Are the two passages always the same kind of text?

No. Some pairs are two stories or two articles; many are a story and an article about the same thing. Reading across kinds is the point, and the questions say plainly which passage they mean.

How long is a third grade pair?

Each passage runs roughly 110 to 150 words, so both fit on the first page and the questions sit on the second. Answer key on the last page, as always.

3rd grade paired passages

3rd grade paired passages worksheets

Third grade paired passages put two short texts side by side, fiction and nonfiction, on one shared topic: a ferry and the bridge that replaced it, two accounts of the same storm, a story and a fact page about the same animal. Questions ask about each text and then about both, the first step toward comparing sources.

Free printable PDF worksheet, aligned to Common Core RL.3.9, RI.3.9.

Each click picks one of the 13 passage pairs written for this grade. Every sheet comes with its answer key. You don't need to sign up.

The kind of passages you'll get

Read both passages. Then circle the letter of the best answer for each question. Some questions ask about one passage, and some ask about both.

Before and After at Kestrel Park

Help Us Clean Up Kestrel Park: Kestrel Park needs you this Saturday. The pond path is covered in bottles and wrappers, and the little footbridge has a broken rail. The flower beds by the gate are…

Saturday's Cleanup by the Numbers: On Saturday morning, 84 people showed up at the gate of Kestrel Park to clean it up, more than the organizers expected. They worked from nine until a little after…

In Passage A, what should helpers bring if they have them? gloves · trash bags · rakes · a snack
Answer: gloves
In Passage B, what did not go as planned? the snacks ran out after the first hour · the truck never came · the rail could not be fixed · fewer helpers came than they expected

Each print picks one of the 13 passage pairs written for this grade, and its questions come with it. A second print can land on a pair you've used, so check the titles before you hand it out.

What's on a 3rd grade sheet

3rd grade sheets draw from 13 passage pairs. A pair runs 284 to 298 words in all. 3rd and 4th grade print from the same 13 passage pairs. What changes is the standard (RL.3.9, RI.3.9 here) and the teaching notes below.

Some of the titles: The Smallest Visitor, Telling Time Before Clocks, The Big Orange Number, When Thunder Roars, Chirps on a Summer Night, Should Room 12 Get a Guinea Pig?.

Paired passages. Read both passages. Then circle the letter of the best answer for each question. Some questions ask about one passage, and some ask about both. One pair of passages per sheet, with its own question set.

Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.

How to teach this

Read Passage A together and say one sentence about it. Read Passage B and say one sentence about that. Then ask what the two sentences have in common before touching the questions; a child who can name the shared topic answers the 'both' questions far more reliably.

Watch for: Answering from memory of the first passage after reading the second is the classic slip. For a 'both' question, go back and put a finger on the detail in each text before choosing. Two passages on one topic are not the same passage twice. They can disagree, cover different years, or use different kinds of evidence, and the questions are built on exactly those differences.

Common questions about 3rd grade paired passages

Are the two passages always the same kind of text?: No. Some pairs are two stories or two articles; many are a story and an article about the same thing. Reading across kinds is the point, and the questions say plainly which passage they mean.
How long is a third grade pair?: Each passage runs roughly 110 to 150 words, so both fit on the first page and the questions sit on the second. Answer key on the last page, as always.

Related worksheets

Ready to print one?

Want a different pair? Print again. Each print picks one of the 13.

Aligned to Common Core RL.3.9, RI.3.9. Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 241, updated October 2026.

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