I remember my first encounter with paired passages WITHOUT fondness. These texts showed up on my students’ 5th grade writing assessment one year and it was definitely stress-inducing. I thought to myself, “This is more than just teaching writing. I have to teach close reading along with writing!”
Now that I’ve been teaching paired passages with writing for several years, I can tell you that it’s easier than it looks. Honestly, I think using paired passages in my writing instruction is valuable for my students.
And do you know what’s even more powerful? Combining paired passages, close reading, writing, and social studies!
So, how do I teach paired passages in my classroom? Buckle up because we’re about to zoom through the steps and make you a paired passage-teaching pro!
Step 1: Dissect the Prompt
Should students read the paired passages first? Noooo!
Read the prompt carefully a few times. I even have my students underline and circle important words in the prompt.
Students who thoroughly understand the prompt will read the paired passages with purpose and will have a much easier time locating important pieces of text.
Step 2: Closely Read the Paired Texts
I start my students with one text. It can get confusing if they read both texts together, so I teach my students to closely read one text multiple times, fully understand it, and then tackle the second text.
There are soooo many variations of the close reading process. I use three close reading steps with my students. Having just three steps helps students to stay focused.
Close Reading Step A
Read the text all the way through once to get a big picture of the structure and ideas contained in the text.
Close Reading Step B
I train my students to think about what the prompt says while they read the text a second time. They UNDERLINE phrases that they believe will be helpful when writing their essays. My students also CIRCLE key words.
Close Reading Step C
My students read the text one last time and make quick notes in the margins so they can easily reference important sections later.
Step 3: Organize Thoughts Using the Prompt
After students have closely read both passages, I ask them to revisit the prompt for a moment. Then, they will organize their ideas about the prompt using an organizer.
Because I teach paired passages after my students are great five paragraph essay writers, they are already familiar with using an organizer.
Check out this blog post to find out how I teach five paragraph essays. There’s a freebie at the end too! Tips for Teaching and Grading Five Paragraph Essays
What’s the difference between writing a regular five paragraph essay and using paired passages to write a five paragraph essay?
When students write a five paragraph essay using a singular prompt, they are pulling from their own ideas, knowledge, and experience. When writing a five paragraph essay using paired texts, students are pulling information from both texts.
Answering a prompt using paired texts is truly a higher-level reading, thinking, and writing activity. Combine these with social studies topics and you have teaching gold!
If you are looking for ready-to-use paired passages with a variety of writing prompts, activities, and organizers, check out this bundle:
