Compare It Compare and Contrast Activity
This compare and contrast activity has 3rd-5th grade students identify the text structure and main idea of paired texts and compare them on a chart. Answer key included.
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About this resource
Description
Good readers notice that two texts on the same topic can be organized in very different ways. This compare and contrast activity helps 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students name the text structure of each text, find its main idea, and then compare the two texts side by side.
The Compare It pack has two original text sets: two texts about honeybees and two texts about lighthouses. Each pair uses a different structure, such as chronology, cause and effect, problem and solution, or compare and contrast. Students use Text Structure cards with clue words and Main Idea cards to fill in a Compare It chart, then explain how the texts are alike and different. Use it in a reading center, with a partner, or in a small guided reading group.
What’s Included
- A colorful cover and a How to Use page
- Two text sets with two short informational texts each
- 5 Text Structure cards and 5 Main Idea cards
- A Compare It chart for each text set
- A 4th grade practice worksheet: compare two texts about pancakes
- Answer keys for both charts and the practice page
Why This Text Structure Activity Helps Kids
First, knowing the text structure helps students predict what comes next and remember what they read. Second, clue words such as first, because and both give students a clear strategy for spotting each structure. Third, comparing two texts on the same topic builds the deeper thinking that reading tests ask for.
Ideas for Teachers and Parents
Have students write a short paragraph about one topic in two different structures. Hunt for clue words in a science or social studies book. Use this compare and contrast activity again with any two articles on the same topic.
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