Why Do Leaves Change Color?
A short science text about fall leaves, with eight questions that practice finding answers directly in the text.
Read the passage
Green leaves
In spring and summer, most leaves are green. They are green because they contain a pigment called chlorophyll. A pigment is something that gives color. Chlorophyll helps a leaf turn sunlight into food for the tree.
Changes in fall
In the fall, the days get shorter and the nights get cooler. The tree makes less chlorophyll. Soon the green color fades away.
Hidden colors
Other colors were in the leaf all along! Yellow and orange pigments are called carotenoids. They are the same pigments that make carrots orange. We cannot see them in summer because the green is so strong. When the green fades, the yellow and orange show through.
Red leaves
Some leaves turn red or purple. These colors come from pigments called anthocyanins. A tree makes more of them in the fall, especially when the days are sunny and the nights are cool.
Falling leaves
Before a leaf falls, the tree seals the spot where its stem was attached. This keeps the tree safe through the cold winter. At last, the leaves dry up and fall to the ground. In spring, the tree grows new green leaves, and the cycle begins again.
Answer the questions
- What gives most leaves their green color? (1 point)
- What does chlorophyll help a leaf do? (1 point)
- According to the text, what is a pigment? (1 point)
- Name two things that happen in the fall that change the color of leaves. (2 points)
- Why can’t we see the yellow and orange colors in summer? Use the text to explain. (2 points)
- Which pigments make some leaves turn red or purple? (1 point)
- The text says carotenoids are in some leaves. What is one other thing that has the same pigments? (1 point)
- Write one sentence that tells the main idea of the whole text. (2 points)
Answer key for parents and teachers
1. A pigment called chlorophyll. (1 point)
Finding information (RI.3.1). A key term to find in the first section.
2. Turn sunlight into food for the tree. (1 point)
Finding information (RI.3.1). Finding the job of the pigment, stated directly in the text.
3. Something that gives color. (1 point)
Word meaning (RI.3.4). The text defines the word, so the child practices finding a definition in the passage.
4. Any two of: the days get shorter; the nights get cooler; the tree makes less chlorophyll. (2 points)
Finding information (RI.3.1). Collecting two facts from one short section.
5. The green color is so strong that it hides them. When the green fades, the yellow and orange show through. (2 points)
Explaining from the text. A cause-and-effect answer that must be built from two sentences in the text.
6. Anthocyanins. (1 point)
Finding information (RI.3.1). Finding a specific word in the “Red leaves” section.
7. Carrots. (1 point)
Finding information (RI.3.1). A detail tucked inside a sentence, which children must read closely to find.
8. One point for saying leaves change color in the fall, and one for a reason: the tree makes less chlorophyll so hidden yellow and orange colors show, and some leaves make red pigments. (2 points)
Summarizing (RI.3.2). Summing up a whole text in one sentence is a key reading skill.
What this practices
Finding information (RI.3.1), Word meaning (RI.3.4), Explaining from the text, Summarizing (RI.3.2). The codes in brackets are Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (reading). Standards vary by state, so check what your child's school uses. Points and answers are a guide: accept any sensible answer that is backed up by the text.
Now try the writing task
Think of a tree you know. Write five sentences about how it looks in each season.
Aim for five to eight sentences. Read it back aloud together and fix anything that does not sound right.
Want feedback on your child's own writing?
You mark the worksheet yourself with the answer key. LiteracyLab AI is different: it reads what your child has written and gives specific feedback, such as what worked, one thing to try next, and a corrected version, matched to their grade. The Free plan includes 3 pieces a month and needs no card.
More Grade 3 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.