This learning resource is available in interactive and printable formats. The interactive worksheet can be played online and assigned to students. The Printable PDF version can be downloaded and printed for completion by hand.
This audio-integrated reading passage teaches fourth grade students about the respiratory system and how the lungs function. Aligned with NGSS 4-LS1-1 and the Disciplinary Core Idea LS1.A: Structure and Function, the passage explains how lungs are spongy organs that bring oxygen into the body and remove carbon dioxide waste. Students learn the path air travels from the nose or mouth, through the windpipe, and into the lungs where oxygen enters the bloodstream. The passage also introduces the diaphragm, a muscle that helps control breathing through its up and down movement. Written at a Grade 4 reading level, this passage uses simple language and relatable examples to build foundational understanding of internal body structures and their functions. The audio-integrated format supports diverse learners, including English language learners and students who benefit from multimodal instruction. Accompanying activities include comprehension questions, writing prompts, and graphic organizers that reinforce key vocabulary such as lungs, oxygen, carbon dioxide, windpipe, and diaphragm while helping students visualize the breathing process.
CONTENT PREVIEW
Expand content preview
Your lungs are two spongy organs inside your chest that help you breathe. Lungs are important because they bring oxygen into your body. Oxygen is a gas in the air that your body needs to stay alive and work properly.
When you breathe in, air enters through your nose or mouth. The air travels down a tube called the windpipe and into your lungs. Inside your lungs, oxygen from the air passes into your blood. Your blood then carries the oxygen to all parts of your body. This is like how a delivery truck brings packages to different houses in your neighborhood.
When you breathe out, your lungs push out carbon dioxide, which is a waste gas your body does not need. Carbon dioxide is made when your body uses oxygen. Getting rid of carbon dioxide keeps your body healthy.
Under your lungs is a special muscle called the diaphragm. The diaphragm moves up and down to help you breathe. When it moves down, your lungs fill with air. When it moves up, air is pushed out of your lungs. You breathe in and out about 20 times every minute without even thinking about it!
Interesting Fact: Your lungs contain about 1,500 miles of airways! If you stretched out all the tiny tubes inside your lungs, they would be long enough to reach from New York to Kansas.
What are the lungs?
Two spongy organs in your chestTubes that carry airMuscles that help you breatheGases in the air
What does oxygen do for your body?
It is a waste gasIt helps you stay aliveIt moves up and downIt carries blood
Where does air go after your mouth?
Straight to your bloodDown the windpipe to your lungsTo your diaphragmOut of your body
Why does your body need lungs?
To bring in oxygen and remove wasteTo pump bloodTo digest foodTo think and remember
What happens when the diaphragm moves down?
Air is pushed outYour lungs fill with airCarbon dioxide enters your bodyYour heart beats faster
How is blood carrying oxygen like delivery?
It takes oxygen to body partsIt removes waste from lungsIt fills the lungs with airIt moves the diaphragm
The diaphragm is a type of muscle.
TrueFalse
What is carbon dioxide?
A gas your body needsA waste gas your body removesA muscle under your lungsA tube that carries air
Perfect For:
๐ฉโ๐ซ Teachers
โข Reading comprehension practice
โข Auto-graded assessments
โข Literacy skill development
๐จโ๐ฉโ๐งโ๐ฆ Parents
โข Reading practice at home
โข Comprehension improvement
โข Educational reading time
๐ Homeschoolers
โข Reading curriculum support
โข Independent reading practice
โข Progress monitoring
Reading Features:
๐
Reading Passage
Engaging fiction or nonfiction text
โ
Comprehension Quiz
Auto-graded questions
๐
Instant Feedback
Immediate results and scoring
๐
Printable Version
Download for offline reading
๐
Read Aloud
Voice-over with word highlighting
Reviews & Ratings
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience!
Related Content
What Are Bones Made Of
This engaging 250-word reading passage introduces Grade 4 students to the structure and function of bones, aligned with ...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Bones Protect Organs
This engaging 250-word reading passage helps Grade 4 students understand how bones protect organs, aligned with NGSS sta...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Joints Connect Bones
This 250-word reading passage teaches fourth-grade students about joints and their role in the human skeletal system. Al...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
Layers of the Skin
This engaging 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to the three layers of skin and their functions....
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
Parts of Plant Stems
This engaging 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to the internal structure and function of plant ...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
Parts of a Flower
This comprehensive 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to the essential parts of a flower and thei...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Leaves Make Food
This engaging Grade 4 science reading passage explains how leaves make food through photosynthesis. Students discover th...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Animal Hearts Work
This 250-word audio-integrated reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to the essential function of the heart a...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
Animal Skeleton Structure
This 250-word reading passage introduces fourth grade students to animal skeleton structure, aligned with NGSS 4-LS1-1 a...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Animal Lungs Work
This 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to how animal lungs work, aligned with NGSS standard 4-LS...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
Parts of a Leaf
This 250-word reading passage introduces Grade 4 students to the internal structure of leaves, aligned with NGSS standar...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
Stamen and Pistil
This 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to the stamen and pistil, the key reproductive structures...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Internal Structures Help Plants Survive
This 250-word informational reading passage is designed for Grade 4 students and aligns with NGSS standard 4-LS1-1 (LS1....
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Stems Support Plants
This engaging 250-word reading passage helps Grade 4 students understand how stems support plants and contribute to thei...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Plants Reproduce
This 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to plant reproduction aligned with NGSS 4-LS1-1 and the D...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How External Structures Help Plants Survive
This 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to how external plant structures help plants survive, gro...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Internal Structures Keep Animals Alive
This engaging 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to the essential internal structures that keep a...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
Animal External Structures
This engaging 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to the concept of animal external structures ali...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
What Are Exoskeletons
This engaging 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to the concept of exoskeletons, aligning with NG...
NGSS 4-LS1-1LS1.A
How Skin Protects Animals
This engaging 250-word reading passage introduces fourth-grade students to the protective functions of skin, the largest...