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12 Months of Close Reading

A Year of Literacy Lessons: Close Reads by Month

Reading never goes out of style, and here at Fun in 5th Grade, we have close reading passages for all seasons. From Football in the fall to Mardi Gras or even some Sweet Treat history for National Dessert Day in October, we have engaging reading passages for every season, and the list just keeps getting bigger. 

When we design lessons, we aim to save teachers time and energy. Resources like our review games, virtual board games, and task cards help to fill in the gaps and take tasks off of our teachers’ shoulders and our unique Close Read Comprehension Passages with Mystery Grid Pictures do not disappoint.

What makes our close reads unique?

For several years now, Fun in 5th Grade has been creating Close Reads with Mystery Pictures to supplement or fill the gaps in your units related to reading. Each close read set includes three different passages featuring a blend of nonfiction and fiction passages. Each passage comes with 10 text-dependent questions, a writing prompt, graphic organizers, and a mystery grid picture.

Printable + Digital

In light of the 2020 school year, we are quickly transitioning these resources to be applicable in the virtual space. Now, students can not only answer the questions and complete the writing prompt digitally, but they can also fill out the graphic organizers and color in the mystery grid pictures from a safe, digital distance!

Differentiation

In an effort to meet your students where they are at, each passage has three different levels allowing immediate differentiation teachers can implement as soon as they download the resource. Saving you both time and mental energy!

Creativity + Engagement

The Mystery Grid Pictures add a little creativity and engagement to our close reads. When students answer questions, a color is assigned to each answer. Students are encouraged to use that color in all boxes associated with that question. If they get the questions correct, in the end, they will reveal a beautiful colorful masterpiece appropriate to the theme of the close read.

Close reading for EVERY Season

The Fun in 5th Grade team is always creating new Close Reads with Mystery Grid Pictures. Every season we add in even more of these resources for our teachers, and the feedback has been great!

We recently received this review from Kathleen about our November themed close read.

A great close reading resource to use for online tutoring which allows for differentiation of reading levels.  I like that I can use the resource for reading comprehension and also for writing, as the graphic organizers help my students organize and summarize important information in order to construct their written work.  They enjoyed the fall and holiday themed readings and completing the mystery grid picture.  Thank you!!”

Another teacher had this to say about the Food-themed close read.

“I used this resource for both in person and virtual students.  My students enjoy these and it is good practice for them.  All of my students are in middle school and are on the autism spectrum.  One of my virtual students emailed me with this completed assignment and said, “This is fun!  Do more of these please!” 

The value of these resources is undeniable, and we want to make sure that you all know exactly what we have available. 

Available close reads resources by month

Below we have outlined a month-by-month breakdown of currently available close reads! If you love this list, and want to get your hands on several of these close reads, it may be time to consider the Close Reading Passages with Mystery Pictures BUNDLE. By purchasing the bundle you get all of our current close reading sets at a discount PLUS any time I make a new close read set and add it to the bundle, you get the new sets for…wait for it…FREE!

This is a seriously good deal! But don’t take my word for it, check out all of the resources below and start laying out your year of close reads today!

January

Fireworks
Polar Bears
Blizzards
2/1/22
1/22/23
2/10/24
1/29/25

February

One Room Schoolhouse
Mohammad Ali
How Chocolate is Made
3rd Monday in February
3/1/22
2/21/23
2/13/24
3/4/25
Academy Awards are usually in February.

March

Basketball
Daylight Savings
Katherine Johnson

April

Butterflies
Rainbows
Jackie Robinson
4/17/22
4/9/23
3/31/24
4/20/25
April 22

May

Ladybugs
Kites
Sunscreen

June

Swimming
Ice Cream
Turtles

July

Monkeys
Sharks
American Flag

August

August Reading Comprehension Passages with Mystery Grid Pictured
Caping
Bees
Sandcastles
First Day of School
Classrooms Around the World
How Crayons Are Made

September

Soccer
Buses Around the World
Sunflowers
National Cheese Pizza Day 9/5
National Cheeseburger Day 9/18

October

Jack o’ lantern Home
Spiders
Bats
October 31

November

Acorns
Pumpkin Pie
Cornucopia
4th Thursday of November

December

Penguins
Candy Canes
Ice Hockey
Elf Life
History of Santa
Christmas Around the Wold

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