Kindness Reading Comprehension Passages — Grade 3
Santiago holds his small umbrella over a younger neighbor at a rainy bus stop.
This resource is in the full SEL Resource Library. See what’s included or start with 10 free resources. Have an account? Log in.
About this resource
Santiago holds his small umbrella over a younger neighbor at a rainy bus stop. These kindness reading comprehension passages give Grade 3 readers ten passages at F&P levels N–P, each built around a real decision to help, including kindness that costs a little and kindness on a grumpy day. The set builds Social Awareness through SEL reading comprehension.
What students practice
- Spotting a need, planning a kind act and doing it
- Choosing specific, sincere kind words
- Giving up something to help someone
- Being kind on a hard day
- Planning kindness for others
What’s inside
- 10 passages at F&P levels N–P in ten different text types
- 5 multiple-choice questions per passage, checking recall, inference, word meaning and how each text is organized
- 2 open-ended prompts per passage
- Answer key for the multiple-choice questions on the last page
- 44 pages
A look inside
- The Beaver Who Patched Two Homes: after a storm, Rivet patches Quimby the Muskrat’s lodge before finishing his own, even when passing geese call it silly.
- Vampire Bats Share Their Supper: bats that share food with roost-mates who missed a meal are more likely to get help later.
- Kind Words That Build Up: why “You worked hard on that bridge drawing” means more than a quick “nice.”
- Maple School’s Recess Toy Repair Day: third graders fix worn recess toys, from tangled hula hoops to flat balls, for the younger grades.
How to use these kindness reading passages in Grade 3
- Small-group instruction at levels N–P
- SEL time with “Spot It, Plan It, Do It,” a three-step way to spot a need and act on it
- Partner reading during literacy rotations, for example with “Kindness Myths, Busted”
- Checking the multiple-choice answers with the key
Grade fit
Levels move from N to P. Third graders are ready to weigh what kindness costs, and the passages give them real trade-offs: Phineas skips his favorite game of tag to wash paint palettes, and Padma helps her little cousin while still sore about a lost board game. These reading passages with questions also make solid kindness activities for a class that wants to plan its own kind projects, as the chalk welcome crew does.
Digital version
With the interactive digital version, you share one link and students read each passage and answer the questions on any device, with no student logins. At the end they download an answer sheet to hand in.
Pairs well with
For more practice, try Kindness Task Cards or Kindness Scenario Cards.
Questions teachers ask
Is there an answer key?
Yes. The multiple-choice answers are on the last page of the PDF. The open-ended questions have no fixed answer.
What kinds of questions follow each passage?
Five multiple-choice questions that check recall, inference, word meaning and how each text is organized, plus two open-ended prompts.
Do students need accounts for the digital version?
No. You share one link, and students open it on any device without logging in.
More for Social Awareness
See all in the library →
Every resource, one library.
572 SEL resources for elementary classrooms — printables, digital activities and answer sheets, and every new one we add.
