Two Texts, One Topic is a free printable Grade 3 English worksheet on comparing the key points of two texts on one subject, aligned to Common Core standard RI.3.9. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
A canal cannot run uphill. Where the land rises, engineers build a lock: a chamber with a gate at each end.
A boat going uphill enters the lock through the lower gate. The gate closes behind it.
Sluices in the upper gate are opened. Water flows in from the higher stretch of canal, and the boat rises with it. No pump is needed, because the water comes down by gravity.
When the water inside matches the level above, the upper gate can be opened and the boat moves on.
Going downhill, everything runs the other way: the water is let out, and the boat sinks with it.
1. What is the main idea of this text, and which details support it?
2.Now read Text 2 and answer these questions about BOTH texts.
Text 2: How a Windmill Grinds Flour
A windmill turns moving air into turning stone.
The sails are set at a slight angle. Because of that angle, wind pushing on them cannot pass straight through, so it pushes them round instead.
The sails turn a horizontal shaft. A large wooden gear on that shaft meshes with a smaller one on an upright shaft, which turns the millstones below.
Because the smaller gear has fewer teeth, it spins faster than the sails do. Four turns of the sails can mean twenty turns of the stone.
The grain falls between two stones. The top stone turns; the bottom one does not. The grain is crushed between them, and flour comes out at the edge.
1. How is a lock different from a lift?
2. How is a windmill different from a lock?
3. How is a lock like a lift?
LessonPrint · RI.3.9 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Two Texts, One Topic
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. A lock lifts a boat between two levels — supported by the gates, the sluices and gravity.
2.1. A lock is raised by water flowing in under gravity; a lift is pulled by a motor. 2. A windmill converts movement into grinding; a lock changes a boat's height. 3. Both raise something between levels in an enclosed chamber — a lock raises a boat.
Questions about Two Texts, One Topic
What does the Two Texts, One Topic worksheet cover?
It practises comparing the key points of two texts on one subject — 2 questions for Grade 3, all on Common Core RI.3.9: Compare the main points and details of two texts on one topic. The instruction to pupils is “Read Text 1 and answer the question under it”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which Common Core standard does Two Texts, One Topic practise?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.9 — RI.3.9, in the Reading: Informational Text domain for Grade 3. The published standard reads: “Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Two Texts, One Topic is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on RI.3.9, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Two Texts, One Topic come with an answer key?
Yes. All 2 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Two Texts, One Topic can I print?
25 — one per pupil, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Two Texts, One Topic free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Two Texts, One Topic, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
Is there a lesson plan to teach RI.3.9?
Yes — “Comparing Two Texts on One Subject” is a 40-minute Grade 3 plan for RI.3.9, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Two Texts, One Topic is the practice that follows it.
More practice for RI.3.9
Compare the main points and details of two texts on one topic.