Standard 3: Critical Reading and Writing

Students will apply critical thinking skills to reading and writing.

5.3.R.7 Students will compare and contrast texts and ideas within and between texts.

Student Actions 

Teacher Actions 

• Students compare (state how they are alike) texts and ideas within and between texts.
• Students contrast (state how they are different) texts and ideas within and between texts.
• Students use graphic organizers and academic vocabulary to compare and contrasts ideas within texts and across texts. 
• Students compare and contrast texts across the curriculum.  

• Teachers review how to and provide opportunities for students to compare texts and ideas within and between texts.
• Teachers review how to and provide opportunities for students to contrast texts and ideas within and between texts.
• Teachers provide opportunities for students to compare and contrast texts across the curriculum, integrating other Oklahoma Academic Standards within ELA, science, or social studies.

Supporting Resources

Teacher Insights

Principle Phases of Compare and Contrast and Why You Should Use This In Your Classroom (webpage)

Readworks: Compare and Contrast Units by Grade Level (webpage)

Exploring Compare and Contrast Structure in Expository Texts (webpage)

Comparison and Contrast Guide (webpage)

Examining Plot Conflict through a Comparison/Contrast Essay (webpage)

Teaching the Compare and Contrast Essay through Modeling (webpage)

• This a new objective to fifth grade.

• Comparing and contrasting ideas may involve:

• Comparing the physical descriptions of the protagonist and the antagonist in a text.

• Comparing the setting from two different stories

• Contrasting how two characters deal with similar conflicts.

• The standard indicates that students can compare ideas in the same text and/or amongst multiple texts.

• Paired text - Pairing texts is a powerful way to connect new information to known information. The cognitive stretching is the goal of all teachers, and pairing texts is a great way to accomplish this. This strategy also provides students with lots of opportunities to engage in other Oklahoma Academic Standards within ELA, science, or social studies.

• Readworks Digital provides paired texts to compare and contrast with both explicit and inferential questions. Click this link for more information on comparing and contrasting paired text.

Due to recursive nature of the standards, it is essential that teachers are aware of how all objectives within and between strands work together for optimal instruction.