Winter Reading and Comprehension Passages and Questions - January Morning Work

These winter themed reading comprehension passages are just what you need for comprehension and close reading practice! Easy, no-prep!

There are 20 winter themed passages, each presented at two reading levels (grades 3-4 and 4-5) for a total of 40 passages.

The passages are a mix of high-interest and curriculum-based topics and include informational text and literature. The included text-dependent questions address a variety of close reading skills.

Great for January morning work!

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

✍️ PRINT:

• 20 Different Passages with Comprehension Questions
  • 3rd-4th grade level
  • 4th-5th grade level

• Answer Keys
• Student Annotation Guides
• Printables to use with Paired Passages

DIGITAL:

• Google Slides
• Easel Activity

DIFFERENTIATION OPTIONS:

• Digital or Print
• Audio Support
• Leveled Passages

Great for 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade! 

CHECK OUT THE PREVIEW TO SEE A LOT MORE!

This resource is part of a money-saving bundle!

NOTE: This resource uses American English and is not editable. 

The Show What You Know questions on the right are identical for both reading levels. This allows you to discuss the passages altogether, even if you have students using different levels.

The passages are sequenced in cycles of five as follows:

• IT: Informational Text (nonfiction)
• L: Literature (fiction)
• IT: Informational Text (nonfiction) with an illustration
• L: Literature (fiction)
• IT: Informational Text (nonfiction)

Breakdown by type: 3/5 Informational Text, 2/5 Literature.

Within the 20 passages, there are three sets of paired passages. The paired passages appear adjacent to each other and address a similar topic for comparing and contrasting. Three additional printables are included to use with these paired passages. These passages will also work as stand-alone activities if you do not want to use them together.

The skills addressed in each passage are written in small print at the bottom on the left-hand side. The skills address most of the RI and RL Common Core Standards and include: reading for details, main idea, summarizing, inference, predicting, genre setting/character/plot, theme, context clues/vocabulary, figurative language, author’s style, author’s purpose, point of view, mood/tone, text structure, comparing and contrasting, interpreting an illustration, analysis, and evaluation. They are also listed in the Table of Contents.

These passages are winter-themed and are meant to be used primarily in January and February. Some passages can be used almost anytime during winter, while others are tied to a specific holiday.

Answer keys for teacher use are provided. In many cases, answers will vary by student, and sample answers are given.

These passages could be used for bell work, at a center or station, as part of a reading packet, with a small group, as homework, as enrichment for younger, highly capable students, as remediation for struggling students, or as test prep.

Topics Included:

1. Avalanche!
2. Our Snowman Secret
3. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
4. Micah's Neighbors
5. Sitting In for Civil Rights (paired passage)
6. Sit-In at the Minute Inn (paired passage)
7. Why Evergreen Trees Keep their Leaves
8. Valentine's Day
9. The Night the Power Went Out
10. Barack Obama: The 44th President
11. The Flexible Flyer (paired passage)
12. How I Got My Flexible Flyer (paired passage)
13. Disappearing Polar Bears
14. Snowman Switch
15. Dog Sled Racing (paired passage)
16. What About the Dogs? (paired passage)
17. A Snowman for Sasha
18. Oymyakon: The Coldest Town on Earth
19. Because of the Mittens
20. How Snowflakes Form

Here’s what teachers are saying:

✏️ "This is my second purchase of reading passages from this seller. I LOVE them. The two levels are great and it's amazing for a quick material when you're short on time (AKA very often). The winter passages are great for the older ones since I can't really do gingerbread of snowmen themed stuff with them like I do with my littler kiddos!" -Maria R.

✏️ "My students enjoyed this resource. I particularly find it helpful that the text and questions are on one page. This was the students don't have to flip back and forth." -Nadia B.

✏️ "I have all of Rachel's close reading products, and there is something for everyone in my special day class (3rd-5th grade) of varying reading abilities. They are high interest and super easy to incorporate into groups and/or as homework. I also love that the skills are listed at the bottom so I can align the passages to my reading lessons. I recommend these to everyone!!" -Caitlin D.

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About the Author

Rachel Lynette is a published author of over 120 nonfiction books for children on a variety of subjects, as well as several teacher resource books. She has written for publishers such as Harcourt, Thompson-Gale, Rosen, Children’s Press, Evan-Moor, Kagan, and several others. This resource reflects more than a decade of professional writing experience.

Terms of Use

This resource was created by Rachel Lynette and Cassi Noack for Minds in Bloom INC., all rights reserved. It may be used by the original purchaser for single class use only. Teachers may distribute this product in email, through google classroom or over the Internet to their students (and parents) as long as the site is password protected. In other words, you may distribute it to your own students, but may not put it on the Internet where it could be publicly found and downloaded. 

If you want to share this resource with colleagues, please purchase additional licenses from TpT. Thank you for respecting these terms of use.

This product is happily brought to you by Rachel Lynette and Cassi Noack of Minds in Bloom.

SKU: 2943026