Cengage Learning
Paul Laurence Dunbar: Classroom Issues and Strategies
Provides lesson ideas for investigating the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar. It includes ideas on form, style, artistic appeal, comparison and contrast. There are also questions about the text provided.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Discovering Similarities Between Writing and Art
Contains plans for three 50-minute lessons that ask students to use the writing process to write about a piece of visual art. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to PDF handouts and sites used...
University of Washington
University of Washington: Patterns of Organization
In addition to defining and describing various patterns of text organization, this website provides outlines illustrating each pattern. RI.11-12.3 Text development
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Alike? Different? Compare and Contrast
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart contains numerous interactive activities. The flipchart introduces students to the concept of comparison and contrast, how it relates to real life, how it is used by authors, and signal...
Other
Fondation Beyeler: Ornament and Abstraction
This resource presents a scholarly comparison of non-Western styles of ornamental art with modern and contemporary abstract works by Western artists.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Comparison/contrast Feet [Pdf]
A graphic organizer where students write similarities on one foot and differences on the other.
Read Works
Read Works: 2nd Grade Lesson: Compare/contrast Genres
[Free Registration/Login Required] A lesson plan in which students use fiction and nonfiction books from a classroom library to identify the similarities and differences between fiction and nonfiction and to create a Venn diagram...
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...
Georgetown University
Georgetown University: N. Scott Momaday (Kiowa) (B. 1934)
A Georgetown professor's perspective on teaching Momaday's work, focusing on "Rainy Mountain." Offers insights on form/style/artistic conventions, and major themes/personal issues/historical perspectives.
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: Writing Essays for Exams
This handout provides a comprehensive look at writing essays for exams including what a well-written answer to an essay exam question includes, a step-by-step decription of how to write an effective essay exam, an explanation of patterns...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Parallel Structure in Pairs
This lesson discusses the importance of parallel construction in pairs and comparisons or contrasts. This tutorial lesson shares a short slideshow with the lesson's content.
Scholastic
Scholastic: A Fishy Tale
A delightful anecdote sure to spark the thoughts of all students as you teach compare/contrast skills through a text to which they can relate. Site includes printable worksheet and answer key.
Other
Kim's Korner: Patterns of Organization
This resource from Kim's Korner for Teacher Talk defines various patterns of text organization and provides a brief essay example of each pattern.
Christian Science Monitor
Christian Science Monitor: Pro Tennis Players Gear Up for Surface Switches
This site provides a sample comparison and contrast essay from a magazine. The article "Pro Tennis Players Gear Up for Surface Switches" by Suman Bandrapalli is about the grass tennis courses at Wimbledon versus other playing surfaces.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Now & Then
Inspired by Gene Barretta's Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin this fantastic cross-curricular activity has students comparing or contrasting a particular topic of history with how things are in this day and age.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: New Leadership [Pdf]
"New Leadership" is Harold Washington's Acceptance Speech as Mayor of Chicago on April 12, 1983. It is followed by an assignment which requires students to provide evidence from the text; it includes comparing Washington's election as...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: It's Double Bubble Time!
School isn't always what we expect it to be! With teacher guidance, students will use a double bubble map to compare and contrast two similar characters from two books.
English for Everyone
Reading Comprehension Assessment: "A Streetcar Named Desire" [Pdf]
Read Theory provides a free reading comprehension assessment that is designed for middle grade students. Five multiple choice questions and two extended inquiries are included on this nonfiction reading assessment that addresses two...
E Reading Worksheets
E Reading Worksheets: Text Structure Activities
Numerous links related to analyzing text structures are provided on this site. Lesson plans, PowerPoint slides, graphic organizers, rubrics, and quizzes related to text structures are also provided to support students while analyzing...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Comparing Two Cinderella Stories
Learners will compare two characters and list their comparisons on a graphic organizer using modern Cinderella stories. This lesson includes a detailed lesson plan for guided practice and partner work, and a video of students engaged in...
E Reading Worksheets
E Reading Worksheets: Text Structure Worksheets
This site provides several assignments and graphic organizers related to identifying text structures. Analyzing the following types of text structures are provided: main idea and supporting details; cause and effect; chronological order;...
Daily Teaching Tools
Daily Teaching Tools: Test 9: Ben's Harmonica
This Daily Teaching Tools resource provides a reading assessment passage. This passage contains a brief biography about Ben Franklin and a few of his inventions.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Responding to Comparison/contrast: 3 Voice Storyboard: Feeling [Pdf]
In this PDF activity, students study topics on which people might have differing feelings; they then create three dialogue bubbles that represent three different viewpoints: one that loves the topic, one that dislikes it, and one with a...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: Compare and Contrast [Pdf]
This graphic organizer includes a Venn Diagram. Students will then answer a guiding question to synthesize the information on the Venn Diagram.