The Great Barrier Reef
An information text about the world’s largest coral reef system, with eight questions on facts, word meanings and how a reef grows.
Read the passage
A giant reef
Off the coast of Queensland lies the Great Barrier Reef, the biggest coral reef system on Earth. It stretches for about 2,300 kilometres, and it is so large that it can be seen from space. It is also very important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They have cared for their Sea Country for many thousands of years.
Not one reef
The Great Barrier Reef is not a single reef. It is made up of more than 2,900 separate reefs and about 900 islands.
Built by tiny animals
Coral reefs are built by tiny animals called coral polyps. Each polyp is soft-bodied and only a few millimetres wide, but it makes a hard skeleton of limestone around itself. When polyps die, their skeletons stay behind, and new polyps grow on top. Over thousands of years, this builds a reef.
A home for sea life
The reef is home to an amazing variety of life, including about 1,500 kinds of fish, more than 400 kinds of coral, turtles, sharks and dolphins. On some warm nights each year, corals across the reef release millions of tiny eggs and sperm into the water at the same time. This event is called mass coral spawning. Because it is so special, it became a World Heritage Area in 1981.
Danger and care
Warm seas can make corals bleach, which means they lose their colour and may die. Scientists, rangers and tourism operators work together to protect the reef. For example, they control the numbers of coral-eating starfish and limit where boats can go. Scientists also use satellites and underwater cameras to check on the health of the corals.
Answer the questions
- Off the coast of which state does the Great Barrier Reef lie? (1 mark)
- About how long is the Great Barrier Reef? (1 mark)
- The text says warm seas can make corals “bleach”. What does “bleach” mean here? Use the rest of the sentence to help you. (2 marks)
- How do tiny coral polyps build a reef? Use the text to explain. (2 marks)
- The writer says, “The Great Barrier Reef is not a single reef.” Why do you think the writer made this point? (2 marks)
- Why do you think warm seas are a danger to corals? (2 marks)
- Number these steps 1 to 4 to show how a reef grows. (2 marks)• New polyps grow on top of the old skeletons.• A polyp makes a hard skeleton around itself.• Over thousands of years, a reef forms.• The polyp dies and its skeleton stays behind.
- Write two sentences that sum up the most important ideas in the text. (2 marks)
Answer key for parents and teachers
1. Queensland. (1 mark)
Finding information. A fact to find in the first section.
2. About 2,300 kilometres. (1 mark)
Finding information. Finding a number that is stated near the start of the text.
3. To lose colour (the corals turn pale and may die). (2 marks)
Word meaning. The meaning is explained in the same sentence, so the child uses the clue.
4. Each polyp makes a hard limestone skeleton. When polyps die, the skeletons stay and new polyps grow on top, and over thousands of years this builds a reef. (2 marks)
Explaining from the text. Explaining a process in the child’s own words from a whole paragraph.
5. To show that the Reef is much bigger and more complicated than people might think, because it is made of thousands of reefs and islands. (2 marks)
Inference. Thinking about why a writer chose to include a fact.
6. The text says warm seas make corals bleach and may kill them, so very warm water harms the reef. (2 marks)
Inference. Using a cause stated in the text to explain a risk.
7. 1. A polyp makes a hard skeleton around itself. 2. The polyp dies and its skeleton stays behind. 3. New polyps grow on top of the old skeletons. 4. Over thousands of years, a reef forms. (2 marks)
Sequencing events. Putting a process in order shows the child understood how the pieces fit.
8. One point for what the Reef is (a huge reef system made of thousands of reefs, built by tiny animals); one for another main idea (it is home to lots of sea life and needs protecting from dangers such as warm seas). (2 marks)
Summarising. A good summary keeps the main ideas and leaves out small details.
What this practises
Finding information, Word meaning, Explaining from the text, Inference, Sequencing events, Summarising. This sheet links to Comprehension Strategies (AC9E4LY05). Schools and states deliver the Australian Curriculum (version 9) in different ways, so check what your child's school uses. Marks and answers are a guide: accept any sensible answer that is backed up by the text.
Now try the writing task
Imagine you are diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Write about what you see.
Aim for eight to twelve sentences. Read it back aloud together and fix anything that does not sound right.
Want feedback on your child's own writing?
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More Year 4 worksheets
Free to print and copy for your own family or classroom. Please do not sell or republish. The passage and questions were written for LiteracyLab AI.