Elements, Mixtures & Compounds | Reading Comprehension 2 Passage & Questions

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Understanding elements, compounds and mixtures is a core concept for middle and high school science because it underpins the periodic table, chemical bonding, reactions, and the separation techniques students use in labs. This resource teaches the topic through two science reading passages with questions, one higher level and slightly more complex and one lower level and more accessible, so you can differentiate smoothly while keeping the whole class focused on the same learning targets.

Students learn how to define and classify matter, identify key differences between pure substances and mixtures, and connect particle level models to real examples like air, saltwater, alloys, and solutions. The paired texts, comprehension questions, vocabulary support and critical thinking prompts build scientific literacy, reduce common misconceptions, and help students confidently apply these ideas to topics like physical vs chemical change, filtration and distillation, and how scientists describe materials in the real world.

This tiered approach - offering two sets of guiding reading and questions tailored to each text - builds foundational skills in reading, critical thinking, and scientific inquiry, so you can use the right one for you. Through such structured resources, students develop a deeper appreciation for the processes that create and preserve this incredible natural phenomenon, and gain the scientific literacy necessary to make informed decisions.

This 2 article set of Elements, Mixtures & Compounds reading passages with questions provides the perfect grab and go, print and provide resource that can help your students learn all about Elements, Mixtures & Compounds. For digital, you can provide a Google doc copy for ease of submission or a Microsoft word version as well. In this Elements, Mixtures & Compounds article with questions to check comprehension and inspire scientific thinking.

The accessible version is geared towards approximately 5th / 6th / 7th grade science students, while the more advanced version is geared towards approximately 8th / 9th / 10th grade science students. This range for both could be extended with prep work or additional materials.

THIS ELEMENTS, COMPOUNDS & MIXTURES ARTICLE CAN BE USED SO MANY WAYS:

Useful for substitute (sub) teaching
To extend students
To increase scientific literacy in your class
A weekly reading task
Great as a lesson filler when class goes too fast
To inspire students on a particular topic
Give a selection of these articles for students to choose from

WHAT'S INCLUDED IN THIS ELEMENTS, COMPOUNDS & MIXTURES READING PASSAGE WITH QUESTIONS:

2 - 3 page Word doc image - textboxes teacher version with answers
2 - 2 page Word doc image - textboxes student version with room to fill in answers (text boxes)
2 - 3 page PDF teacher version with answers
2 - 2 page PDF student version without answers (but space left to do so)
2 - 3 page Google doc image - textboxes teacher version with answers
2 - 2 page Google doc image - textboxes student version with room to fill answers (text boxes)

Please note: That the Doc versions are images with editable text boxes overlayed on top and this is the most effective way to keep the article sleek and well-designed and also that students cannot change things significantly.