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Tips for Teaching Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts

Comparing and contrasting are important skills to teach your students. When it comes to reading informational texts, they need to be able to identify the information that is the same in two texts and the information that is different. In upper elementary, they also learn to integrate the information from two or more nonfiction books or articles. Here are some tips for teaching your students how to compare and contrast informational texts. 

Use your tips to teach your students how to compare and contrast informational texts.

Tips for Teaching Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. I only recommend products that I use and love.

The first thing we need to do is to break down the standard at the different grade levels. It is really helpful to know what your students are expected to do in the grade level before yours and the grade level after yours. This allows you to differentiate your lessons and meet the needs of all your students. 

First Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.9 – Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic (e.g., in illustrations, descriptions, or procedures).

Important Skills to Teach:

  • How to find similarities and differences between two texts
  • How to identify ways the illustrations, descriptions, and procedures are the same and different
  • How to use a Venn diagram

I Can Statements:

  • I can compare and contrast the illustrations in two texts on the same topic.
  • I can compare and contrast the descriptions in two texts on the same topic.
  • I can compare and contrast the procedures in two texts on the same topic.

Download a week of 1st grade lesson plans to teach this standard.

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

Second Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.9 – Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.

Important Skills to Teach:

  • What it means to compare and contrast
  • How to identify the most important information in an informational text

I Can Statements:

  • I can compare the most important information in two texts on the same topic.
  • I can contrast the most important information in two texts on the same topic.

Download a week of 2nd grade lesson plans to teach this standard.

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

Third Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.9 – Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

Important Skills to Teach:

  • What it means to compare and contrast
  • How to identify the most important information and key details in an informational text
  • How to use a Venn diagram

I Can Statements:

  • I can compare the important information and key details in two texts on the same topic.
  • I can contrast the important information and key details in two texts on the same topic.

Download a week of 3rd grade lesson plans to teach this standard. 

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

Fourth Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.9 – Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Important Skills to Teach:

  • What it means to integrate information
  • How to identify the most important information in informational texts

I Can Statements:

  • I can identify the most important information in two texts on the same topic.
  • I can put the information from the two texts together so I can write or speak about it knowledgeably.

Download a week of 4th grade lesson plans to teach this standard.

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

Fifth Grade

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.9 – Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Important Skills to Teach

  • What it means to integrate information
  • How to identify the most important information in informational texts

I Can Statements:

  • I can identify the most important information from several texts on the same topic.
  • I can put the information from the texts together so I can write or speak about it knowledgeably. 

Download a week of lesson plans to teach this standard.

Download a digital slideshow to assign for distance learning or as a center activity.

 

Suggested Books for Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts

For this standard, first through fourth grade students will need two books on the same topic. Fifth grade will need three or more books on the same topic. You can allow your students to choose any nonfiction topic that interests them and have them check out two books about it at the library. Another option would be to choose a topic you’re learning about in another subject area, and gather a collection of books about it. Have the students read two of the books and compare and contrast the information in first through third grade and integrate the information in fourth and fifth grade. 

Use the book "Look In on Backyard Animals: Bees" to teach comparing and contrasting.

Zoom in on Backyard Animals: Bees

“Cool Bee Facts” article

Use the book "Walking Sticks" to teach your students how to compare and contrast informational texts.

Walking Sticks

“Stick Bugs” article

Teach your students to compare and contrast with the book "Cicada".

Cicada

“Cicada” article

Use the book "Scorpion" to compare and contrast informational texts.

Scorpion

“Scorpion” article

Use the book "Do You Know About Mammals" to teach your students to compare and contrast informational texts.

Do You Know About Mammals?

Teach your students to compare and contrast nonfiction books by using "Animals Called Mammals".

Animals Called Mammals

“Mammal” article

Teach your students to compare and contrast informational texts with the book "Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg".

Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg

Compare and contrast informational texts with the book "Chickens Aren't the Only Ones".

Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones

Use the book "Monarch Butterfly" to teach the nineth informational text standard.

Monarch Butterfly

Use the book "Caterpillar to Butterfly" to teach the ninth informational text standard.

Caterpillar to Butterfly

Use the book "Rosa" to teach your students to compare and contrast informational texts.

Rosa

Use the book "If a Bus Could Talk" to teach your students how to compare and contrast informational texts.

If a Bus Could Talk

Tips for Teaching Comparing and Contrasting Informational Texts

  1. Teach note-taking. This is a great standard to use to teach your students to take notes about the important information in an informational text. As they read the first book, have them write down the facts that they think are the most important. Then, as they read the second book, they can highlight the ones that are repeated from the first text to compare the information. They can add new facts that weren’t in the first text to contrast them.
  2. Use a Venn diagram.  Have your students use a Venn diagram to organize the information they found in the books. They should add the similarities to the center of the Venn diagram and the differences on the sides. 
  3. Prepare a slideshow and speech. For fourth and fifth grade, students are expected to write and speak knowledgeably about a topic using information from two or more informational texts about the same topic. Have them create a slideshow by including information from multiple informational texts. Then, they can use the slideshow to present what they learned. 

Other Helpful Resources

If you have students who are struggling with this standard, strategy groups and one-on-one conferences are a great way to differentiate and help all your students master it. These assessments will show you which students have mastered the standards and which students need extra practice.

1st Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

1st Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

2nd Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

2nd Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

3rd Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

3rd Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

4th Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

4th Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

5th Grade Common Core Literature Standard Assessments

5th Grade Common Core Informational Texts Standard Assessments

Get all the lesson plans you need to teach every Common Core Reading Standard for your grade level. 

1st Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

2nd Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

3rd Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

4th Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

5th Grade Common Core Standards Bundle

For more tips on teaching the reading standards, join the Rock the Reading Workshop Facebook Group. 

 

What Do You Think?

What are your best tips for teaching your students how to compare and contrast informational texts?

Let us know in the comments.

Use these tips to teach your students how to compare and contrast informational texts.

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About Tara Dusko

Tara is a third grade teacher and mother of 2. She loves teaching but not the stress that comes with it. She loves using preparation, organization, and relaxation to destress and have fun teaching! Connect with Tara on Google+, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter!
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Hi! Welcome to Teach Without Tears! I'm Tara. I love teaching third grade, but I hate the stress that comes with it. Join me to discover ways to destress both in the classroom and at home. Together we'll teach without tears! Find Out More…

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