🇺🇸Twenty-four nonfiction passages about U.S. holidays and observances, from Labor Day and Veterans Day to Lunar New Year, Juneteenth and Independence Day, each in two levels with the same facts, plus RACE writing prompts with model answers, talk cards and answer keys.
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Twenty-four U.S. holidays and observances, one nonfiction passage each, from Labor Day and Veterans Day to Lunar New Year, Juneteenth and Independence Day, plus Thanksgiving, Christmas, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Constitution Day and Halloween. Every passage comes in two levels with the same facts, so a whole class can read about the same holiday at the level that fits: Level 1 "Show What You Know" with comprehension questions, and Level 2 "Think Deeper" with multiple-choice questions including a Part A / Part B evidence pair and a vocabulary question.
Each passage page is built the same way, so the routine becomes automatic. The page gives a word count — the Veterans Day passage is 243 words, the Thanksgiving passage is 269 words — and a "Read 3 times!" routine, a "Did you know?" fact, and directions to underline the main idea, circle new words and star key facts. The "Did you know?" facts are the kind children remember and repeat, like the one that President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the 1954 law that renamed Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
The RACE writing set gives one constructed response per holiday, 24 in all, with model answers, plus a RACE poster that walks through Restate, Answer, Cite and Explain. A "Find Someone Who" set adds 12 talk cards, so the holidays also get talked about, not just read about. The set is PDF, US Letter, black and white, and the listing states 117 pages, with answer keys included on 8 pages covering Labor Day, Constitution Day, Halloween and more.
The grade range is 3rd through 5th grade: the description and the listing's Highlights field agree on 3rd–5th. The passages are informational text, so they fit reading lessons, informational text units, morning work and reading centers, and any week when a holiday is already on the classroom calendar.
📖 Teaching guide · 13 min readHoliday Reading Comprehension: U.S. Holiday Passages for 3rd, 4th and 5th GradeRead the guide →A holiday is already on the calendar, so the reading does not need a reason to matter. Twenty-four passages in two levels, a RACE prompt for every one of them, and the same facts at both levels means the whole class can read, talk and write about the day that is already on the wall.
It is written for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. The description and the listing's Highlights field agree on 3rd–5th.
Twenty-four, one for each U.S. holiday or observance on the calendar: Labor Day, Veterans Day, Lunar New Year, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Constitution Day and Halloween, and more.
Level 1 is "Show What You Know" with comprehension questions. Level 2 is "Think Deeper" with multiple-choice questions including a Part A / Part B evidence pair and a vocabulary question. Both levels cover the same facts.
Yes. There is one RACE constructed-response prompt per holiday, 24 in all, with model answers, plus a RACE poster that walks through Restate, Answer, Cite and Explain.
Yes. Answer keys are included on 8 pages, covering Labor Day, Constitution Day, Halloween and more.
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