Worksheets and No Prep Teaching Resources Reading Comprehension Worksheets World War I

Thanks for the Tanks World War I

---

Thanks for the Tanks
Print Thanks for the Tanks Reading Comprehension with Fourth Grade Work

Print Thanks for the Tanks Reading Comprehension with Fifth Grade Work

Print Thanks for the Tanks Reading Comprehension with Sixth Grade Work

Print Thanks for the Tanks Reading Comprehension

Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	5.28

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		cons, infantry, pros, motivate, breakdown, extremely, operate, artillery, dealt, trench, armor, possibly, easily, knowing, beginning, attack
	content words:		World War I., On September, World War

---

Thanks for the Tanks By Jane Runyon

---

¹     There were no tanks used in war before World War I. After all, motorized vehicles had not been invented that long ago. Up until 1916, if an army wanted to protect one of its vehicles, they would take pieces of reinforced steel and place them on the vehicle to keep bullets from penetrating them. In other words, they tried to make a bullet proof car. This plan worked, up to a point. The armored cars could only travel on cleared roads. If any fighting was taking place off the road, the cars could not reach the action. All this changed on September 15, 1916. It was at this time that the British introduced tanks to battle.
 
²     The British waited until 1916 to place the tank into battle for several reasons. First and foremost was the fact that they wanted to make sure the idea of an armored, off road vehicle would even work. They didn't want to spend all the money it would take to produce such a vehicle if it wasn't going to work. By 1916, the pressure was on them to come up with some idea that would make winning battles easier. They were not having much luck at Sommes. They needed something to motivate their troops to press forward. On September 16, the first tank was sent into battle. Its treaded tracks took it across country and straight into enemy territory. The German bullets bounced off the sides of the tank. Infantry soldiers followed the tank. They were able to capture a German trench without much trouble. Soon afterward, a German artillery shell found its mark. The shell put the tank out of commission. Six tanks in all were sent out on that first mission. Three of the tanks got bogged down in the mud. Another of the tanks had a mechanical breakdown. Only two of the tanks were able to support the infantry drive forward. Many considered success of the tanks as only partial. They had managed to scare the Germans a great deal.
 
³     The pros and cons of tank use were assessed after this battle. Drivers complained that the slits in the front they used to see from were too small. It was hard to see where they were going. They complained that they were very large targets for the enemy to shoot at. They also worried that the exhaust from the tank was extremely hot and could possibly set the fuel tank on fire. Finally, they felt that the treads were not able to get through the mud very easily. The mud got stuck in the treads and made the tank hard to maneuver. These were all problems that could be dealt with and improved.

Paragraphs 4 to 6:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

---

Weekly Reading Books

Create Weekly Reading Books Prepare for an entire week at once!

---

Feedback on Thanks for the Tanks

Leave your feedback on Thanks for the Tanks   (use this link if you found an error in the story)

---

World War I

World War I

---

Social Studies

Social Studies

United States History and Theme Units         American Government         Ancient America         Ancient China         Ancient Egypt         Ancient Greece         Ancient India         Ancient Mesopotamia         Ancient Rome         Biographies         Canadian Theme Unit         Country Theme Units         Crime and Terrorism         Economics         European History: 1600s-1800s

Explorers         Famous Educators         Geography         Grades 2-3 Social Studies Wendy's World Series         History of Books and Writing         History of Mathematics         How Can I Help?         Inventors and Inventions         Middle Ages         Renaissance         World Religion         World War I         World War II         World Wonders

---

United States

United States

American Government         Black History and Blacks in U.S. History         Children in History         Government Careers         Hispanic Heritage         How Can I Help?

Immigration         National Parks and Monuments         Native Americans         Presidents of the United States         Women's History

---

United States History

A Nation Divided (1840-1861)         A New Nation (1776-1830)         After the Civil War (1865-1870)         American Revolution         Cold War (1947-1991)         Colonial America (1492-1776)         Lewis and Clark (1804-1806)         Pearl Harbor         Spanish American War (1898)         The 1890's         The 1900's         The 1910's         The 1920's         The 1930's

The 1940's         The 1950's         The 1960's         The 1970's         The 1980's         The 1990's         The 2000's         The Civil War (1861-1865)         The Great Depression (1929-1945)         The United States Grows (1865-1900)         The War of 1812         Wild, Wild West         World War I (1914-1918)         World War II

---

50 States

Fifty States Theme Unit

---

Document Based Activities

Document Based Activities

Copyright © 2025 edHelper