Well… its been a while! From a mission trip to the WARM side of the world to getting snowed in (at someone else's house for TWO days…with no technology, clothes…toothbrush… it was SAD!)… life has been BUSY! Today I thought I'd share some compare and contrast resources I have found useful in my classroom!
This year has been very challenging as we make the change from state standards to the Common Core standards. Although a lot of the material we have used in the past can be used to "supplement"... most of the new standards require much more in-depth resources. I have really noticed this when preparing to teach standard RL 3.9.
This year has been very challenging as we make the change from state standards to the Common Core standards. Although a lot of the material we have used in the past can be used to "supplement"... most of the new standards require much more in-depth resources. I have really noticed this when preparing to teach standard RL 3.9.
Although I ALWAYS teach the skill compare and contrast, I have never taught it as in-depth as I am required to for the Common Core. By third grade students should already know how to compare and contrast. Now we are supposed to expand on that skill and teach students to compare and contrast two stories written by the same author. Whoa!
I plan on spending a few days introducing the very basic skill of comparing and contrasting because I don't know where my students stand. I feel like through these first few years of Common Core it will be VERY important to retrace second grade skills that students might not have gotten due to the change in standards.
After students have a good grasp on simply comparing and contrasting two things, two places, two characters, etc. I will move on to our new third grade standard. I plan on introducing this new standard by reading two Arthur books. As we read them we will first fill out two story element charts and then we will complete a Venn Diagram comparing the two books (using the information we recorded on the story element charts). This new standard asks us to compare and contrast two stories, written by the same author… with the same characters. Whew!
After we have practiced together as a class (several times and in several different ways) I plan on breaking students into pairs. In partners students will read two stories and do the same thing we completed as a class on their own worksheets. They will first fill out the story elements and then complete the Venn Diagram. I love that using a story elements chart and a Venn Diagram has students working on a new standard and reinforcing old ones at the same time.
For partner work I plan on giving my students two different Berenstain Bears books because I have tons of them AND they are at a good reading level for my students. I believe they will be able to appropriately read and comprehend the texts.
You can find the graphic organizer and Venn Diagram my students will be using for free on my Teachers Pay Teachers site. I hope that other 3rd grade teachers trying to gather resources for RL 3.9 will be able to find these graphic organizers useful. Also, if you have created or found any resources for this standard... please share them!
Well, that post wore me out!
That's the longest I have written in a while... Hah! Hope you all have having a terrific week and STAYING WARM! =)
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