Colorado fact file
Research Colorado: where it is, what it is known for, three interesting facts, and a drawing.
Browse all fact file state / province
Colorado reading map
Colorado readings connect Aspen history, a Denver athlete’s biography, a local-food debate, and a fictional river diary. Select a text by type, then use its actual content to guide the lesson.
17 readings
Read about Colorado topics
Choose Colorado history, biography, opinion writing, or fiction. Open the passage to check its content, grade label, and questions.
Aspen's Amazing History: From Silver to SkiingUpper Elementary · InformationalColorado
Boulder's Outdoor Story: History and LifestyleUpper Elementary · InformationalColorado
Chauncey Billups: From Denver to NBA StarUpper Elementary · BiographyColorado
Colorado Local Food: Pros & ConsUpper Elementary · Opinion / ArgumentativeColorado
Colorado Springs: A City Among GiantsUpper Elementary · InformationalColorado
Colorado's Diverse LandscapesUpper Elementary · Opinion / ArgumentativeColorado
Denver: The Mile High City's HistoryUpper Elementary · InformationalColorado
Diary by the Colorado RiverUpper Elementary · FictionColorado
Exploring the Rocky MountainsUpper Elementary · InformationalColorado
Joe Sakic: Captain ForeverUpper Elementary · BiographyColorado
Life in Small Colorado TownsUpper Elementary · InformationalColorado
Mikaela Shiffrin: Skiing SuperstarUpper Elementary · BiographyColorado
Protecting Colorado's WildlifeUpper Elementary · Opinion / ArgumentativeColorado
The Life of Jack DempseyUpper Elementary · BiographyColorado
Garden of the Gods: Rock WondersMiddle School · InformationalColorado
Pikes Peak: A Climber's JourneyMiddle School · InformationalColorado
Red Rocks RhapsodyMiddle School · FictionColoradoColorado printables & worksheets
Compare a historical explanation with an opinion text, or write from evidence in two passages.
Build a Colorado workbook Pro
One PDF with the reading passages, puzzles and worksheets you pick — start from a grade level and adjust from there, with the answer keys at the back.
Colorado KWL chart
Write what you already know about Colorado, what you want to find out, and what you learned.
Browse all kwl chartColorado story map
Plan a story set in Colorado: characters, setting, problem, what happens first, next, and last, and how it ends.
Browse all story mapColorado word web
Put Colorado in the middle and collect words and ideas connected to it.
Browse all word webCompare two things from Colorado
Use a Venn diagram to compare two places, landmarks, animals, traditions, or other features from Colorado.
Browse all compare two things from coloradoColorado acrostic poem
Write an acrostic poem using the letters in the name Colorado.
Browse all acrostic poemColorado word game worksheets
Printable word puzzles built from Colorado words — download as PDF, answer key included.
Easy word search
8×8 grid · 6 words across and down · answer key included
Medium word search
10×10 grid · 8 words with diagonals · answer key included
Tricky word search
12×12 grid · 10 words with backwards words · answer key included
No printer at hand? Play the Colorado word search right here on screen — free.
About Colorado
Colorado has the highest average elevation of any state in the United States.
The state contains more than fifty mountain peaks that rise above 14,000 feet, locally known as 'fourteeners'.
Major North American rivers, including the Colorado, Rio Grande, Arkansas, and Platte, originate in the mountains of Colorado.
Explore Colorado readings by topic and form
The Colorado collection offers a way to move among place-connected readings with different purposes. Start with a topic, review its grade and text-type label, and open the passage. Use what the text actually includes to shape questions about history, a person, an argument, or a fictional voice.
Pair history with a personal account
Aspen’s Amazing History: From Silver to Skiing is informational. Readers can trace how the article organizes its historical topic and collect details that support its explanation. Diary by the Colorado River is fiction. Ask students to notice the diary’s narrator and distinguish story details from information in the article.
Read a biography and weigh an opinion
Chauncey Billups: From Denver to NBA Star is labeled biography. Students can identify which details build the account of a person’s life. Colorado Local Food: Pros & Cons is opinion or argumentative writing; readers can list the issue and reasons offered, then check the full passage before judging the claims.
Choose a task that fits the reading
Use a timeline or fact file for the Aspen article, a character or narrator response for the diary, and a claim-and-reasons chart for the local-food text. Students can compare the biography with the opinion piece by purpose. Keep conclusions tied to cited passages and review available print formats before planning.
For a broader view, return to the United States reading map.
Colorado reading map FAQ
Which Colorado passage is an argument?
Colorado Local Food: Pros & Cons is labeled opinion or argumentative. Readers can identify its issue and reasons from the full text.
How could I pair the Aspen article with the river diary?
Compare an informational historical account with a fictional diary voice. Ask students to classify details by passage and cite the text they used.
What does the biography let students practice?
The passage about Chauncey Billups is labeled biography. Students can notice how its details build an account of a person.
How can I keep a Colorado map reading focused?
Choose one place-connected passage, review its questions, and set a response task around its form. The page helps with discovery; the passage supplies evidence.