Comprehension Questions – Why do Leaves Change Color?

Why do Leaves Change Color?

By Betsy Maestro

Grades K-2; Genre - Non-fiction; GRL L; AR pts: 0.5

This book is full of interesting facts about why and how leaves change color during autumn time.

Comprehension Questions

  1. During what season do the leaves change color?  Autumn   p. 5
  2. What color do they change to?  red, yellow, gold and brown   p. 5
  3. What are some differences between the leaves?  Sizes, colors, shapes, wide, rounded, pointed   p. 6
  4. What helps the leaves absorb or hold sunlight?  The green color in them   p. 9
  5. What gives the leaves their green coloring?  Chlorophyll    p. 9
  6. What’s pigment?  A natural coloring   p. 9
  7. What food do the leaves make for the tree?  Sugar   p. 11
  8. What do the leaves do all summer long for the tree?  Feed it   p. 11
  9. What part of the tree uses the sugar?  All of the tree- leaves, branches, roots, trunk  p. 11
  10. What brings about the beautiful colors of fall?  Changes in the weather, light, temperature  p. 12
  11. How does the change in sunlight affect the tree?  It tells the tree to get ready for winter   p. 12
  12. What will the tree do during winter?  Rest   p. 12
  13. Why doesn’t the tree need the leaves as it begins to get ready for its winter rest?  It needs very little food   p. 13
  14. Why do the leaves absorb less water as the tree prepares for winter?  They begin to separate from the tree   p. 15
  15. What happens to the old chlorophyll?  It begins to fade   p. 15
  16. What does the green in the leaf begin to do as the old chlorophyll begins to fade?  The green color begins to disappear   p. 15
  17. What appears in the leaves as the green color disappears?  other colors/ pigments   p. 16
  18. Where did the other pigments in the leaves come from?  They’d been there all along   p. 16
  19. What happens to the extra sugar stored in the leaves? Creates new pigments  p. 19
  20. What causes the stored sugar to change to pigment?  Sunlight   p. 19
  21. The more sugar there is, ____________________.  The brighter the colors will be.   p. 19
  22. What helps the leaves create the brightest, best colors?  Lots of bright sunshine and crisp, clear nights   p. 23
  23. What makes leaves produce dull colors?  Too much rain   p. 23
  24. What can kill the leaves too soon?  Early frost   p. 23
  25. What types of trees keep their leaves all year long?  Evergreens like pine and spruces    p. 23
  26. What helps the leaves fall to the ground when they are ready to leave the tree?  Rain and wind  p. 24
  27. How do rotting leaves on the ground help the tree?  Enrich the soil with minerals the tree uses to stay healthy   p. 24
  28. When does the tree form its leaf buds?  During the winter   p. 26
  29. When do the leaf buds open?  In the spring   p. 26
  30. Where can you find beautiful displays with many colors of fall?  New England   p. 27
  31. Why is New England so beautiful with autumn foliage?  The weather conditions there are just right and there are many different kinds of trees   p. 27
  32. What do you like to do after the leaves have fallen to the ground from your trees?  Answers will vary