Empathy Reading Comprehension Passages — Grade 3
Caring about someone is not the same as taking over. These empathy reading comprehension passages give Grade 3 readers ten texts at F&P levels N–P that range from a shared sandwich to emperor penguins.
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About this resource
Caring about someone is not the same as taking over. These empathy reading comprehension passages give Grade 3 readers ten texts at F&P levels N–P that range from a shared sandwich to emperor penguins. This set develops Social Awareness, one of the five CASEL competencies, and looks at the line between helping and rescuing.
What students practice
- Telling what empathy is from what it isn’t
- Seeing the same event from both sides
- Helping without taking over
- Noticing quiet struggle
- Understanding empathy through a brain-based explanation
What’s inside
- 10 passages at F&P levels N–P, from how-to guides to science pieces and real-world features
- 5 multiple-choice questions per passage
- 2 open-ended questions per passage for written answers or discussion
- Answer key for the empathy multiple-choice questions on one page
- 35 pages, with an overview of the passages, levels and SEL focus
A look inside
- The Shared Sandwich: a student forgets his lunch and says nothing, and a classmate quietly notices.
- The Penguin That Waited: emperor penguins take turns protecting eggs in brutal weather.
- Two Sides of the Birthday Party: a misunderstanding told from both sides.
- The Missing Chair: a student on crutches has no chair, and friends rearrange the setup.
- The Empathy Experiment: what happens in the brain during empathy.
How to use these empathy reading passages
- Guided reading groups at levels N–P, comparing both sides of the birthday story
- Partner reading, then answer the open-ended questions with a partner
- SEL reading comprehension: start with How to Help Without Taking Over
- Independent practice or homework with the one-page answer key
Grade fit
Written for Grade 3 readers, with levels from N to P. The reading passages with questions use lunch, parties and school assemblies, so third graders can recognize themselves.
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
After reading, move to Empathy Scenario Cards for decision practice, or act out the ideas with Empathy Role Play Scenarios.
Questions teachers ask
Is there an answer key?
Yes. The multiple-choice answers for the empathy passages are on one page at the end of the PDF. The open-ended questions have no fixed answer.
Does it include a brain science passage?
Yes. The Empathy Experiment explains what happens in the brain during empathy, and why putting yourself in someone’s shoes is more literal than it sounds.
Do students need accounts for the digital version?
No. For the empathy passages you share one link, and students open it on any device with no login.
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