The Corn Maze by Kris Bitar | CommonLit | Paired Texts

For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your web browser.

by Kris Bitar 2022

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

The Spooky Science of Fear

Tracy Vonder Brink

In "The Spooky Science of Fear," the author explains the effects of fear on our brains and bodies.

Pair “The Spooky Science of Fear” with “The Corn Maze” and ask students to discuss how both texts teach readers about fear. According to “The Spooky Science of Fear,” why do people get scared? What does fear do to people’s bodies? How does the narrator try to use fear to get what they want in “The Corn Maze”? What does the narrator learn by getting scared? How does each text teach readers about fear in different ways?

4th Grade Psychology 880L

Nancy Jean Northcutt

In Nancy Jean Northcutt's short story "Kissy Face," a boy tries to avoid receiving kisses from his aunts and grandmas.

Pair “Kissy Face” with “The Corn Maze” and ask students to talk about the role of younger siblings in each text. How does James feel about his new sibling in “Kissy Face”? How does the narrator feel about their sibling in “The Corn Maze”? What lessons do the two stories teach about being an older sibling?

3rd Grade Fiction - General 560L

Life Doesn't Frighten Me

Maya Angelou

In "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" a speaker talks about how they bravely face their fears.

Pair “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” with “The Corn Maze” and ask students to discuss the theme in each text. How does the speaker talk about fear in “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me”? How does the narrator talk about fear in “The Corn Maze”? Do you think the narrator in “The Corn Maze” and the speaker in “Life Doesn’t Frighten Me” feel the same way about fear? Why or why not?

Lost in a Corn Maze

Laurie Wallmark

In "Lost in a Corn Maze," Laurie Wallmark describes how corn mazes became a popular form of fall entertainment today.

Pair “The Corn Maze” with “Lost in a Corn Maze” to help students better picture Prickly Pete’s Pumpkin Patch, the setting of “The Corn Maze.” What tips does the author share to help you navigate through a corn maze in “Lost in a Corn Maze”? According to “The Corn Maze,” what is the narrator’s experience inside the Haunted Corn Maze? What advice do you have for the narrator of “The Corn Maze” based on what you learned in “Lost in a Corn Maze”?

5th Grade Informational Text 1080L

At the Pumpkin Patch

Jenny Whitehead

In "At the Pumpkin Patch," the speaker wanders through a pumpkin patch searching for the right one.

Pair “The Corn Maze" with “At the Pumpkin Patch” and ask students to compare the settings of each text. What feelings do you get from the setting of “At the Pumpkin Patch”? What details from the text give you those feelings? What word describes the setting of “The Corn Maze”? What made you think of that word? What feelings does that word give you? How are the settings of “At the Pumpkin Patch” and “The Corn Maze” the same? How are they different? Which setting did you like better, “At the Pumpkin Patch” or “The Corn Maze”? Explain why.