Yearlong Print and Digital Paired Text Bundle for Grades 4-6

These paired passages, or paired texts, meet the demand for more complex texts that students can use to compare and build knowledge to integrate information and draw conclusions. The high-interest, rigorous passages in this bundle are great to stretch your 4th and 5th graders, and still appropriate for many students in middle school as well. The passages in this bundle are differentiated. Two levels are provided: on grade level for 4-5 and on grade level for 6-7.

I have included printable AND Google App formats of the passages along with the multiple-choice and constructed response questions. There are seven multiple-choice questions (each question assessing a different standard) and one constructed response/essay question PER PAIR.

The printable passages are provided in two styles: article (two column) as well as full page.

⬆️ Please check out the previews for a look at all of the resources! ⬆️

In this bundle, you will receive all 12 sets of upper grades paired texts with three pairs each (plus four individual pairs on four other topics) of high-interest informational passages that you won't find in your textbook! Whenever new paired text sets are created, they will be added to this bundle (updates for life!) and all you'll need to do is download the revised file. Each time a set of texts is added, the price will go up, so buying it now will earn you free passages later!

WHAT TOPICS AND GENRES ARE INCLUDED?

Natural Disasters with two pairs of informational passages and one fiction/nonfiction pair:

⭐️ hurricanes and tornadoes

⭐️ earthquakes and tsunamis, and how to prepare for earthquakes

⭐️ floods (informational paired with a Native American Legend called "The Flood and The Rainbow")

Native Americans with two pairs of informational passages and one nonfiction/fiction pair:

⭐️ farming in two different regions

⭐️ buffalo and whale (food sources)

⭐️ totem poles (informational paired with The Raven: an old Inuit legend)

American Revolution three pairs of informational passages:

⭐️ King George III and the Acts he passed

⭐️ the Declaration of Independence and how it was treason, as well as the traitor Benedict Arnold

⭐️ George Washington with details about the Battle of Trenton, along with the Battle of Yorktown

Westward Expansion with two pairs of informational passages and one nonfiction/fiction poem pair:

⭐️ Oregon Trail and Prairie Schooners (Covered Wagons)

⭐️ California Gold Rush and Boomtowns

⭐️ Pony Express and Telegraphs, and a poem from 1860 about the Pony Express

World Celebrations with three pairs of informational passages:

⭐️ the Festivals of Lights that occur in Thailand, Taiwan, and China compared to the International Balloon Fiesta in the US

⭐️ Diwali, and the holiday's food and clothing traditions

⭐️ Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and Catrina: the icon of the holiday

Bats, Owls, Spiders with two pairs of informational passages and one nonfiction/poetry pairing:

⭐️ bats: megabats and microbats

⭐️ owls: hunting and eating, and life cycle

⭐️ spiders: informational passage about the good and bad, and the poem, "The Spider and The Fly"

Winter and Snow with two pairs of informational passages and one fiction/nonfiction pairing:

⭐️ how snow forms and Snowflake Bentley

⭐️ winter sports: how to ski and sled safety

⭐️ frost (informational paired with the Russian Fairy Tale, "King Frost")

February and March themes with a fiction/nonfiction pairing, informational pairing, and nonfiction/poetry pairing:

⭐️ the history and origin of Valentine's Day, and the myth of Cupid

⭐️ George Washington's short biography, and early US government creation

⭐️ the history of St. Patrick's Day, and a poem called "Pot of Gold"

Abolitionists with three pairs of informational texts:

⭐️ Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

⭐️ Sojourner Truth and the Emancipation Proclamation

⭐️ Frederick Douglass and a selection from Douglass's autobiography

Titanic with three pairs of informational passages:

⭐️ a summary of the ship and what it was like on the voyage

⭐️ a timeline of the ship, and discovering the wreckage

⭐️ two biographies of women- one first-class and one third-class- both survivors

Mysteries of the Deep with two pairs of informational passages and one fiction/nonfiction pair:

⭐️ Loch Ness and Megalodon

⭐️ giant squid, and lion's mane jellyfish and anglerfish

⭐️ mermaids: informational passage and also an excerpt from The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen

Economics with two pairs of fiction/nonfiction passages and one informational pair:

⭐️ an informational article about our economy and a fiction passage about earning money to buy a bicycle

⭐️ an informational article about budgeting money and a sample budget sheet to show income and expenses

⭐️ an informational article about supply and demand and a fiction passage about running a lemonade stand

Giraffes and Zoos with ONE PAIR (two passages) about giraffes and the positive and negative facts about zoos

Environmental Protection with ONE PAIR (two passages) about the problems in our environment with solutions provided, and about how trees help the Earth

Sound and Light Energy with ONE PAIR (two passages) about light energy and sound energy so that students can compare the two forms of energy

WAYS TO USE THIS RESOURCE:

• whole group or small group modeling
• read and annotate the texts together, then provide the questions for comprehension check, allowing students to use the annotated passages
• completely independent practice for students reading above 4th-5th grade level

WHY TEACHERS LOVE THESE PAIRED TEXTS:

• students enjoy the topics of the passages (no yawns through lessons)
• integrate social studies and science content into ELA to maximize much-needed time
• differentiate reading levels for students' abilities
• the multiple-choice questions cover a variety of standards per paired set, and they require students to go back into the text for the answer (not basic-level comprehension)
• digital formats are self-grading
• having both printable and digital formats allows teachers to transition seamlessly from in-class to virtual learning, or use in paperless 1:1 classrooms

SEE IT IN ACTION:

Click here to see a blog post showing how I model purposeful annotating!

INFO ABOUT THE DIGITAL FILES:

The assessments are provided in Google FORMS. The multiple-choice options will be shuffled for each student, and the items will be automatically scored.

The passages are provided in Google SLIDES and can be annotated by adding text boxes. Students could use lines to underline or draw arrows with the line tool. I have also inserted a “highlight box” on the title of each passage. Show students how to select the box, then copy and paste it to use for highlighting purposes in the text. They can resize the box by dragging the corners to highlight only what they need.

You could allow the students to use their annotated passages for their assessments by having them share the screen (or “split screen”) for both files. I have also included the passages at the top of the assessments.

Get a free digital pair of texts delivered to your inbox, along with more useful information about implementing paired texts in your classroom.

See the other paired texts sets in my store, or click here to BUY ALL of the Grades 4-6 Paired Texts and get any new sets I create in the future for free!

Are you looking for DIFFERENTIATED passages to use for assessments? Click here to see my Mix and Match Assessments, differentiated for student reading level and grade level comprehension!

Please remember, this purchase is for the use of one teacher. It is not intended to be shared. Please use the 'additional license' purchase if more than one teacher will be using it. 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.