Worksheet Grade 2 English Language Arts

Nia the Fish Needs Clean Water: A Grade 2 Reading Worksheet

A grade 2 worksheet with a short read-aloud about a fish whose creek gets dirty, then key-detail questions, a clean-or-dirty sort, and one fact to write.

Grade: Grade 2
Subject: English Language Arts
Material: Worksheet
Time: 20 min
Prep: No prep
Materials: None

Standards

RI.2.1 Common Core ELA

Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.

How this material aligns: Items 1 through 5 ask students to answer who, what, and where questions about key details in the passage about Nia and Sandy Creek.

All materials for RI.2.1 →

W.2.2 Common Core ELA

Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.

How this material aligns: Item 8 asks students to write one informative sentence explaining why fish need clean water, developing the topic with a fact from the passage.

All materials for W.2.2 →

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This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely, without attribution. Updated 2026-07-17.

Objectives

Students will answer key-detail questions about a short passage.
Students will sort water as clean or dirty from a short description.
Students will write one informative sentence about why fish need clean water.

Vocabulary

Key words: clean, dirty, trash, creek

Teacher overview

This worksheet connects a simple story to the idea that living things depend on clean water. The passage follows a fish named Nia whose creek gets dirty when trash and mud wash in, then gets clean again when children help. The text is written for a grade 2 reader and can be read aloud. Students answer key-detail questions, sort two water descriptions as clean or dirty, and write one fact about why fish need clean water, which asks them to state the passage's main idea.

Nia the Fish Needs Clean Water: A Grade 2 Reading Worksheet — Grade 2 English Language Arts

Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Student Worksheet

Read the passage, or listen as your teacher reads it.

Nia is a fish. She lives in Sandy Creek. Nia needs clean water to live. Clean water is clear, and it has air in it for fish to breathe. One day, trash and mud washed into the creek. Cups and bags floated by Nia. The water turned cloudy and gray. Nia could not see her food. It was hard to breathe. Then some kids came to help. They picked up the trash by the creek. They put it in a bin. Soon the mud settled, and the water was clear again. Nia could swim and eat. Clean water keeps fish like Nia safe.

Who is Nia?
Where does Nia live?
What does Nia need to live?
What happened when trash and mud washed into the creek?
Who came to help make the water clean?
Clean or dirty? Water that is clear with air in it.
Clean or dirty? Water that is cloudy and gray with trash.
Write one fact about why fish need clean water. Use a complete sentence.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key

Answer: Nia is a fish. The first line of the passage says so.
Answer: Nia lives in Sandy Creek. The passage names the creek in the second sentence.
Answer: Clean water. The passage says Nia needs clean water to live.
Answer: The water turned cloudy and gray, and Nia could not see her food or breathe well. The trash and mud made the creek dirty.
Answer: Some kids came to help. They picked up the trash and put it in a bin.
Answer: Clean. Clear water with air in it is the clean water the passage describes.
Answer: Dirty. Cloudy, gray water with trash is the dirty water the passage describes.
Answer: Answers will vary. A full-credit sentence states one true fact, such as "Fish need clean water so they can breathe and find their food."

Differentiation

Support

Read the passage aloud twice and let students point to the sentence that answers each question before writing. For item 8, offer a sentence frame: "Fish need clean water because ___."

Extension

Ask students to write a second fact and to name one thing people can do to keep Sandy Creek clean. Challenge them to use the word so to link a cause and an effect.

ELL supports

Pre-teach clean, dirty, and trash with a two-picture card that shows clear water and cloudy water. Allow one-word answers for items 6 and 7 and accept item 8 with the sentence frame while English sentences develop.