Comparing Two Stories Worksheet

Comparing two stories is one of the first real analysis skills a second grader learns. Instead of reading one text and answering questions about it, the child has to hold two texts in mind at the same time and decide what belongs to one, what belongs to the other, and what belongs to both. This comparing two stories worksheet gives students two short, original stories about children flying kites, so the comparison work happens right on the page with no outside books required.

Students begin by reading Story 1, The Red Kite, and Story 2, The Blue Kite. Both stories share a topic and a happy ending, but the setting, the color of the kite, and the way each child gets the kite back are all different. Underneath the stories, six sentences wait to be sorted. The child writes 1 if the sentence tells about Story 1, 2 if it tells about Story 2, and B if it tells about both. Because this 2nd grade compare and contrast worksheet supplies the texts, it works as independent morning work, a small-group reading task, a partner activity, or a quick assessment of the standard.

What’s Included

• 1 print-ready PDF worksheet
• Answer key
• 2 original illustrated stories on the same topic
• 6 sort-the-sentence items coded 1, 2, or Both

This resource helps children learn the skill in three ways. First, it makes the thinking visible: every answer is a decision about evidence, so a teacher can see instantly whether a student is reading both texts or guessing from one. Second, it removes the barrier that usually stops young readers, because the two texts are short, on grade level, and printed side by side rather than sitting in two separate books. Third, the sentences in this comparing two stories worksheet are deliberately mixed, so a child cannot match the first sentence to the first story and coast down the page. Each item has to be checked against both stories to be answered correctly.

Teachers and parents can stretch the skill in plenty of other ways. Read two versions of a familiar folk tale aloud and chart the differences on a whiteboard. Compare two picture books by the same author, or the book and the movie of the same story. Let children draw a Venn diagram of two characters they love, or write their own second version of one of the kite stories, changing only the setting. Even everyday comparisons help, such as talking about two trips to the park or two visits to a grandparent, since the same alike-and-different thinking is what the reading standard asks for.

Related Resources

• Compare and Contrast Similarities and Differences Graphic Organizer Worksheet
• Compare and Contrast Topics Graphic Organizer Worksheet
• Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer Activity
• Story Elements Song by Have Fun Teaching