July 19, 2022

Upper Elementary Reading Comprehension Passages & Phonics

These reading comprehension passages use the Science of Reading to guide your instruction for students that need direct phonics instruction while integrating vocabulary and reading comprehension. Balanced Readers includes 180 custom-illustrated passages to help engage your students in age-appropriate stories while working on these reading comprehension skills weekly. Each passage has been professionally leveled by Lexile and has been correlated to F&P, AR, DRA, and the grade level equivalent.

Comprehension passages to teach phonics and vocabulary

Phonics Aligned to the Science of Reading

Research collected from The Science of Reading has led to a unanimous conclusion that in order for students to learn to read successfully, they require explicit, systematic, and cumulative phonics instruction. Based on the science, the 3 elements needed for phonics instruction are: a hands-on approach, moving from presentation to practice, and showing the direct application to reading and spelling.
The Reading Comprehension Passages are designed to specifically target the last 2 needed elements, according to The Science of Reading. Each passage offers a direct move from presentation to phonics practice.
Even more exciting, the phonics skills are directly implemented within the context of a reading passage, allowing students to move from learning phonics skills in word isolation to applying the skills inside the context of a larger passage to understand meaning and comprehension.
Balanced Readers are a tremendous help in transitioning young readers from practicing phonics skills in a hands-on, manipulative way, to practicing using their newly acquired phonics skills directly into the context of a reading passage so that they can read words with automaticity and ease, focusing on all their mental efforts on the main reason for reading, to comprehend and understand.

Follow the 4-day Reading Comprehension Quick Guide

Phonics and Vocabulary – Day 1
Comprehension – Day 2
Word Comprehension – Day 3
Suffixes and Tenses – Day 4

Reading comprehension quick guides — Easy 4-Day Reading Comprehension Guide

Guides also include suggested ways to teach and differentiate these reading comprehension passages with specific students including:

Whole Group
Guided Reading
Strategy Groups
Intervention Groups
Students with Dyslexia
English Language Learners

Order of Teaching Phonics

Keep in mind the specific needs of your students and use your own professional autonomy, benchmark assessments, and informal assessments when necessary to adjust the order of instruction. With that said, The Science of Reading recommends this general scope and sequence for teaching phonics skills:

Short Vowels
Long Vowel Pairs
Magic – e
Consonant Digraphs
Consonant Blends
Vowel Digraphs
Vowel Diphthongs
R-Controlled Vowels
Special Consonant Patterns

Bundle and Save on Reading Comprehension Passages

Ready for engaging stories that your student will love with lessons that are done for you? Check out www.balancedreaders.com where you can purchase the passages individually, or buy the bundle to save money. While you are there, be sure to download the magic -e-freebie.

Also, be sure to check out this product in action for middle school by visiting middle school phonics instruction.

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