Curated OER
Mighty Earth Movers
Note that although the publisher lists almost all of the Common Core standards for both math and language arts, you will most likely want to take the general topic and choose which area to focus on. Regarding math, pupils measure worms...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Venn Diagram, 2 Circles
A printable Venn diagram to use when comparing and contrasting two things or topics. Directions on how to use this graphic organizer as well as lists of teaching ideas and related resources are also provided.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Draw a Story: Stepping From Pictures to Writing
Help young learners move from drawing pictures into writing simple stories. Good plan for having students put pictures in sequential order and teaching them about sequential order.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Story Writing With Arthur
This series of 12 downloadable activities teach students some basics of story writing, using books or videos from the PBS "Arthur" series as a springboard. Activities include creating story maps, asking questions about characters and...
Read Works
Read Works: Passages:
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a fiction text about a little girl named Jen who got a surprise message from her grandma and answer questions about comprehension, main idea, and inferences. Links to a paired text and...
Read Works
Read Works: Lesson: Author's Purpose: Cause and Effect Signal Words
[Free Registration/Login Required] With this lesson plan, students can learn how several authors can write about the same topic, but for different purposes.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Pumpkins and Apples, Oh My!
Learners will be able to compare and contrast two non-fiction books with a similar theme - in this case, plant life cycles. Extensive resources included such as worksheets, samples of student work, assessment ideas, extension activities,...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Arctic v. Antarctic
Students will be able to identify similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic. After reading and discussing books on the Arctic and Antarctic, they will use a Venn diagram and assorted images to compare and contrast...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Plant Life Cycle Introduction
Sequencing is an important skill for kindergarten students. This lesson uses nonfiction texts to allow students to make a real-life connection to the skill of sequencing and learn about the plant cycle at the same time! Included are...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Arctic vs. Antarctic
Students will be able to identify similarities and differences between two texts about the polar habitats by using a Venn diagram. Included in this lesson are guided questions to use while reading, a printable Venn Diagram, and pictures...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: A Day to Celebrate Our Planet Earth
Students will compare an informational text versus a narrative text about Earth Day. Included in this lesson are videos and pictures of the lesson in action, a printable Earth Day Venn Diagram, and a recycling activity.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Picture Walk and Partner Talk
Students will participate in a picture walk through the expository text "Seasons and Weather". The purpose of the picture walk is to prepare the students for reading the story and gives them practice in using picture clues to make...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Pictures and Text Work Together Too!
The class will read the informational text "Together They Were Better". As the teacher reads the book aloud, she/he will use the illustrations from each page to give students clues as to the text on the page, helping them to see the...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Identifying the Difference Between Informational and Literary Text
Students will learn the difference between books that tell stories and books that give information. Multiple videos of different level reading groups engaged in this lesson, along with a printable activity sheet are included.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Comparing and Contrasting With "Then and Now"
This instructional activity is a great small group reading instructional activity that has a social studies connection. In this instructional activity, learners will be comparing and contrasting schools from long ago and schools of today...
EL Education
El Education: Learning to Read Informational Texts: Building Background
In this comprehensive unit, students launch their learning about birds by using informational texts. As students read these texts, they build background knowledge and develop their skills as readers of informational texts. Included are...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Similarities and Differences Between Two Text
For this lesson, through guided practice, the students use two texts about Martin Luther King to compare the similarities and differences between those texts. Includes videos of the lesson in action, printable charts, and a graphic...
Read Works
Read Works: Lesson 1: Actions
In this resource, students will practice identifying and describing the actions of a character. Teachers will model these skills through the use of text and pictures from the story No, David! by David Shannon. Students will then draw a...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Speaking, Listening and Writing Compound Contrasting Sentences
Young scholars will be answering text-dependent questions in which they will have to describe the differences between the different characters, settings, and major events in our stories using complex contrasting sentences. The students...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Text Feature Diagrams
At the end of this instructional activity, students will be able to identify and create diagrams associated with informational text. Included is a link to an eSpark video on diagrams, rules for group work, multiple examples of diagrams,...
Other
Penn. Department of Education:comparing and Contrasting Different Versions
Comparing and contrasting is a higher-level thinking skill promoted in the Common Core Standards leading to the ability to comprehend and analyze texts through various topics and genres. This lesson on Comparing and Contrasting Stories...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Comparing & Contrasting Inventors
What do inventors have that are alike? How are they different? Why do they invent? Learning about them may inspire you to invent new technology! In this instructional activity, students will compare and contrast key details in two texts...
CPALMS
Cpalms: Compare/contrast Life Cycle Texts
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students will learn to compare and contrast texts about life cycles using a Venn diagram. Then, using the Venn diagram, students will write an expository paragraph including an introductory sentence,...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Visual Representations in Informational Text
Students will look at examples of illustrations and diagrams in informational texts and discuss how each one helps enhance the text. Students gain the knowledge that sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words because a complex idea...