Why Do Helmets Protect Your Head — Reading Comprehension
Premium Resource
Grades
- 3
- 4
- 5
Standards
- NGSS 4-PS3-3
PRINT+DIGITAL RESOURCE
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.
About This Reader
This 250-word reading passage explores how helmets protect your head during collisions, aligned with NGSS 4-PS3-3 and physical science standards for grade 4. Students discover how kinetic energy must be absorbed when your head hits something, and how helmets manage this energy transfer through smart design. The passage explains that without a helmet, your skull absorbs all the energy in a sudden impact, but helmets spread force over a larger area and use foam lining that crushes slowly during impact. This extends the collision time, reducing the force your head feels. The content connects to Disciplinary Core Ideas PS3.A (energy and motion), PS3.B (energy transfer), and PS3.C (energy in collisions). Audio-integrated features support diverse learners. Activities include comprehension questions testing recall and application, writing prompts requiring students to explain concepts and make real-world connections, and graphic organizers helping students analyze cause-effect relationships and structure-function connections. The passage uses age-appropriate language, concrete analogies, and familiar examples to build foundational understanding of energy transfer during collisions and how engineering design can manage energy absorption for safety.
Perfect For:
👩🏫 Teachers
- • Reading comprehension practice
- • Auto-graded assessments
- • Literacy skill development
👨👩👧👦 Parents
- • Reading practice at home
- • Comprehension improvement
- • Educational reading time
🏠 Homeschoolers
- • Reading curriculum support
- • Independent reading practice
- • Progress monitoring
Reading Features:
📖
Reading Passage
Engaging fiction or nonfiction text
❓
Comprehension Quiz
Auto-graded questions
📊
Instant Feedback
Immediate results and scoring
📄
Printable Version
Download for offline reading
🔊
Read Aloud
Voice-over with word highlighting
