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Self-Correct as You Read is a free printable Grade 4 English worksheet on going back over an information text to fix understanding, aligned to Common Core standard RF.4.4. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 15 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Self-Correct as You Read

RF.4.4

NameDate

Read the text, then answer the questions.

1.Read the text, then answer the questions.

What a Coral Reef Is

A coral reef looks like rock and is built by animals. A coral polyp is a soft creature the size of a pinhead. It draws calcium from the sea water and builds a hard cup around itself. Millions of polyps, cup upon cup, become a reef. Inside each polyp live tiny algae. The algae make food from sunlight and pass most of it to the polyp. In exchange they get shelter and the polyp's waste. Neither could build a reef alone. When the water gets too warm, the polyps expel the algae. Without them the coral turns white and starves. That is what bleaching means. A reef takes centuries to build and can bleach in a single hot summer.

  1. 1. What does "bleaching" mean in this text?
  2. 2. How big is a coral polyp?
  3. 3. What does "expel" mean here?
  4. 4. What does the polyp draw from the sea water?
2.Read the text, then answer the questions.

The Wolves and the Rivers

Wolves were shot out of Yellowstone by 1926. Fourteen were brought back in 1995. With no wolves, elk had grazed the valleys freely for seventy years. Young willow and aspen were eaten as soon as they grew. The wolves killed some elk. More importantly, they changed where elk would stand still. Open valley floors became dangerous, so the elk stopped lingering there. Willow and aspen grew back along the rivers. Beavers, which need willow, returned. Their dams made ponds. Roots held the banks. The rivers narrowed, deepened and moved less. Some researchers describe this as wolves changing the shape of rivers, though others argue the effect has been overstated.

  1. 1. What does "grazed" mean?
  2. 2. How many wolves were brought back?
  3. 3. Which trees grew back along the rivers?
  4. 4. What does "overstated" mean here?

LessonPrint · RF.4.4 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Self-Correct as You Read

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Coral turning white and starving after losing its algae. 2. The size of a pinhead. 3. Push out — the polyps force the algae out. 4. Calcium.
  2. 2.1. Grazed means fed on growing plants — the elk grazed the valleys for seventy years. 2. Fourteen. 3. Willow and aspen. 4. Overstated means claimed to be bigger than it really was — some researchers say the wolves' effect has been.

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to RF.4.4 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.