Success TutoringWorksheets
Comprehension Exercise8th GradeLevel 2 · Standard

Free 8th Grade Why Your Brain Needs Sleep to Learn — Reading Comprehension

An original information article explaining how sleep helps the brain store memories, why teenagers' body clocks shift later, and what happens when we do not get enough rest. Students locate key information, interpret subheadings and vocabulary, make inferences, analyze the writer's techniques for engaging a teenage audience, and evaluate the article's advice in an extended response.

Instant download · No sign-up · Free for personal, classroom and homeschool use

Grade
8th Grade
Subject
English
Topic
Reading Comprehension
Difficulty
Level 2 · Standard
Estimated time
30 minutes
Curriculum
Texas grade levels (TEKS)
Questions
17
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practice

  • locating and summarizing key information in an information article
  • using subheadings to understand text structure
  • working out word meanings from context
  • inferring the writer's purpose and audience
  • evaluating advice in a non-fiction text with evidence

Curriculum: Texas grade levels (TEKS). We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: Why Your Brain Needs Sleep to Learn — Reading Comprehension

  1. 1The 1900 Galveston Hurricane — Reading Comprehension
  2. 2Volunteers Keep the Doors Open — Newspaper Report Comprehension
  3. 3Active and Passive Voice
  4. 4Relative Clauses: Essential and Non-Essential Information
Harder: Level 3 · Challenge →

How to use this comprehension exercise

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this comprehension exercise for?

8th Grade students (typically ages 13–14) working on reading comprehension. It is pitched at level 2 · standard; a harder version is linked above.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 30 minutes for 17 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Try The 1900 Galveston Hurricane — Reading Comprehension.

Preview

Success TutoringWorksheets8th Grade · English · Reading Comprehension

Why Your Brain Needs Sleep to Learn — Reading Comprehension

Name

Date

Score /

Skim the subheadings first to get an overview, then read the whole article carefully before answering.

Part A: Finding information

1.Roughly how long does each sleep cycle last?[1 mark] (answer space)
2.Name the three kinds of sleep that make up each cycle.[1 mark] (answer space)
3.According to the article, how much sleep do experts generally recommend for teenagers?[1 mark]
  1. Asix to seven hours
  2. Baround eight to ten hours
  3. Cat least twelve hours
  4. Das much as they like
4.What does melatonin do?[1 mark] (answer space)
5.List three habits the article suggests for better sleep.[1 mark] (answer space)
6.The article says the brain stops working while we sleep. ☐ True   ☐ False
7.The article says the teenage body clock naturally shifts later. ☐ True   ☐ False

Part B: Understanding and inferring

Use evidence from the article to support your answers.

8.Why does the writer say that staying up all night to cram is "a poor strategy"?[2 marks] (answer space)
9.Explain what the writer means by a "sleep debt".[2 marks] (answer space)
10.Why do you think the subheading "Filing the day away" was chosen? What comparison does it make?[2 marks] (answer space)
11.In the sentence "you rob your brain of the time it needs", the word rob suggests that:[1 mark]
  1. Athe brain is a criminal
  2. Blosing sleep unfairly takes away something valuable
  3. Cstudying is against the rules
  4. Dsleep can be bought
12.The word vivid in "when most vivid dreaming happens" is closest in meaning to:[1 mark]
  1. Aboring
  2. Bclear and lifelike
  3. Cshort
  4. Dfrightening
Free worksheets at worksheets.successtutoring.com · © Success Tutoring · Free for personal and classroom use

Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

More 8th Grade reading comprehension resources

  • Comprehension Exercise

    The Shortcut — Reading Comprehension

    Two friends argue over a dangerous shortcut through a stormwater drain as a summer storm breaks. Students examine how tension is built…

    Difficulty
    Level 3 · Challenge
    Time
    30 min
    Questions
    14 questions
    Answers
    Answers included
  • Comprehension Exercise

    The 1900 Galveston Hurricane — Reading Comprehension

    A history text about the hurricane that struck Galveston on September 8, 1900, the deadliest natural disaster in United States history,…

    Difficulty
    Level 3 · Challenge
    Time
    40 min
    Questions
    16 questions
    Answers
    Answers included
  • Comprehension Exercise

    Volunteers Keep the Doors Open — Newspaper Report Comprehension

    A newspaper-style report about a small country town whose residents volunteer to keep their library open after council funding is cut.…

    Difficulty
    Level 2 · Standard
    Time
    30 min
    Questions
    14 questions
    Answers
    Answers included

Reading Comprehension in other year levels

Was this resource helpful?

About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.