3rd Grade Reading Comprehension Passages

Reading Passages, Questions & Answers - Third Grade

Below you’ll find 3rd grade reading comprehension passages along with questions and answers and vocabulary activities. These printable 3rd grade reading activities include short story excerpts,  passages from popular books as well as high-interest information topics.

Hans and Gretel Find a Friend

This is the story of a Dutch boy, Hans Brinker, and his family. The family is very poor. Hans and his sister, Gretel, are excellent ice skaters. They want to take part in a race to win silver skates, but their homemade wooden skates aren’t good enough for them to…

The Pool of Tears

Lewis Carroll wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in 1865. The story is about a girl who has some amazing adventures when she follows a white rabbit down a hole to a very different world. Alice has trouble staying her normal size. Sometimes she grows very large. Other times, as in…

Peter’s Coal-Mine

This is from a story of an English family with three children named Peter, Phyllis, and Roberta. The mother and children move to a house near a railway, or railroad track, after the father has been put in prison. In this passage, the children and their mother have just arrived…

The Argument

Blip and Dit-dit were walking to school one day. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, and the land around them was bright red. It was a beautiful spring day. Blip looked up into the sky and wiggled his long, green antennae. “Just think. We’re walking to school, and up there…

Heartache

In Little Women, the March sisters have grown up and are now young women. Jo has been away in New York City, but has returned home. Laurie, the boy next door, has grown into manhood, and has just graduated from college. Jo has met Laurie as he returns home. He…

Goldi’s Locks

The little girl with the blonde curls ran as fast as she could away from the small cottage. The three bears stood in the doorway of their home and roared at her until she was finally out of sight. What a terrible person they thought she was, breaking into their…

The Mystery Mammal

Every week someone in my class gets a turn at solving a problem. It’s always something different. I’m excited because today it’s my turn! My teacher clapped his hands to get the class’s attention. “We have been studying different kinds of animals, so this week’s problem will focus on one…

Osceola and the Indian Removal Act

Osceola paced in front of his thatched-roof home. He was mumbling to himself when his friend Hachi began to pace with him. “You look troubled, Osceola,” said Hachi. “You have heard of the Indian Removal Act.” Osceola stopped pacing. “It is terrible. President Andrew Jackson proposes that we give up…

Bed in Summer

In winter I get up at night And dress by yellow candle-light. In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day. I have to go to bed and see The birds still hopping on the tree, Or hear the grown-up people’s feet Still going past…

Erika and the Necklace

Erika and her little sister sneaked into their mommy’s room. “I’m just going to try on some jewelry,” said Erika. She took a necklace and tried to put it on her neck. “Oh, no,’ said Beth. “Mommy doesn’t like us playing with her stuff.” “Okay, you be the lookout,” instructed…