Lesson Plan: EDIS 4882

Carlin Wetzel & Tessa Short

Teaching Date: Friday March 23rd, 11:00am

Introduction to Compare & Contrast

Context:
Course name: English language arts
Grade level: 6, standard
Length of lesson: 35-40 minutes
Description of setting, students, and curriculum—and any other important contextual characteristics:

Sutherland Middle School is located just outside of Charlottesville with 574 total students enrolled.
Therefore, the setting is rather intimate although it is a public school. Kathleen Haan’s classroom is a very
positive environment. Mrs. Haan displays student work in several areas and has an immense personal
young adult literature library that students can claim books from, and even take home on loan. The
students are learning a “standard level” English 6 curriculum.

SWBAT:
Students will know…
● Signal words that indicate an author is comparing and contrasting two ideas.
● Characteristics that are similar between themselves and a partner.
● Characteristics that are different between themselves and a partner.

Students will understand…

● Comparison and contrast is not just a nonfiction text tool, it can be used in everyday life.

The students will….

● Compare and contrast their own characteristics with that of a partner.
● Use signal words to construct sentences showing an understanding of comparison and contrast.

SOL’s:
VSOL 6.6 The student will read and demonstrate comprehension of a variety of nonfiction texts.
(i) Compare and contrast information about one topic, which may be contained in different
selections.

Common Core:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.9
Compare and contrast one author's presentation of events with that of another (e.g., a memoir written by
and a biography on the same person).

Methods of Assessment:
 Diagnostic Formative Summative

Title of assessment tool: Title of assessment tool: Title of assessment tool: SOL
Initial Definitions of Completed sentence frames and
Compare and Contrast Venn diagram Students will ultimately be
assessed (today or in a future
Students will show their Students will show their lesson) on their ability to pass
understanding about compare understanding about compare the nonfiction text features
and contrast by answering and contrast by completing portion of the SOL.
questions about themselves. compare/contrast sentences
using the signal words provided
Criteria: Students will answer and Venn diagram provided to
several guiding questions, them via Google Classroom.
each asking something about
themselves. We are looking Criteria: Students will compare
for responses that show and contrast themselves using
students’ considerations of the the signal words and Venn
characteristics that make them diagram. They will need to
similar and dissimilar from correctly organize information
one another. on the Venn diagram and use
the signal words correctly.
How data will be used: Quick
& formative--we will use this How data will be used:
data to see how readily they Mrs. Haan will have access to
are considering the students’ responses and will be
characteristics that will be able to further tailor instruction
compared and contrasted later to the students’ needs.
in the class.
How students will receive
How students will receive feedback:
feedback: Immediately from Mrs. Haan will provide
us, most feedback will come feedback after reviewing their
later during our conferences. work.

Differentiated Instruction to accommodate one or more of my profiled students:

Student Name Readiness Interest Learning

Environment
 Sabien Sabien enjoys talking
with his peers and does
better when he can be
social. We will
differentiate for his need
by giving students an
opportunity to complete
their main assignment
with a partner.

Emmy Emmy is capable of

completing her work but
does better and is more
confident when she is
able to ask questions
along the way. Our
conferencing with
students as we go around
the classroom will
scaffold her learning
specifically.

Procedures/Instructional Strategies

Beginning Room Arrangement:

Students will enter and sit at their normally, assigned seats within the greater U-shape of the desks.

1. [3 mins.] Welcome/greeting/announcements
Hello everyone! We hope you all enjoy the snow this week! Did anyone go sledding? We did! [Leave time
for students to tell us all about the fun they had over the snow day].

2. [10 mins.] Bridge and/or Hook to lesson

As a Do-Now, please use a sheet of paper to answer the questions projected on the board. These are all
questions about yourselves, so have fun thinking about your responses! Since these are all about
ourselves and don’t require talking with a partner, let’s work quietly and individually on this Do-Now
[During this time, walk around the room to ensure that every is on task and has a sentence by the end of
two minutes].

3. [Modeling 10 mins.]
Today we are going to be introducing a new nonfiction text feature to you: comparison and contrast.
Let’s brainstorm a little. What do you know about the word compare? What does that mean? What comes
to mind when you hear that word? [Be open to any student response, but let them know when they have
misconceptions. Acknowledge accuracy, such as if a student say “comparing is for talking about what
things have in common. Write accurate statements on the board, and add “talks about commonalities
between things” to the board if a student has not already said this. Do this with “contrasting” as well].

Great thank you all for those responses. Today we want to show you that comparison and contrast will
show up in nonfiction text, but it is also a part of our everyday life. We are constantly making judgements
about how two things are similar or different, or how we might be similar or different from the people
around us. It’s part of human nature! And it can be good, when it’s done positively and in a way that
allows you to make friends and learn more about people. So, you are going to do exactly that with a
partner in just a few minutes. Who has used or seen a Venn Diagram before? [Pause for responses.]
Exactly, a Venn Diagram is a tool that writers and readers use to visualize what is different or similar
about two concepts. As you will see on the board, we have made a Venn Diagram contrasting some of our
characteristics. [Since they will inevitably want to spend a moment dwelling on this, each of us will read
our characteristics out loud, and one of us will read--and emphasize--the characteristics that we have in
common.]

Not only have we completed a Venn Diagram, which you will be doing in just a few minutes, we have also
used a few signal words to write sentences comparing and contrasting ourselves (which you will also do!)
[Take a moment to pause and point out that these signal words are just like other signal words they have
been working with--on the bulletin board by the door. Ask a student what a signal words tell us when we
see it while we’re reading? Answer: It signals to us that the author is doing something we are familiar
with! In this case, a comparison and contrast signal word signals to us that the author is telling us us about
two concepts that are similar, or about two concepts that are different in some way.] We chose one signal
word to write sentence about something that we have in common. Which signal word did we use for our
comparison sentence? [Pause for answer & read the sentence, repeat for contrast.]

Now it’s your turn! For the next 15 minutes you are going to be working with a partner to fill out a Venn
Diagram and write two sentences about yourselves. We have given you all some guiding questions at the
top of your paper that might help you find things that are similar or different about you and your partner;
some of them you already have answers to because you did them for the warm-up. Please read the
directions carefully. In the directions you will find that we are asking you to write the same things on
your papers (your papers should look identical as you develop these ideas together!) You will also find
that we are asking you to have ten characteristics about yourself, and five characteristics in common.
[Pause and ask someone to repeat the directions back to you.]

Alright everyone, take 30 seconds to find a comfortable place with a partner of your choice and we will
bring you your papers when we see that you are focused, have an appropriate volume, and are overall
ready to go!

4. [15 mins] Partner Work Time

While students work we will circulate and sit with partner groups for a few minutes, answering questions
as we go. We will encourage students to completely fill out their Venn Diagrams and use appropriate
signal words for their sentences. We will have one or two students with particularly strong examples
share their sentences before lunch.

5. [2 mins] Closure:
Great job today everyone staying focused and diving right in to this new topic! After lunch and after the
weekend we will continue to explore how authors use comparison and contrast in nonfiction work, and
how we can use them as writers!

Materials Needed (list):

A. Notebook paper for Do-Now
B. “Compare & Contrast YOU!” Worksheet (see separate document due to orientation of page)
C. PowerPoint/Instructional Aid (Do-Now instructions, Signal Words, our Venn Diagram, Sentence
examples, and timer for partner work)