Reading Passages Teaching Resources
Explore reading passages ready to be used in your classroom to assess your students' comprehension skills and build their confidence as readers!
Created by teachers for teachers, each reading passage in this extensive collection has been designed to enhance student comprehension skills and build understanding. This collection of curriculum-aligned comprehension passages was created by the teachers on the Teach Starter team, and each has undergone a review by an expert on our team to ensure it’s ready for your classroom. The collection encompasses kindergarten through sixth grade, with reading worksheets that can be easily edited to differentiate instruction for individual learners.
New to teaching ELA this school year? Here’s a quick primer from our teacher team to help you add reading passages to our teacher toolkit, whether you’re teaching first grade, fifth grade, or somewhere in between!
What Are Reading Passages?
Reading passages are a set of written texts that are typically used for reading comprehension exercises and assessments. They can come in various forms, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama. They are used to provide a text for students to read and analyze and are often accompanied by questions or tasks to assess comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and other language skills.
How to Use Reading Passages in the Classroom
This collection of short reading passages can be used for a variety of needs, including:
- Practicing reading fluency
- Provide students with practice in reading comprehension and critical thinking skills
- Measuring students’ reading level
- Exposing students to different genres, authors, and writing styles
The reading passages in this collection of teaching resources can be used for individual or group activities.
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Paired Passage Worksheets-Mammals vs. Reptiles
Compare mammals vs. reptiles and add to your reading instruction with leveled nonfiction, compare and contrast passages and worksheets.
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Comprehension Worksheets - The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
Read and learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with a reading comprehension passage and worksheet pack.
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Black History Profile: Shirley Chisholm - Comprehension Worksheet
Review our profile on Congresswoman and first Black presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm, and answer questions to reinforce understanding.
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Arctic Fox Adaptations - Free Comprehension Worksheet
Read and learn about Arctic fox adaptations with a set of printable Reading Comprehension Worksheets for 2nd and 3rd grade.
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Inspirational Woman Profile: Malala Yousafzai – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension task to use when learning about Malala Yousafzai.
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Inspirational Woman Profile: Yuna Kim – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension task to use when learning about Yuna Kim.
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Comparing Narrative and Informational Text Worksheets
Use this set of comparing narrative and informational text worksheets to examine the purpose and features of these two common genres.
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Inspirational Woman Profile: Brooke Boney – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension task to use when learning about Brooke Boney.
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Celebrity Biography Worksheets - Reading Comprehension Worksheets 3rd-4th
Download our celebrity biography reading comprehension worksheets PDF resource to help your 3rd and 4th graders practice reading comprehension skills.
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Producer, Consumer, Decomposer - Comprehension Worksheets
Explore the role of producers, consumers and decomposers within ecosystems with this comprehension task.
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Henry Hudson Comprehension Worksheet
Discover famous explorers like Henry Hudson with printable reading comprehension activities.
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3rd Grade States of Matter - Reading Worksheets
Teach science and reading skills with a set of printable 3rd Grade Reading Worksheets about the 3 states of matter.
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Characteristics of an Environment – Worksheet
Enhance your students’ comprehension and science skills by learning about the physical characteristics of different environments and how they support populations within an ecosystem.
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Spring Is Here Poem – Comprehension Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet paired with a poem about the season of spring.
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Who Was Kiki Camarena? 3rd Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Read and learn about the origins of Red Ribbon Week with a printable ‘Who Was Kiki Camarena?’ Reading Comprehension Worksheet Pack.
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2nd Grade Reading Passage & Worksheet- Being a Good Pet Parent
Print a 2nd grade reading comprehension passage and worksheet to teach comprehension skills and learn about being a good pet parent by limiting pets' impact on ecosystems.
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Plant and Animal Adaptations - Comprehension Worksheets
Boost reading comprehension skills with a comprehension passage, with questions, about structural, behavioral and physiological adaptations.
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Famous Female Scientists - Marie Curie Activity Pack
Learn about the life and contributions of Marie Curie with a comprehensive pack of inspirational women worksheets.
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The Three Little Pigs – Comprehension Worksheet
Develop your students' reading comprehension skills with a well-known fairy tale.
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Uses of Magnets Comprehension Worksheet
Download this magnets worksheet to teach your 2nd grade students about the uses of magnets in our everyday lives.
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How to Make a Monster Reading Comprehension Activity
Read and comprehend a set of instructions to create a magical monster!
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Who is Amanda Gorman? Reading Passage and Assessment
Learn about the amazing Amanda Gorman with a printable reading comprehension passage and questions.
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The Water Cycle – Reading Comprehension Worksheet
Enhance your students’ comprehension and science vocabulary skills with this water cycle worksheet.
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4th Grade Writing Worksheets: Tornado Text-Based Writing
Enhance your students' comprehension, vocabulary, and writing skills using 4th Grade writing worksheets and a high-interest reading passage about Tornadoes.
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The Pony Express - Comprehension Passage Worksheet
Teach your students how to write a constructed response paragraph and integrate grade level Social studies concepts with a free Pony Express worksheet and ten-question comprehension assessment.
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Pollinators – Comprehension Task
An article and comprehension task about pollinators.
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Reading Worksheets - The Business of Bees (5th Grade)
Read and learn about bees, pollination and honey production with a reading comprehension passage and worksheet pack.
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Properties of Matter Reading Comprehension Pack (2-3)
Read and discover the properties of matter with a set of 2nd Grade/3rd Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets.
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What Is Climate Change? Comprehension Worksheet
Teach your students about the perils of climate change with this comprehensive article with accompanying comprehension questions.
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Paired Passage Worksheets - Thunderstorms (3-4)
Use paired passages to help your student practice applying reading comprehension strategies.
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Baby Animals Reading Worksheets - 1st Grade
Learn about animals and their babies with a pack of printable Animal Babies Reading Worksheets for 1st grade.
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Dogs Make The Best Pets - Reading Comprehension PDF
Assess 3rd grade reading comprehension skills with a printable Reading Comprehension Test using an opinion text.