Monarch Butterflies Reading Comprehension for 3rd Grade

About this worksheet

Monarch butterflies in five short paragraphs: the egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult stages, why caterpillars eat only milkweed, the long flight south to Mexico each fall, and the surprising fact that a monarch tastes with its feet. A picture strip across the top shows the four stages in order.

Two multiple choice questions come first, then three written ones. Question three asks for all four stages, and the passage lists them with first, next, then and finally, so it rewards a child who spots the signal words. Question four is the harder one, since the answer takes two steps: milkweed has a poison, and the poison makes the butterfly taste bad.

What students will practice

• Put the four stages of a life cycle in order
• Explain why milkweed protects monarchs from birds
• Use key details from nonfiction to answer questions

Details

Grade level

Grade 3

Subject

Reading · Comprehension

Standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.3

Pages

1

Format

PDF · US Letter and A4 included

License

Free for classroom use · Attribution appreciated

Last updated

September 17, 2026