Social Studies Nonfiction Paired Texts Reading Passages 3rd Grade

These 28 nonfiction reading passages highlight interesting people in United States history. Options include print, Easel Activities, and Google Forms. Texas teachers, most of these individuals are specifically required in the Grade 3 Social Studies TEKS, meaning you can integrate reading, social studies, and test prep! Each passage consists of one page of informational text with a biographical paragraph and another paragraph on a related topic, plus one page of 8 multiple choice comprehension questions modeled after the types of questions on standardized reading tests. The questions include a variety of reading skills, and at least one question asks students to compare or contrast both of the paragraphs.

The reading levels for these passages are in the upper elementary range. The paragraphs are high-interest and filled with academic vocabulary. Teachers in 4th grade will be delighted that their students already have experience with paired texts!

Please check out the preview to see one reading passage from each included set.

The following items are included:

Community Shapers and Creators:
• Benjamin Banneker/Letter to Thomas Jefferson paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Benjamin Franklin/The Kite and Key Experiment paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Daniel Boone/Escape from the Shawnee paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Our Founding Fathers/All the King's Forces paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Pierre Charles L'Enfant/Designing Washington, D.C. paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Answer key (1 page)

• Easel Activities versions

• Google Forms self-grading passages (PDF with 5 links included)

Entrepreneurs:
• Henry Ford/The Moving Assembly Line paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Mary Kay Ash/Incentive Programs paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Wallace Amos/Chocolate Chip Cookies paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Milton Hershey/Hershey's Kisses paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Sam Walton/Low Prices paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Answer key (1 page)

• Easel Activities versions

• Google Forms self-grading passages (PDF with 5 links included)

Good Citizens:
• Clara Barton/The Red Cross paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Ruby Bridges/Segregation paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Helen Keller/The Miracle Worker paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Answer key (1 page)

• Easel Activities versions

• Google Forms self-grading passages (PDF with 3 links included)

Heroes Reading:
• James A. Lovell/Houston, We've Had a Problem paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Harriet Tubman/The Underground Railroad paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Juliette Gordon Low/Girl Scout Cookies paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Todd Beamer/Catchphrases paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Ellen Ochoa/The Space Shuttle Program paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Hector P. Garcia/The Life of a Migrant Worker paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• John D. Olivas/Astronaut Training paired texts & questions (2 pages)

• The Four Chaplains/The Unsinkable Happened paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Answer key (1 page)

• Easel Activities versions

• Google Forms self-grading passages (PDF with 8 links included)

Scientists and Inventors:
• Jonas Salk/The Polio Vaccine paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Maria Mitchell/Women in Astronomy paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Cyrus McCormick/Outsmarting by Outselling paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Bill Gates/The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Louis Pasteur/Making Milk Safe to Drink paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Answer key (1 page)

• Easel Activities versions

• Google Forms self-grading passages (PDF with 5 links included)

Writers and Artists:
• Kadir Nelson/Tomie dePaola paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Laura Ingalls Wilder/Carmen Lomas Garza paired texts & questions (2 pages)
• Answer key (1 page)

• Easel Activities versions

• Google Forms self-grading passages (PDF with 2 links included)
• TOU & Credits (1 page)

Please NOTE that in the paired passages about writers and artists, two people are compared to each other instead of to another related topic.

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