What Does Local Government Do Reading Comprehension

2nd Grade Social StudiesLocal Government5 pages

About this worksheet

Students read a short passage that compares a town to a giant team, then answer ten questions across four parts. The text covers the mayor, the city council meeting at City Hall, and how taxes pay for parks, libraries, schools, police officers, and firefighters. Questions move from multiple choice to finding a proof sentence, a vocabulary item on the word "shares," and a broken-slide scenario where students plan a fix. This five-page 2nd grade reading sits under C3 Framework indicator D2.Civ.5.K-2, and the answer key has sample replies for the open questions.

Remix for free

Page 1 of 5

What Does Local Government Do Reading Comprehension: Local Government - page 1
What Does Local Government Do Reading Comprehension: Local Government - page 2
What Does Local Government Do Reading Comprehension: Local Government - page 3
What Does Local Government Do Reading Comprehension: Local Government - page 4
What Does Local Government Do Reading Comprehension: Local Government - page 5

When this preview is focused, use the left and right arrow keys to move between pages.

Curriculum objectives covered

D2.Civ.5.K-2

“Explain what governments are and some of their functions.”

The passage and Part 1, which explain that the mayor and council run the town and use tax money for shared services.

D2.Eco.12.K-2

“Describe examples of the goods and services that governments provide.”

Question 4, where students list three things taxes pay for, such as the library, public schools, and workers who fix potholes.

D4.7.K-2

“Identify ways to take action to help address local, regional, and global problems.”

Part 4, where students plan how to report the broken slide and how the council could pay to repair it.

What's inside this worksheet

What Does Local Government Do

A four-paragraph passage explains that the mayor and city council meet at City Hall, listen to people, vote on ideas, and spend tax money on things everyone shares.

Part 1 Finding the Facts

Four questions ask who heads the local government, where leaders meet, what the money adults pay is called (tickets, coins, or taxes), and three things tax money pays for.

Part 2 Thinking Deeper

A true or false item claims local leaders decide without asking anyone. Students then copy the sentence that proves it false, pick what leaders do to choose ideas, and decide whether "shares" means cuts into pieces, uses together, or hides away.

Part 3 What Do You Think

Students name the town service they use most, such as a park, road, library, or school, and explain why it matters to them.

Part 4 Be a Community Helper

The big slide at the town playground is broken. Students finish two sentence starters about how they would tell the local government and what the city council could use to fix it.

How teachers use it

Close reading

Question 6 is the one to model. Show students how to scan the passage for the word "listen" and copy the whole sentence, not a fragment.

Vocabulary focus

Before reading, write "shares" on the board and ask what it means at snack time. Question 8 then becomes a short lesson on how a word shifts meaning in a new context.

Letter writing extension

Part 4 leads straight into a real letter. Students who say they would write to the mayor can draft one about a problem on your own school playground.

More 2nd Grade Social Studies worksheets

Economics and TradeGeographyCultural Diversity

Get started today

Create your own lesson plans, worksheets, and classroom activities in minutes using our AI-powered tools.

Try Chalkie for free