Grade 3+ illustrated reading story

The Wind-Powered Car

Read this free illustrated story, then open Story Garden for word help, narration, and a comprehension question.

1. 1

   Anika began a new project at the invention fair.

2. 2

   The goal was to race a car powered only by wind.

3. 3

   Before building, Anika sketched a plan and listed needed materials.

4. 4

   The first attempt showed a problem: its paper sail made the car tip.

5. 5

   Anika felt disappointed, but treated the failure as useful evidence.

6. 6

   Anika invited her teammate Cole to examine the design.

7. 7

   They measured carefully and discussed which part should change first.

8. 8

   Their revised plan used a lower sail and wider wheel base.

9. 9

   They changed only one feature so the test would be fair.

10. 10

    The second attempt worked better, although it still needed adjustment.

11. 11

    Anika recorded the result instead of trusting memory.

12. 12

    A final improvement made the design safer and more reliable.

13. 13

    The team repeated the test to make sure the success was not luck.

14. 14

    This time, the project produced a straight run across the finish line.

15. 15

    Anika labeled the model so others could understand each part.

16. 16

    Visitors asked thoughtful questions and suggested future experiments.

17. 17

    Anika discovered that strong projects grow through testing and revision.

18. 18

    The finished work was useful, but the learning mattered even more.