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English lesson plan · 5th grade (Year 6 in England) · 45 minutes

Compare and contrast: how are they alike and different?

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RI.5.3CCSS RL.5.3CCSS RL.5.9England: Y5/6 Reading (comparing within and across texts)England: KS2 SATs Reading

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Compare and contrast: how are they alike and different?.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Choose the best summary of a short text

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 5 min

  • 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? (The café opened in Wales. / Volunteers fix toasters. / 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.) → 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. 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 overcomes her nerves, with her grandad's support, and sings well at the talent show. / Lena's grandad sat in the front row. / Talent shows are a waste of time. / Lena forgot the words twice.) → 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.
  3. Honeybees live in colonies of thousands. The queen lays the eggs. Worker bees collect nectar and pollen, look after the young and guard the hive. Drones have one job: to mate with a queen. Every bee has a role that keeps the colony alive. Which is the best summary? (In a honeybee colony, the queen, workers and drones each have a job that keeps the hive alive. / Bees are the most amazing insects in the world. / Worker bees collect nectar and pollen. / Drones are male bees.) → In a honeybee colony, the queen, workers and drones each have a job that keeps the hive alive.Prompt: A summary is short and covers the WHOLE text, not just one part.

Hook · 5 min

  • 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.

I do: model it · 10 min

  • 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.

We do: guided practice · 10 min

  • 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: Bats are mammals that fly at night and use echoes to find insects. Text B: Dolphins are mammals that live in the sea and use echoes to find fish. How are bats and dolphins ALIKE? (Both fly at night. / Both live in the sea. / Both are mammals that use echoes to find food. / Both eat insects.) → Both are mammals that use echoes to find food.Prompt: Read both texts and note what each says about the same topic.
  2. Which signal word or phrase shows a SIMILARITY? (in the same way / on the other hand / however / whereas) → in the same wayPrompt: Try the word in a sentence: 'Cats purr; ___, dogs bark.'

You do: independent practice · 10 min

  • 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Text A: Paper bags break down quickly, but making them uses a lot of energy and water. Text B: Cotton bags last for years, but they must be reused many times to be better for the planet. What do BOTH texts show? (Paper bags are perfect. / Bags should never be used. / Cotton bags are always bad. / Each kind of bag has good and bad points.) → Each kind of bag has good and bad points.Prompt: Read both texts and note what each says about the same topic.
  2. Which signal word or phrase shows a DIFFERENCE? (on the other hand / likewise / both / similarly) → on the other handPrompt: Try the word in a sentence: 'Cats purr; ___, dogs bark.'

Watch out for

  • Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
  • Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Choose the best summary of a short text.
  • Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

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

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Compare and contrast: how are they alike and different?

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Which signal word or phrase shows a SIMILARITY?

    • A. both
    • B. on the other hand
    • C. however
    • D. unlike

Should Our School Keep Bees?

Letter A: Yes to bees! Our school should put two beehives on the flat roof above the library. Bees pollinate fruit, vegetables and wildflowers, and in many places their numbers have fallen. A school hive would give local bees a safe home. It would also turn our roof into a living science lesson: we could study how a colony works, measure how much honey it makes, and plant bee-friendly flowers in the playground. Several schools near us already keep bees, and the beekeepers say pupils are never near the hives, because the roof is locked. Letter B: Not so fast. I agree that bees are important, but I do not think hives are right for our school yet. Some pupils and staff are allergic to bee stings, and even a locked roof is close to open windows. Hives also need an expert to check them every week, and no one at school has that training. Instead, we could help bees in safer ways: plant a wildflower strip by the fence, build a bug hotel, and invite a beekeeper to visit with an observation hive behind glass. If, after a year, we find a trained volunteer, we could think about hives again.

  1. Question 2

    Read "Should Our School Keep Bees?". What do BOTH letters agree on?

    • A. Bees are dangerous and should be avoided.
    • B. The school should put hives on the roof now.
    • C. Bees are important and worth helping.
    • D. The library should move.

  2. Question 3

    Read "Should Our School Keep Bees?". What is the main DIFFERENCE between the two letters?

    • A. Letter A wants hives now; Letter B prefers safer ways to help bees first.
    • B. Letter B wants more hives than Letter A.
    • C. Both letters want the same thing.
    • D. Letter A dislikes bees; Letter B loves them.

  1. Question 4

    Text A: Crocodiles have long, narrow, V-shaped snouts. Text B: Alligators have wide, rounded, U-shaped snouts. How are the two animals DIFFERENT?

    • A. where they sleep
    • B. the shape of their snouts
    • C. the colour of their eggs
    • D. how many legs they have

  2. Question 5

    Which signal word or phrase shows a DIFFERENCE?

    • A. in the same way
    • B. whereas
    • C. both
    • D. similarly

  3. Question 6

    Text A: Frogs have smooth, moist skin and long back legs for leaping. Text B: Toads have dry, bumpy skin and shorter legs for hopping and walking. How are frogs and toads DIFFERENT?

    • A. the food they eat
    • B. their eyes and ears
    • C. their skin and their legs
    • D. the number of toes

  4. Question 7

    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?

    • A. Both gave up.
    • B. Both worked hard and succeeded.
    • C. Both won a race.
    • D. Both play the piano.

  5. Question 8

    Text A: Paper bags break down quickly, but making them uses a lot of energy and water. Text B: Cotton bags last for years, but they must be reused many times to be better for the planet. What do BOTH texts show?

    • A. Bags should never be used.
    • B. Each kind of bag has good and bad points.
    • C. Paper bags are perfect.
    • D. Cotton bags are always bad.

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Answer key: Compare and contrast: how are they alike and different?

  1. 1. A. both

  2. 2. C. Bees are important and worth helping.

  3. 3. A. Letter A wants hives now; Letter B prefers safer ways to help bees first.

  4. 4. B. the shape of their snouts

  5. 5. B. whereas

  6. 6. C. their skin and their legs

  7. 7. B. Both worked hard and succeeded.

  8. 8. B. Each kind of bag has good and bad points.