Bats, Owls, and Spiders Reading Passages: Paired Texts for Grades 4-6

Description

These bats, owls, and spiders reading passages give students in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade two texts on the same topic side by side, so they compare details, connect information, and draw conclusions across both. The pairs cover megabats and microbats, how owls hunt and grow, and the good and bad sides of spiders.

This set includes three pairs (six passages): two informational pairs and one pair that matches an informational text with the poem “The Spider and the Fly.” Each pair comes with seven multiple-choice questions, each on a different standard, and one constructed response question. You get printable passages and questions plus Google Slides and Google Forms versions.

How the bats, owls, and spiders paired texts work:

• Read and annotate: Students read each passage closely and mark it up, so they understand both texts before they compare them. In Google Slides, they can annotate with text boxes and lines, and copy a highlight box to mark key details.
• Answer the questions: The multiple-choice questions send students back into the texts, and the constructed response question asks them to pull each pair together. In Google Forms, the answer choices shuffle for each student, the questions score automatically, and the passages appear at the top of the form.
• Match the level: Each passage comes in two versions, one written on grade level for grades 4-5 and one for grades 6-7, so you can give students the version that fits them.

What’s included:

• Three pairs of passages about bats, owls, and spiders (six passages total):
  • Bats: megabats and microbats
  • Owls: hunting and eating, and the owl life cycle
  • Spiders: an informational passage about the good and the bad, paired with the poem “The Spider and the Fly”
• Seven multiple-choice questions and one constructed response question for each pair
• Two reading levels for every passage: grades 4-5 and grades 6-7
• Printable passages in two layouts: a two-column article and a full page
• Google Slides versions of the passages for digital annotating
• Google Forms versions of the questions that score automatically

Ways to use these paired texts:

• Model close reading with your whole class or a small group.
• Read and annotate the passages together, then hand out the questions as a comprehension check and let students use their marked-up passages.
• Assign them as independent practice for students reading above a 4th-5th grade level.

Why teachers love these paired texts:

• Students enjoy the topics, so lessons don’t drag.
• Science and social studies content comes into your ELA block, which saves precious time.
• Two reading levels let you match the passages to your readers.
• The multiple-choice questions cover a range of standards and require students to go back into the text, not just recall basic facts.
• The digital questions grade themselves.
• Print and digital versions let you move between in-person and virtual learning, or go paperless in a 1:1 classroom.

More paired texts:

See how I model purposeful annotating in my blog post, Stop Highlighting… Start Thinking!

Want to try one first? Get a free digital pair of texts delivered to your inbox, along with tips for using paired texts in your classroom.

This set is also part of my Yearlong Print and Digital Paired Text Bundle for Grades 4-6, which holds 16 sets and any new sets I add in the future.

Looking for differentiated passages for assessments? My Differentiated Standards-Based Reading Assessments Bundle adjusts the texts for each student’s reading level while assessing grade-level comprehension.

This purchase is for one teacher. Please don’t share the files with other teachers. Thank you!

Copyright © 2014-2020 Ideas By Jivey, LLC
All rights reserved by author, Jessica Ivey.
Permission to copy for single classroom use only.
Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only.
Not for public display.