# Lesson 71: Comparing two stories

📖 READING (40 Lessons) • 🟣 D. Reading Together

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## Objective

Compare two short stories by telling how they are alike and how they are different in characters, settings, problems, and endings.

## Materials

- Pencil/paper for the activity
- The Sound Pad (bottom right corner) to hear letter and digraph sounds

## Letter & Sound Pad

Tap any button to hear its sound.

### Short vowels

### Long vowels

### Consonant sounds

### Digraphs

## Mini-lesson — How are these two stories alike and different?

Sometimes we read one story. Other times, we read two stories and think about them together.

When we compare stories, we look for how they are alike and how they are different.

We can compare:

- characters — Who is in each story?
- settings — Where and when does each story happen?
- problems — What problems do the characters have?
- endings — How are the problems solved? How does each story end?

We use words like both, alike, and different:

- “Both stories have…”
- “In Story 1, … but in Story 2, …”
- “They are alike because…”

Comparing stories helps us:

- remember what happened in each story
- notice small details
- think more deeply about what we read

You can use these frames:

“Both stories…”

“In the first story…, but in the second story…”

Today, you will practice comparing two stories about kids solving problems.

Picture strip: Two stories and a compare space

## Guided Practice — Mini-book: Two stories to compare

How to use this mini-book:

- Read about Story 1 and Story 2.
- Notice how they are alike and how they are different.
- Use words like both, alike, and different when you talk.

On your paper, draw two boxes labeled “Story 1” and “Story 2.” Under them, write one way the stories are alike and one way they are different.

Compare words
alike different both Story 1 Story 2 characters setting

Frames: “Both stories…” “In Story 1…, but in Story 2…”

### Mini-Book: Two stories to compare

1

Story 1: The lost glove

In Story 1, a boy named Marco loses his glove at the park.

He looks on the swing and under the slide.

At the end, a little girl finds the glove on the bench and gives it back to him.

2

Story 2: The missing lunch

In Story 2, a girl named Ana cannot find her lunchbox at school.

She looks on the table and in her backpack.

At the end, her teacher finds it on the art shelf and brings it to her.

3

How are they alike?

Both stories have kids who lose something important.

Both stories have helpers who give the lost thing back.

Both endings are happy because the problem is solved kindly.

4

How are they different?

In Story 1, the setting is a park. In Story 2, the setting is a school.

Marco loses a glove. Ana loses a lunchbox.

Comparing stories means noticing how they are alike and how they are different.

## Reading Practice — Comparing two stories

For each situation about Story 1 and Story 2, drag the answer that best tells how the stories are alike or different. Chips stay in their own question. Then press “Check sentences.”

Story 1 and Story 2 both show kids looking for something they cannot find.
A good compare sentence is:

Both stories have a character who loses something important. Only Story 1 has any characters at all. Neither story has a problem.

Story 1 happens outside at a park. Story 2 happens inside a school building.
A good way to tell how they are different is:

In Story 1 the setting is a park, but in Story 2 the setting is a school. Both stories happen on the moon. The settings do not matter in any story.

Marco and Ana do not lose the same thing.
A sentence that compares their problems is:

The boy in Story 1 loses a glove, but the girl in Story 2 loses a lunchbox. Both characters lose a spaceship. Only Story 2 has any problem at all.

In both endings, someone else finds the lost object and returns it.
A good compare sentence is:

Both stories have a kind person who finds the lost thing and gives it back. In both stories the lost things stay lost forever. The helpers in the stories are never kind.

At the end of both stories, the kids get back what they lost and feel better.
A sentence about the endings is:

Both endings feel happy because the problem is solved in a kind way. Both endings are scary and no one helps. Only Story 2 has an ending.

You want to use the word "both" to talk about Story 1 and Story 2 together.
The best sentence is:

Both stories show kids who keep looking until they find what they lost. Both stories only talk about animals in space. Both stories are about something I saw on TV.

You want to tell how the settings are not the same.
A good compare sentence is:

The stories are different because one happens outside and the other happens inside. The stories are different because the front covers are different colors. The stories are different because I say so.

In Story 1 and Story 2, the kids are upset when they lose something and calm when they find it.
A sentence about the characters is:

Both main characters feel worried at first and then feel better at the end. Only Story 1 has feelings in it. The characters do not have any feelings at all.

Your teacher asks, "Why do we compare Story 1 and Story 2?"
A good answer is:

Comparing the stories helps me remember details and see patterns in what happens. Comparing the stories is only for grown-ups. We compare stories just to fill the time.

When someone says, "Compare these two stories," the best thing to do is to .

tell how the stories are alike and how they are different using clear examples only talk about one story and forget the other close the book and not read at all

## Quick Check — Comparing two stories

#### What does it mean to compare two stories?

To read only the first story and forget the second one To look for how the stories are alike and how they are different To count how many pages are in each book

#### Which words are helpful for comparing stories?

never, maybe, later front, back, side both, alike, different

#### What is one thing you can compare in two stories?

The characters and their problems The price of the paper the books are printed on How fast you can close the book

#### Which sentence is a good compare sentence?

“This story is long.” “In Story 1 the setting is a park, but in Story 2 the setting is a school.” “Books are made of pages.”

#### How can comparing stories help you as a reader?

It makes stories harder to understand. It makes you forget the characters. It helps you remember details and understand stories more deeply.

## Assessment (parent/teacher)

Can explain that comparing stories means finding how they are alike and how they are different Can name at least one way Story 1 and Story 2 are alike Can name at least one way Story 1 and Story 2 are different Uses compare words like "both," "alike," and "different" when talking about stories

## Exit ticket (student)

😀 I can compare two stories and tell how they are alike and different 🙂 I need more practice using words like both, alike, and different 😅 Comparing two stories still feels tricky

#### I will practice…

Telling one way two stories are alike Telling one way two stories are different Using the sentence frame “In Story 1…, but in Story 2…”
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