “I’m fine”
- Adjusting kindness to what someone needs
- Healing hurt feelings with an empathy circle
What’s inside
- 10 passages at F&P levels Q–S, in text types such as how-to guides, science pieces and student profiles
- 5 multiple-choice questions per passage
- 2 open-ended questions per passage for written answers or discussion
- Answer key covering all 50 empathy multiple-choice questions
- 34 pages, with an overview page of levels, text types and SEL focus
A look inside
- The Eye Roll That Said Everything: a bystander chooses kindness after a classmate’s eye roll.
- Meet Ravi: Listening Without Fixing: what it means to support a friend by listening.
- How Dolphins Protect the Weak: what humans can take from how pods protect weaker members.
- The Field Trip That Didn’t Go as Planned: helping a classmate quietly during a hard moment.
- The Empathy Circle: using empathy circles to rebuild understanding after conflict.
How to use these empathy reading passages
- Literacy centers or small groups at levels Q–S
- Pair reading, then write open-ended answers as advice to a friend
- SEL reading comprehension: use How to Practice Empathy Every Day to talk about ways to practice empathy
- Homework with the full 50-question answer key
Grade fit
Written for Grade 4 readers, with levels from Q to S. The reading passages with questions fit students beginning to read small social cues, like an eye roll or an “I’m fine.”
Digital version
With the interactive digital version, you share one link and students read each passage and answer the questions on any device, with no student logins. At the end they download an answer sheet to hand in.
Pairs well with
Follow the reading with Empathy Worksheets — Multiple-Choice Scenarios for multiple-choice practice or Empathy What Would You Do? Cards — Think, Choose, Act for think-choose-act discussion.
Questions teachers ask
Is there an answer key?
Yes. The 34-page PDF includes an answer key for all 50 multiple-choice questions, with an overview of each empathy passage’s level and focus.
Do students need accounts for the digital version?
No. For the empathy passages you share one link, and students open it on any device with no login.
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