Super Teacher Worksheets

3rd Grade Reading Comprehension - Short Passages

This page contains a set of printable worksheets with short reading comprehension passages written at approximately a 3rd grade level. Each passage includes reading comprehension questions.

3rd Grade Reading Comprehension - Short Passages

Animals

Discover what's unusual about a chipmunk's cheeks, along with other interesting chipmunk facts.
3rd Grade
Cheeky Chipmunks
Common Core
View Available Versions
Preview File
Members can add this to their file cabinet
Your students will learn about squirrels when they carefully read this short passage. They'll test their comprehension with the questions that follow.
3rd Grade
Chubby-Cheeked Squirrels
What makes an insect an insect? Review and answer questions about the essential components that all insects share using this three-paragraph reading comp.
3rd Grade
What Are Insects?
Read this short passage about the wood frog, an amazing amphibian that freezes as a means of hibernation. Then answer the questions that follow.
3rd Grade
Frozen Frogs
Mammals keep themselves cool in a variety ways. Learn about some of them with this short, informative article.
3rd Grade
Cool Mammals
The spoonbill is a wading bird with a unique bill. Find out more with this short passage and worksheet.
3rd Grade
Bird with a Spoon
Print off this worksheet to have your students learn about how tails help different animals.
3rd Grade
Talking About Tails
Read this short article about several animals' eyes and vision abilities. Learn who has the largest eyes, who can see from high in the sky, and more fun facts about animal eyes.
3rd Grade
Watching Eyes

Landmarks & Places

Hoover Dam was built during the Great Depression, in the Colorado River, on the border between Arizona and Nevada.
3rd Grade
Hoover Dam
Learn about the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx near the Nile River in Egypt.
2nd through 4th Grades
The Great Pyramid
Quick-read paragraph with factual information about the White House.
2nd through 4th Grades
The White House
What is unique about the trees in this strange place? Students learn the secrets of the painted desert.
2nd through 4th Grades
The Painted Desert
Read about the Parthenon, a world-famous building in Athens, Greece. Then answer several reading comprehension questions.
3rd Grade
The Parthenon
A short passage that teaches students about Mount Rushmore.
2nd through 4th Grades
Mount Rushmore
Read about El Yunque National Forest and what makes it unique in this engaging short passage.
3rd Grade
El Yunque National Forest
Read up on West Virginia's first and only national park. This hidden gem is home to one of the oldest rivers on the planet!
3rd Grade
New River Gorge National Park
This short passage is all about the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. It has facts about the mall's size, the things you can do there, and more!
3rd Grade
Mall of America
Print off this worksheet to have students read about a unique feature in Tennessee. They'll learn about the caverns, including what they look like and how they've been used throughout history.
3rd Grade
Craighead Caverns

Biographies

American Founding Father Samuel Adams signed the Declaration of Independence and served in the Second Continental Congress.
3rd Grade
Samuel Adams
John Jay co-authored the Federalist Papers with James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. He also served as the the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
3rd Grade
John Jay

History

Although not the oldest set of laws ever written, Hammurabi's Code was much longer than others of the time. Learn about the famous source of the saying "an eye for an eye!" in these three paragraphs.
3rd Grade
The Code of Hammurabi
Do you know the differences of the first Olympic Games and today's Olympics? Read this short passage to find out more!
3rd Grade
The First Olympics
You might've heard Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest written story, but do you know what it's about? Did you know there are older kinds of writing? Learn more in this short article.
3rd Grade
The Epic of Gilgamesh

Other Topics

Have your students read this short passage on apple trees and answer the reading comprehension questions that go with it.
3rd Grade
Apple Trees
Brief, non-fiction passage explaining how pencil graphite was discovered, and what the numbers on pencils mean.
3rd Grade
Pencils
See also:
3rd Grade Reading Comp:
Longer Passages

Looking for longer passages? This page has full-length fiction stories, non-fiction articles, readers' theater scripts, and poems at a third grade level.

Sample Worksheet Images

3rd Grade Reading Comprehension

Third Grade Reading Passages

3rd Grade Reading Comp - Articles

Please Log In to Super Teacher Worksheets
Username:
Password:
Can't remember your password?
Not a member yet? Join Today!
Become a Member
Social Media
Follow Us
facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Not a Member?
For complete access to thousands of printable lessons click the button or the link below.
© 2025 Super Teacher Worksheets

PDF with answer key:

PDF no answer key:

Common Core Alignment
Preview