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Mastering the ELA Standards in Middle School

paired passages

5 Things to Consider When Using Paired Passages in Middle School ELA

Often people think paired passages can only be used exactly as they’re sold, but we’re here to tell you that there are a whole bunch of ways you can be using paired passages in middle school.

Today we are going through 5 things to consider when using paired passages in middle school ELA. We hope this list will give you some ideas for different ways to use paired passages but also encourage you to be selective about which paired passages you use for each activity.

If you love paired passages, make sure to head over to this blog post, where we provide 5 NEW ways to use paired passages in middle school ELA.

#1 | What’s the Standard?

What is the standard that you’re focusing on, and what do students need to do or practice for your students to engage with that standard?

Often we think that paired passages have to be used with reading standards, but that’s not true. In fact, depending on the passage you choose, the passages can be used for many of the standards in the ELA curriculum.

If you are working on a writing standard, you may use the paired passage as part of the research or citing practice, which is very different than using the paired passages to work on speaking standards through a discussion or even as part of a debate.

Know your goal first, and then use the passages to help your students meet your goals in the best way you can.

#2 | Which Passage?

We have over 30 paired passages in the store, so how do you choose which passage to use? 

First, is there a specific topic you’ve been discussing as a class? If there is a related passage, you may decide to use that one.

You could also choose passages based on student interest or with an upcoming holiday in mind.

With over 30 paired passages to choose from, you can be particular and pointed in your decision. You could even add in a little student choice by letting students pick from a selection of paired passages you’ve curated specifically for an assignment or lesson.

Since you have so many options, this is a great place to be picky!

#3| Both Passages or Just One?

Although paired passages come in sets, you don’t have to use both passages. Maybe you only need one passage for a particular assignment, or maybe there is one perspective that you specifically want to focus on.

Just because there are two doesn’t mean you actually need to use both at the same time!

#4 | Questions or Not?

We provide reading comprehension questions for every paired passage set in our store. Just because the questions are available does not mean you actually have to use them. 

If you are using the paired passages to work on a writing standard, the questions may not have any use to you at all. However, if you are using the paired passages daily as part of your morning routine, you may want students to do every question!

#5 | Print or Digital?

Lastly, since the paired passages are available as both print and digital resources, you can decide if you want students to work through them on their computers or on paper. 

If your students have been spending a lot of time on their computers, consider printing out the next set of paired passages you use. Or maybe the activity you’re doing requires the students to annotate directly on the passages.

You don’t have to commit to doing it the same way every time!

Paired passages can be magical in your classroom, but with so many different kinds, you can use them in different ways all year long!

Hopefully, some of the suggestions on this list have caused you to think of your paired passages in a whole new way!

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32 Paired Passages to Use in Middle School ELA

Much of teaching and learning in ELA is based on reading, analyzing, and pulling information from passages, and these 32 paired passages to use in middle school ELA were made specifically for this grade range and their interests.

We’ve got a passage for that.

When we talk with new middle school ELA teachers about the different ways to connect with students, we often bring up a variety of topics that students are interested in. We spend a lot of time listing topics like video games, cell phones, social media, and sports, and then we try to come up with examples to use in the classroom or projects or assignments we can do that will align with these topics.

Well, we’ve made it a lot easier to give students a chance to work with these types of high-interest topics with our Paired Passage product line.

In the Paired Passage product line, we have 30+ paired passages to use in middle school ELA that hit on topics middle school students actually care about and enjoy learning about.

What are Paired Passages?

Paired passages are sets of nonfiction passages that have a shared topic. Each passage looks at the topic from a different angle or purpose.

In our paired passages to use in middle school, we have also included reading comprehension questions for each passage so that teachers can easily use the passages for bell-ringers or as stand-alone assignments.

Ways to Use Paired Passages

Since each of our paired passages includes reading comprehension questions, they are great for test prep and practicing test-taking strategies. Teachers can gather a variety of passages and create practice tests for students to use as they prepare for standardized tests.

Paired passages can also be given to students as they practice making arguments and pulling information from sources.

We also like using paired passages as an introduction to a discussion session. Since the passages provide different points of view on the same topic, the discussion that can stem from the reading often results in a very heated give-and-take session with students that can be a fun and interesting way to work on listening and speaking standards.

New Ways to Use Paired Passages

Although you can always use paired passages to practice test taking or to read and discuss as a class, there are also many other ways to use paired passages.

In this blog post, we discuss several new (and unexpected) ways to use paired passages with your middle school ELA students.

New ways to use paired passages (blog image)

30+ Paired Passages to Use in Middle School ELA

Here is the current list of the paired passage bundles available in The Sparkly Notebook Store. When you click on the bundle of the grade level you teach, you’ll have the option to select a specific topic or grab the whole grade level at a discount! 

Remember: Passages from other grade levels can also provide opportunities for differentiation!

Grade Level Bundles:

4th-5th Grade

6th-7th Grade

8th-9th Grade 

Topics Include:

  • Instagram vs. TikTok
  • iPhone vs. Android
  • Graffiti
  • Should We Ban Zoos?
  • Cell Phones
  • Video Games
  • Pizza
  • Running
  • Social Media Effects
  • Technology
  • Superheroes
  • Making the Team
  • Kids as Influencers
  • Advertisements
  • PlayStation vs. Xbox
  • School Uniforms
  • Live Life or Capture It
  • Benefits and Risks of Playing on Sports Teams
  • Football Safety
  • Participation Trophies
  • Fidget Toys
  • Is TV Worth the Risk?
  • Importance of Sleep
  • YouTube Fame
  • Reality TV
  • Fact or Fiction Online
  • Owning a Pet
  • In-Person or Virtual
  • Healthy Eating
  • Mac vs. PC
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Using High-Interest Paired Passages to Teach the Standards

Using high-interest paired passages helps you connect with your current students and engage with them on topics they actually enjoy.

I remember the day I realized I was getting older.

I was providing a real-world connection to a novel we were reading, and I mentioned someone from a high-profile event that I thought my students would know.

My students simply stared at me.

They had no idea who I was talking about.

How could that be?

I brought up a picture of the person and explained it again, certain that they had misunderstood what I said.

Then I noticed the date on the picture, and I realized that the case I was referencing took place when I was in middle school. It was not even from this decade.

That’s when I understood their confusion.

At first, I felt a little sad. I was officially old… or at least that is what my inner voice was saying.

Now, years later, I look back on that same experience with a completely different perspective.

It wasn’t that old, but it was a very old reference for my students.

Staying current is important as a teacher!

Even though I may still be a spring chick, I am old to my students, and I have to be careful to use content that they actually know and understand.

Making Connections with High-Interest Paired Passages

Now, I am much more aware of what kinds of examples I use around my students rather than using examples from ‘back in the day.’ I use recent examples that they will understand.

I have begun really focusing on finding content for lessons that align with my students’ interests and topics that are very relevant to them.

Since we do a lot of reading passage work, I often find myself looking for and creating high-interest paired passages.

When I talk about topics like video games and TikTok in passages, my students are engaged and are able to make their own connections.

Ways to use Paired Passages

We can use these types of passages to discuss all sorts of things.

They can be a springboard for a Socratic Seminar, a resource for a research paper or project, or a way to compare and contrast viewpoints.

Since each of the paired passages addresses the topic from a different angle, we can use the passages in various activities that work on a variety of standards and skills.

Some additional activities you can try with these high-interest paired passages include…

  • Sentence Slips
  • Citation Work
  • Research Starters
  • A Scavenger Hunt
  • Facts First

To learn more about each of these activities, read this post which explores 5 New Ways to Use Paired Passages!

New Ways to Use Paired Passages Blog Image

Paired Passage Topics to Engage with Students

Now that I am more aware of my students’ needs and interests and what kinds of topics they like to engage with, I spend time making high-interest paired passages on a variety of topics.

Here are some of the topics my students are currently into.

TikTok

Paired Passages Resource

Social Media

Social Media Paired Passages

Sports

Video Games

Easy Middle School ELA Activities for the Weeks Surrounding Spring Break (Video Game Paired Passages)
Kids as Influencers
High-Interest Paired Passages: Kids as Influencers

Cell Phones

High-Interest Paired Passages: Cell Phones

High-Interest Paired Passages: Superheroes

Each of these high-interest paired passage sets are differentiated for different grade levels and reading abilities and have built-in questions to start conversations and get students to consider the topic more thoroughly.

They are a great way to make your classroom content relevant and interesting for your students and make you feel a lot more ‘hip’ too!

Enjoy!

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Practice Test-Taking Strategies with Paired Passages

Read about high-interest topics while you practice test-taking strategies with paired passages.

We love when students love reading, but we’ve found that our students don’t love reading when they have to read about topics they struggle to connect with.

Shocker, right?!? (Yep. That was sarcasm!)

Although students may need to know that the Stamp Act took place, a non-fiction passage about the Stamp Act is not something they will probably get really excited to read.

When you are practicing test-taking strategies related to reading, find highly engaging passages for students to work with. Testing is not really exciting, but when we are practicing test-taking strategies with paired passages, there are no rules that say you have to pick passages that are just as dull as a typical standardized test passage.

Why read about the Stamp Act when you can practice test-taking strategies with paired passages about social media, TikTok, video games, sports, and so much more?

What’s Included in a Paired Passage

Before we talk about test-taking strategies, let’s talk about what these paired passages look like.

Each paired passage set includes passages that are focused on a common topic, and each passage includes a set of reading comprehension questions to test a student’s knowledge.

You can also create your own questions to go along with a passage or ask students to use the paired passages to support their writing practice. 

We love paired passages so much; in fact, we’ve come up with a whole bunch of different ways to use them. You can read about the ways we like to reuse our paired passages in this post!

New ways to use paired passages (blog image)

Paired Passages also challenge students to think about the text in a different way. In this post, we’ve talked about how paired passages can prepare students for testing situations.

Test Prep with Paired Passages Blog Image

Practice Test-Taking Strategies with Paired Passages

There are a variety of test-taking strategies out there, and these paired passages allow you to put your students in a test-like situation so they can practice several of those strategies.

Maybe you are practicing taking timed tests. If you know that students are typically given 60 minutes on their reading tests, and the reading test includes six passages, then you can give your students 10 minutes to complete one of the passages. 

Maybe you are working on narrowing down answer choices. Use the questions that come with the paired passages to practice figuring out which answers can be thrown out and which ones need to be seriously considered.

Maybe you are teaching your students how to quickly annotate a passage to help them be more successful in a testing situation. Use one of these paired passages to demonstrate how you might do that.

For more test-taking tips, check out this blog post!

The paired passages we have in the store are very similar to the passages that students may encounter during testing situations, making them great for you to use as you practice test-taking strategies.

Take a closer look at all the different paired passage topics we have available here!

Testing doesn’t have to be scary, and you can do a lot to prepare your students when you practice test-taking strategies with paired passages! 

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New Ways to Use Paired Passages

If you are looking for more ways to use paired passages with your students, try out some of these new ideas!

We have a bunch of paired passages in the store on a whole slew of high-interest topics, but once you have them, what else can you do with them? That is exactly what we’re talking about today.

We aren’t just going to talk about paired passages or their benefits. We’re providing 5 NEW ways to use them with your students!

What are paired passages?

Paired passages are a set of 2 writing passages that are similar in topic or theme.

These passages can be used by teachers for a variety of purposes.

We here at The Sparkly Notebook have always encouraged the use of paired passages for reading comprehension practice. In fact, each of the paired passages in our store includes reading comprehension activities.

In this paired passage set about playing team sports, students are asked to use the passages to…

  • Practice using context clues to define unknown words
  • Answer evidence-based questions
  • And write an argument based on the reading

These paired passages are specifically created to be no/low prep and easy for teachers to use.

Benefits of playing sports paired passages
Paired Passage Product Image

Paired Passages for Test Prep

Before we get into 5 new ways to use paired passages, let’s talk about one tried and true way we use paired passages with students.

Test Prep

We wrote all about using paired passages for test prep in this post.

Paired passages often mimic the style and feel of a reading test passage. That makes them great for practicing test-like situations. They are not, however, as boring as some other test prep options. As you get into test prep season, don’t forget to pull out some high-interest paired passages (like the ones below) to use as practice.

5 New Ways to Use Paired Passages

Each of the ideas on this list serves a different purpose. Choose the option that serves your students where they’re at. A few of the ideas will require a little bit of prep, so don’t wait until the last minute to decide which paired passage to try!

#1 | Sentence Slips

Cut up the paired passages into sentences or paragraphs, and challenge students with putting it back together. This activity gives students practice in thinking through how effective writing is organized. Note: This activity may require reformatting the passage or typing out the sentences line by line, but it won’t take too long.

Option: To make this activity a little harder, mix the sentences from both passages together. Students will have to sort them first, and then organize them.

#2 | Scavenger Hunt

Put together a list of ‘Examples to Find’ for your students. On your list, you’ll ask students to find specific examples in the paired passage texts. 

Here are some examples of what you might put on their list.

  • An example of a compound sentence.
  • 3 examples of adverbs being used
  • An example of a fact
  • An example of an opinion
  • 3 examples of figurative language
  • Identify at least 2 different stakeholders for this issue
  • The main idea of the passages

Your scavenger hunt list can be adapted to whatever your students have been working on recently, and you can use the same passages over and over again.

Pro Tip: If you want to save on printing, place the passages in sheet protectors and give students dry-erase markers to identify the items on the list.

#3 | Practice Citing

Challenge students to write an argument on this topic using these paired passages as two of their sources. If source information is not provided in the paired passage, make some up for the purpose of practicing this skill.

#4 | Facts First

Before presenting students with the paired passage activity, put the facts on index cards. Encourage students to sort the cards to try to figure out how the facts might be arranged into two passages. This activity encourages students to think about why choosing the RIGHT facts to support an argument is helpful. As they get older and write longer essays, being able to choose facts well will be very important.

Organizational Idea: Take the time to put the facts on cardstock and then laminate them. They will last for years.

#5 | Research Starters

Use the paragraphs of the paired passages to assign research topics to students. 

Cut out the paragraphs and hand them out. Encourage students to read the passage, and then research their particular part of the argument in more detail. 

When they are done, students will bring at least 3 facts back to the group that supports the point made in the paragraph they were assigned.

Paired passages are super powerful in the classroom, and hopefully, when you add in a few of these new ways for using paired passages, they’ll be even more beneficial.

If you are excited to try out some of these new ideas, simply grab one of the paired passage resources below, and get started!

High-Interest Paired Passages

Try out some of the ideas in this post on one of the high-interest, engaging paired passage sets below. 

Now, pick one and go!

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Pin Image - New Ways to Use Paired Passages

Test Prep with Paired Passages

Use The SPARKLY Notebook’s paired passages to help prep middle school students for tests. These are great resources for all ELA teachers.

Many of us teachers have different opinions about tests.

I think we can all agree that assessment is important; we want to be able to help students recognize where they are AND show them the potential of where they can go. 

However, we also don’t want to focus TOO MUCH on assessment because there is so much more to education than tests, am I right? We would rather focus on ALL of the skills we know they are going to need for the future, not just assessments left and right. 

Use The SPARKLY Notebook's paired passages to help prep middle school students for tests. These are great resources for ELA teachers.

It often seems like it is one or the other, but maybe it doesn’t have to be.

When it comes to teaching ELA, I have found the use of paired passages to be extremely engaging for my students. I am able to use a variety of reading material about a variety of interesting topics. Through these passages, I am able to release a waterfall of discussion and insight from my students that isn’t always flowing in our novel units.

Additionally, these paired passages are also where we can prep our students for those future tests. With these passages, students are:

  • Utilizing higher-level thinking
  • Reading an assortment of writing from a variety of authors
  • Deconstructing questions and choosing best answers
  • Learning about modern issues and topics
  • Analyzing information for a specific purpose

And those are only a few of the benefits!

Oftentimes, my students enjoy the discussion that follows these passages because simply put, they are fun passages to read. I incorporate multiple-choice questions or short-answer questions in the mix as either pre-discussion topics or mini-assessment opportunities. 

One of my favorite paired-passage is my Is Grafitti Art or Vandalism? paired passage. This Differentiated GOOGLE CLASSROOM READY Paired Text Set is on a high-interest topic and thus, had my students interested from the start! It is Common-Core aligned AND my students LOVE it! So check it out for yourself!

Paired texts are definitely a win-win!

Not sure how to utilize them in your own classroom? Or not sure if you have the time to come up with your own paired passages?

I GOT YOU!

Check out my paired-passages products here!

Why create your own passages when I have already done the work for you?

If you want more information about test prep tips in general, check out this blog post! I talk about the use of paired passages as well as two other tips that have helped my students prepare both mentally and academically for future tests! Click here.

Enjoy!

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Test Prep Tips

Test.

The one word that creates so much anxiety for so many of our students.

Although testing has been around for, well…a LONG time, we still haven’t come across the best ways to eliminate this test anxiety in our students. However, with preparation, we may be able to ease this anxiety to some extent. The more that our students are familiar with the PROCESS of testing, the less anxious they will be on test day!

So, how should we prepare our students for testing?

Three Ways to Prep Your Students for a Test

Step One: Students need to be familiar with the way test questions are phrased.

We like to simplify questions in the classroom. We are trained to phrase questions in a way that students will understand, but for some reason, tests do not take this same consideration. The questions sound complex and overwhelming for students, so the more students hear these types of questions, the more they will be able to break down specifically what the question is asking.

DO: Use one bellringer a week to ask a test-like question and offer the opportunity to break down the question as a class. Try one of my “Paired-Passages” resources online which focuses on question breakdown and test prep.

A paired passage activity to help you prep for tests in the ELA classroom.

Step Two: Teach your students to scan.

In a world full of information, we can’t read everything, can we? Rather, we scan an article or website searching for the exact information we need. Teaching our students to scan will help them answer test questions faster because they aren’t getting stuck reading every single word on the test. 

DO: Discuss keywords with your students. Practice scanning texts for keywords related to simple questions and work your way up to more complex questions. The more practice they have at scanning, the better they will be when a test rolls around.

Step Three: Teach test-taking skills.

In my experience, teaching students a code system can be very helpful. It works like this.

More often than not, a student is not going to answer each question right off the bat during a test. A typical student might be able to answer number 1 right away, but be unsure of number 2, and have NO IDEA on number 3. So, how should the student handle this situation?

Students should…

  • Answer the questions they ABSOLUTELY know and put smiley faces next to them.
  • Make the best guess on the answers they THINK they know and put stars next to them.
  • Answer the questions they DON’T know AT ALL and put a question mark next to them.

The idea here is that students will be able to answer each question the first go-around (to make sure the test is done on time), but then, if there is time left over, they are able to go back through and answer questions with stars next to them. If they make it through all of the starred questions, they can finally go back through and re-read some of the questions coded with a question mark. This strategy ensures that students are answering the questions they are more likely to get right first.

DO: Teach a coding system to your students. This type of skill can be so helpful in so many areas of life, not just test-taking.

Cool! Now what?

With these three steps, your students will be more prepared to take a test on any given day. These steps will not ease all anxiety that comes with testing, but they could definitely help! Better yet, these three steps at most take around 10 minutes a week to teach. If you could try something for 10 minutes each with a high possibility that it will help your students come test day, wouldn’t you want to try it?

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Just remember, providing support for test prep is only half the battle. The other half is teaching your students to BELIEVE that they CAN do well on tests! Check out this post about the student’s mindset. Enjoy!

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