Bullying Prevention Reading Comprehension Passages — Grade 5

About this resource

Bullying is easier to see once you notice the audience. These bullying prevention reading comprehension passages give Grade 5 readers ten texts at F&P levels S–V, taking in group dynamics, a locker room whisper and the people who hid Anne Frank. The set develops Relationship Skills, one of the five CASEL competencies, at a depth fifth graders can argue about.

What students practice

• Understanding why groups stay silent or join in
• Comparing two paths after a mistake
• Moving from just watching to speaking up
• Building a safe social environment, not just posting rules
• Linking bullying to lost trust and culture

What’s inside

• 10 passages at F&P levels S–V, in text types such as how-to guides, science pieces and student profiles
• 5 multiple-choice questions per passage
• 2 open-ended questions per passage for written answers or discussion
• Answer key covering all 50 bullying prevention multiple-choice questions
• 37 pages, with an overview page of levels, text types and SEL focus

A look inside

• The Eye Roll That Echoed: repeated eye rolls and side comments cause real harm.
• Meet José: The Peer Ally: he helped plan a “Kindness Campaign” through student council.
• The Locker Room Whisper: a reflection on overhearing quiet bullying and finally deciding to speak.
• The Story of Anne Frank’s Friends: the people who hid Anne Frank and her family, and quiet courage.
• What Happens to Trust When Bullying Is Normalized?: why culture change is the answer.

How to use these bullying prevention reading passages

• Reading groups at levels S–V, comparing how two passages show a bystander becoming an upstander
• Written answers to the open-ended questions as a reflection journal
• SEL reading comprehension: use How to Create a Safe Social Environment to talk about changing peer culture
• Independent reading and homework with the 50-question answer key

Grade fit

Written for Grade 5 readers, with levels from S to V. These reading passages with questions suit students heading toward middle school, where group bullying and silence get harder to name.

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.

Good to know

The Story of Anne Frank’s Friends touches on persecution in history. Read it first to decide how much background your class needs.

Pairs well with

To carry the bullying prevention theme beyond reading, pair it with Bullying Prevention Role Play Scenarios for acting it out and Bullying Prevention Task Cards for written responses.