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3rd Grade Compare and Contrast Worksheets

22 3rd grade compare and contrast worksheets. Teacher favorites: Blank Venn Diagram Graphic Organizer Worksheet and Comparing and Contrasting Venn Diagram Worksheet. How teachers use these

3rd Grade Compare and Contrast Worksheets

22 3rd grade compare and contrast worksheets. Teacher favorites: Blank Venn Diagram Graphic Organizer Worksheet and Comparing and Contrasting Venn Diagram Worksheet. How teachers use these

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Worksheet3rd GradeBlank Venn Diagram Graphic Organizer Worksheet

This blank Venn diagram graphic organizer worksheet gives 3rd grade students two roomy circles and a shared middle for comparing any two topics, so their thinking is sorted out before they write.

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Worksheet3rd GradeComparing and Contrasting Venn Diagram Worksheet

This comparing and contrasting venn diagram worksheet has 3rd grade students sort eight facts about apples and oranges into a labeled Venn diagram, then write two comparison sentences. Answer key included.

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Worksheet3rd GradeSimiles Worksheet

This similes worksheet gives 3rd grade students practice completing, analyzing, and writing similes, with an illustrated prompt and an answer key included so every child can describe the world more vividly.

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Worksheet3rd GradeCompare and Contrast Topics Graphic Organizer Worksheet

This Compare and Contrast Topics Graphic Organizer Worksheet gives 3rd graders a large Venn diagram to sort how two topics are alike and different. A flexible, no-prep reading tool for any two subjects at home or school.

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Worksheet3rd GradeEndings Worksheet

This endings worksheet helps 3rd grade students compare how two stories they have read end, explaining each ending and how the two are alike and different to build strong reading skills.

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Worksheet3rd GradeComparing Two Characters Worksheet

This comparing two characters worksheet has 3rd graders sort facts about the tortoise and the hare into a Venn diagram and write a comparison, with an answer key included, to sharpen character analysis.

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Worksheet3rd GradeBeginnings Worksheet

This beginnings worksheet helps 3rd grade readers describe how two stories they chose open, then explain how those beginnings are alike and different to strengthen story structure skills.

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Worksheet3rd GradeCompare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

This Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer gives 3rd Grade students one page to sort how any two topics are alike and different, then write a sentence that sums up what they found.

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Worksheet3rd GradeCompare Contrast Similar Texts Worksheet

This Compare Contrast Similar Texts Worksheet hands 3rd graders two short orchard passages and asks what each author's most important point is. Answer key included — an easy way to practice comparing texts with real evidence.

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Worksheet3rd GradeGreen Eggs and Ham Worksheet

Using this Green Eggs and Ham Worksheet, studentsread Green Eggs and Ham to compare and contrast the adventures the two characters have in the book.

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Worksheet3rd GradeCompare and Contrast Problem and Solution Graphic Organizer Worksheet

A compare and contrast graphic organizer that helps 3rd graders map the problem and solution in two texts, then write how the two texts compare. Works with any pair of books or articles.

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Worksheet3rd GradeFrog and Toad Together Worksheet

Using this Frog and Toad Together Worksheet, studentsread Frog and Toad Together to compare and contrast the adventures the two characters have in the book.

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Worksheet3rd GradeCompare and Contrast Cause and Effect Graphic Organizer Worksheet

A compare and contrast cause and effect graphic organizer where 3rd graders chart what happened and why in two texts, then write how the texts compare. Works with any pair of books.

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Worksheet3rd GradeComparing Two Events Worksheet

This comparing two events worksheet has 3rd graders read about the first balloon ride and the first airplane flight, sort details in a Venn diagram, and explain a difference. Answer key included.

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Worksheet3rd GradeLand and Sea Animals Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

This land and sea animals compare and contrast worksheet has 3rd grade students sort facts into a Venn diagram and write about how animals move. An answer key is included for quick checking.

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Worksheet3rd GradeLiving and Non-Living Things Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

This living and non-living things compare and contrast graphic organizer asks 3rd graders to sort six facts about a cat and a chair into a Venn diagram. Answer key included for quick checking.

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Worksheet3rd GradeCompare and Contrast Chronology of Events Graphic Organizer Worksheet

A compare and contrast chronology of events graphic organizer where 3rd graders record the first, next, and last events in two texts, then explain how the order compares. Works with any pair of books.

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Worksheet3rd GradeHerbivore and Carnivore Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

This herbivore and carnivore compare and contrast graphic organizer has 3rd graders sort animal facts into a Venn diagram and write about teeth. An answer key is included for quick checking.

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Worksheet3rd GradeSame Different Blend Words Worksheet

This same different blend words worksheet has 1st graders circle the odd word in each row of blends, then mark word pairs same or different. An answer key is included, so it prints and goes.

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Worksheet3rd GradeRainbow Fish and The Very Grouchy Ladybug Worksheet

Using this Rainbow Fish and The Very Grouchy Ladybug Worksheet, students compare and contrast the adventures that each character experiences after reading the two stories.

From our teachers' playbook

Same, different and why it matters

What do 3rd graders learn about compare and contrast?

Third graders learn to compare (how things are alike) and contrast (how they're different) using real texts. They compare two characters in a story, two stories by the same author with the same characters, and two nonfiction texts on the same topic. They use signal words like both, similarly, however and unlike, and organize their ideas in a Venn diagram before writing. The click moment comes when a child says "Frog and Toad are both good friends, but Toad worries a lot more" without a sentence frame.

Our favorite ways to teach compare and contrast

Compare and contrast is a thinking skill kids use everywhere. These moves make it visible.

Venn it out

Start with something kids know, like cats and dogs, on a big Venn diagram. Then move to two characters from a read-aloud. Once kids can fill the middle, they're ready to write about it.

Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.

Blank Venn Diagram Graphic Organizer WorksheetTry it withBlank Venn Diagram Graphic Organizer WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Compare two characters

Read a story with two very different characters and think aloud: "Both want to win, but one cheats and one practices." Kids then compare two characters from their own reading using the same frame.

Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).

Comparing Two Characters WorksheetTry it withComparing Two Characters WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Two texts, one topic

Give kids two short texts on the same topic, like two articles on frogs. They find one fact in both and one fact in only one. It prepares them for paired passages on tests.

Why it works: mixing different kinds of problems in one practice set helped students do far better on a later test (Rohrer and Taylor, 2007).

Compare Contrast Similar Texts WorksheetTry it withCompare Contrast Similar Texts WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Questions parents and teachers ask us

What is compare and contrast in 3rd grade?

Comparing means finding how things are alike, and contrasting means finding how they are different. Third graders compare characters, stories by the same author and nonfiction texts on the same topic.

What words signal compare and contrast?

Compare words include both, alike, same and similarly. Contrast words include but, however, unlike, different and on the other hand.

How do you teach compare and contrast?

Start with familiar objects, then move to characters and texts. Use a Venn diagram to organize ideas, then teach signal words for writing.

How can I practice compare and contrast at home?

Compare two movies, two books or two family trips. Ask "How are they alike? How are they different?" and encourage your child to use words like both and but.