How to Differentiate a Reading Passage…We’ve Got You Covered!

What are the best differentiation strategies for reading comprehension? Experts have many opinions on the subject, but one truth holds clear – students need accessible materials and lots of practice. Differentiated texts are your best bet to reach learners of different abilities. This grouping of materials provides differentiated materials for comparing and contrasting Mars and Planet Earth.

The differentiated resources offered in this downloadable resource come in two levels – on and below level. Each set of paired passages is accompanied by a compare and contrast cut and sort activity and a structured writing template for producing a compare and contrast paragraph.

This set of Mars vs. Earth resources focuses on the following skills:

• Comparing and Contrasting Mars and Earth(Passages)
• Identifying facts and details 
• Organizing and recording information (Cut and Sort Table)
• Writing an Informative paragraph (Sentence Frames Provided)

An answer key is included with your download to make grading fast and easy!  

Easily Download & Print

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to download the PDF version of this resource. 

Because this resource includes an answer sheet, we recommend you print one copy of the entire file. Then, make photocopies of the blank worksheet for students to complete. 

Additionally, project the worksheet onto a screen and work through it as a class by having students record their answers in their notebooks.

Find more ideas for differentiated instruction here!

This resource was created by Kirstin Sowers, a teacher in Illinois and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities to shorten your lesson planning time: