National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Animal Fables and Trickster Tales
Animals and tricksters appear in folk tales from a wide variety of cultures, especially those with strong oral storytelling traditions. Use this lesson plan to introduce students to these characters and the lessons they were used to...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Variations in Plot and Setting
Although Disney's version of Cinderella is most popular in America, hundreds of versions exist across many cultures. This resource provides lessons, which examine the similarities and differences in literary elements among many versions...
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Plot & Conflict Resolution
Strategies to help students understand the elements of a story provided by a standardized test preparation site intended for fourth grade. Includes strategies such as DLTA/DRTA, Plot Diagrams, Story Clock, Story Mapping, Summary...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Spiritual Waters
After analyzing primary source documents, pictures, and artifacts, students will use the describe, analyze, and interpret method to compare and contrast a sketch of Tahoe City in 1865 to a photograph of modern day Tahoe City. Then...
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Selective Underlining
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section focuses on identifying main ideas and significant details by selectively underlining them in a text.
Other
Sadlier School: Comparing and Contrasting Firsthand & Secondhand Texts
This unit uses first- and second-hand accounts to explore the life of Ruby Bridges and revolves around the book "Through My Eyes" by Ruby Bridges. This detailed lesson includes a full literacy unit, tips for small group and independent...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Bio Bags Linking Literature and Life
Contains plans for five 30-40 minute lessons that ask students to create BioBags, a kind of literature autobiography. In addition to student objectives and standards, these instructional plans contains links to PDF handouts and links to...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Examining Plot Conflict Through a Comparison/contrast Essay
Contains plans for six lessons that ask students to examine types of conflict (character vs. character, character vs. self, character vs. nature, and character vs. society) before writing essays that compare and contrast two conflicts....
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Comics in the Classroom: Introduction to Narrative Structure
Contains plans for four lessons that teach students about narrative plot structures by using "The Three Little Pigs" fairy tale or a similar story. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Writing With Scientists
After students investigate a topic through research, hypothesizing, observing, and experimentating, teachers can use this lesson to help their students prepare short science reports and publish them online. The Writing with Scientists...
University of South Florida
Fcat Reading Grade 4: Teaching Strategies
This is a great resource that concentrates strategies and student activities in one place in an easy to use format, and can be navigated easily. Find great examples of probable passage, selective underlining, and semantic feature...
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Cause and Effect
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section helps students identify cause and effect in literature.
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.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Metamorphosis Stories of Change
The goal of this activity is for students to learn how to tell a story in order to make a complex topic (such as global warming or ozone holes) easier for a reader to grasp. Students realize that the narrative impulse underlies even...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: It Takes Two to Tangle
Students explore the theme of conflict in literature. They learn the difference between internal and external conflict and various types of conflicts, including self against self, self against other, and self against nature or machine....
Read Works
Read Works: Passages: Brothers
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a literary text about the relationship between brothers Joseph and Philip and answer questions on comprehension, main idea, text evidence, and more. Links to a paired text and paired text...
Read Works
Read Works: Passages: Learning to Skateboard
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a literary text about the relationship between a brother and a sister and answer questions on comprehension, main idea, text evidence, and more. Links to a paired text and paired text...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Common Themes in Literature
This tutorial focuses on common themes in literature, beginning with a slide show discussing 11 different, common themes and literary examples. This is followed by a 11-minute YouTube video with students acting out common themes in...
Education.com
Education.com: Compare and Contrast Non Fiction Stories: Extinct Birds
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students will compare two informational texts about two extinct birds, the Great Auk and the Dodo. A Venn Diagram is provided to be used when comparing an contrasting tests.
Teachers.net
Teachers.net: The Gingerbread Man
Introduce your primary students to retelling and sequencing skills. Will also help move your students to higher-level thinking which deals with characters, setting, and plot. Site offers one week's worth of lessons.
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Why Did the Author Write That?
This tutorial explains point of view in informational texts. Students will learn how to analyze multiple accounts of the same topic or event and identify similarities and differences in different points of view.
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Integrating Information: A Titanic Challenge
Read about the sinking of the Titanic and learn to identify key ideas in multiple texts, review similarities and differences between those key ideas, and identify the difference between important and interesting key ideas. This...
Other
Curriculum Associates: Comparing and Contrasting Texts [Pdf]
In these activities, students are asked to compare and contrast two versions of each event with two pieces of writing that are about the same topic. Teaching notes with answer keys are provided as well.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Earning 100 Snelfus
In this Cyberchase video segment, the CyberSquad figures out how to earn 100 snelfus in 11 days.