Get this monster reading passages freebie! Our Fluency & Comprehension Freebie Sample Pack is here to help teachers of early readers out with a nice variety of passages kids will love to read! With 10 ready-to-use reading passages on fun topics, it’s designed to save you time while building fluency and comprehension.
Best of all, it’s completely NO PREP—just download and teach!
See what’s included in the reading passages freebie below:
More about the reading passages freebie
There are sample passages included from the following products in our shop:
Fluency Phrases
Beginning Readers Bundle
Reading Response Passages
Reading Comprehension Passages & Questions Bundle
How Teachers are Using the Reading Passages Freebie
Fluency Phrases
These are perfect for a struggling and beginning readers. The passages are short and are designed with repetition to scaffold reading fluency practice. Find more ideas for reading fluency here.
A success story
We love this fluency win Valerie told us about after trying this free fluency passage!
At the beginning of the year, one of my students, Mia, really struggled with reading. She’d stop after almost every word, sounding things out over and over, and you could see the frustration on her face. During small group time one day, I decided to try out one of the free reading passages with her.
We started by reading it together. I read the first part, making it fun with lots of expression, and then she gave it a try. At first, it was slow going, but I kept it positive and told her, “Let’s see how much smoother you can get with practice!” By the second round, she was already starting to get the hang of it. She even smiled a little when I pointed out how much faster she was reading.
By the end of the week, something amazing happened—she read the whole passage on her own, smoothly and with confidence! She even added a little expression, which made my heart so happy. When she finished, she looked at me and said, “That wasn’t even hard this time!”
It was such a great reminder of how powerful these little tools can be. A simple passage and some encouragement made a huge difference for Mia, and now she’s feeling so much more confident as a reader. Moments like that are why I love what I do.
-Valerie, 1st grade teacher
Beginning Reader Passages
Beginning Reader passages combine engaging text with phonics, comprehension, and fluency skills practice to create an interactive and engaging all-in-one resource.
Fluency Practice in Small Groups
These simple sentences are so useful for small group work in first grade, and with struggling readers in second grade!
During small group time, grab this sheet and have each student take turns reading a sentence out loud. As they read, give quick, encouraging feedback to help them with fluency, expression, and pacing.
For your more advanced readers, challenge them to read all the sentences on the page to keep them engaged. For those who might need a little extra support, focus on just one or two sentences at a time so they can feel successful without feeling overwhelmed. It’s an easy way to meet every student right where they are!
Reading Response Passages
These reading passages are perfect for a quick comprehension assessment. All passages have simple sight words and decodable words with digraphs and blends. There are 5-8 sentences per story. They are perfect for beginning and struggling readers!
A Quick Win for Sandra!
After downloading the freebie set, Sandra sent us this story that we love SO much!
I had such a great moment with my class yesterday during our reading block! I used one of those comprehension worksheets—you know, the ones with the short story and the response questions? I projected it on the board so everyone could follow along as I read it aloud.
Before I even started reading, I asked them to look at the title and picture and make predictions about what the story might be about. Their guesses were all over the place—some were spot on, and others were just hilarious! But they were so engaged right from the start.
As I read, I paused after a couple of sentences to ask things like, ‘What do you think Maya is doing now?’ or ‘Why do you think she likes writing about castles and princes?’ And they were so eager to chime in! Even my quieter kids were raising their hands, which felt like a win on its own.
After the story, I gave them the worksheet to finish at their desks or with a partner. I told them to think carefully about the main idea and to draw or write three key events from the story. When they came back to the rug to share their answers, I was blown away! One of my kiddos, who usually struggles to follow along, stood up and explained the main idea perfectly—‘Maya likes to write stories and works really hard on them.’ I couldn’t believe it!
It was one of those moments that reminded me how much these simple routines can help students connect with the story. Plus, the kids were so proud of their answers—and I didn’t even have to do much prompting. Definitely a teaching win!
-Sandra, 1st grade teacher
Comprehension Reading Passages Freebie
These passages are written on topics, that kids love. They are versatile too! Practice phonics skills, build fluency and practice demonstrating comprehension of what was read. They are the perfect solution for when you need a quick comprehension assessment.
Try this: Repeated Reading with Peer Check-Ins
- Routine: Have students read the passage three times to build fluency, checking off the boxes after each read.
- First Read: Silent reading for decoding and basic comprehension.
- Second Read: Whisper-read to a partner while the partner listens and encourages fluent reading.
- Third Read: Read aloud to the teacher or a peer with an emphasis on smooth, expressive reading.
- Comprehension Step: After the three reads, guide students to work through the multiple-choice questions and short-answer sections. Partners can discuss their answers and point to evidence in the text. For the “Find evidence in the text” question, model how to highlight the sentence that supports their answer.
More comprehension activity ideas to use with these passages.
We want to hear your story!
After you try out the reading passages freebie, send us an email or leave a comment here to tell us how it went and how you used the passages. We’d love to add your story to this post!
