3rd Grade Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Passages with questions on main idea, inference, and more. These are the reading comprehension skills we cover at the 3rd grade level. Every sheet prints as a PDF with its answer key, and no two prints are the same.
Reading Comprehension skills for 3rd grade
- Author's Purpose Reading passage · answer key Every writer has a reason for writing. The three big reasons are easy to remember as PIE: to Persuade (change your mind), to Inform (teach you facts), or to Entertain (tell you a fun story). To find the purpose, ask what the writer wants you to do after reading.
- Fiction Reading Comprehension Reading passage · answer key The answers hide in the story. Read it once for fun, then go back and point to the exact sentence that proves each answer.
- Main Idea and Details Reading passage · answer key The main idea is what the whole passage is about, in one sentence. The details are the smaller facts that back it up.
- Making Inferences Reading passage · answer key An inference is a smart guess the writer never says out loud. You mix a clue from the text with what you already know: if a character shivers and rubs her hands, you can infer she is cold.
- Nonfiction Reading Comprehension Reading passage · answer key Nonfiction is true information. Read to find out what the passage teaches, and be ready to point to the fact that answers each question.
Looking for a different level? Every skill above links to its own page, where you can also jump to easier or harder grades. Or browse all 3rd grade worksheets and the full reading comprehension collection.