• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Choose the best summary of a short text). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. In 2021, a small town opened a 'repair café'. Once a month, volunteers fix broken toasters, toys and bikes for free. In its first year, the café saved over two tonnes of items from being thrown away. Which is the best summary? (Volunteers fix toasters. / A town's monthly repair café fixes broken items for free and has kept tonnes of things out of the rubbish. / The café opened in Wales. / Repair cafés are better than shops.) → A town's monthly repair café fixes broken items for free and has kept tonnes of things out of the rubbish.Prompt: A summary is short and covers the WHOLE text, not just one part.
2. Every morning, an old fox watched the farm from the hill. One winter, when the snow was deep, the farmer's daughter left scraps by the fence. The fox never touched the hens again, and each spring it brought its cubs to the hill to watch the farm. Which is the best summary of the story? (A girl's kindness to a hungry fox in winter makes the fox leave the farm's hens alone. / Foxes like to sit on hills. / The fox had cubs. / It snowed a lot one winter.) → A girl's kindness to a hungry fox in winter makes the fox leave the farm's hens alone.Prompt: A summary is short and covers the WHOLE text, not just one part.
3. Lena was nervous about the school talent show. At practice, she forgot the words to her song twice. On the night, she spotted her grandad in the front row, giving her a thumbs-up. She took a deep breath, sang every word, and the hall burst into applause. Which is the best summary of the story? (Lena forgot the words twice. / Lena's grandad sat in the front row. / Lena overcomes her nerves, with her grandad's support, and sings well at the talent show. / Talent shows are a waste of time.) → Lena overcomes her nerves, with her grandad's support, and sings well at the talent show.Prompt: A summary is short and covers the WHOLE text, not just one part.

• Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
• Share the objective: Compare and contrast: how are they alike and different?. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Story A: Priya trained every morning before school and won the cross-country race. Story B: Tom rehearsed the piano every evening and played perfectly at the concert. How are Priya and Tom ALIKE?
• Step 1: Comparing means finding what is the same; contrasting means finding what is different.
• Step 2: So the answer is: Both worked hard and succeeded.
• Answer: Both worked hard and succeeded.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Text A: The Moon has no air, so it has no wind, clouds or rain. Text B: Earth has air, which brings wind, clouds and rain. What is the main DIFFERENCE between the Moon and Earth in these texts? (Earth has no clouds. / Earth has air and weather; the Moon does not. / Both have rain. / The Moon is bigger than Earth.) → Earth has air and weather; the Moon does not.Prompt: Read both texts and note what each says about the same topic.
2. Which signal word or phrase shows a DIFFERENCE? (unlike / likewise / in the same way / both) → unlikePrompt: Try the word in a sentence: 'Cats purr; ___, dogs bark.'

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Which signal word or phrase shows a DIFFERENCE? (however / both / likewise / in the same way) → howeverPrompt: Try the word in a sentence: 'Cats purr; ___, dogs bark.'
2. Text A: Crocodiles have long, narrow, V-shaped snouts. Text B: Alligators have wide, rounded, U-shaped snouts. How are the two animals DIFFERENT? (the colour of their eggs / how many legs they have / where they sleep / the shape of their snouts) → the shape of their snoutsPrompt: Read both texts and note what each says about the same topic.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-5.