Lesson 1

Standards:
Literature 9: Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries
and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics
Literature 3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings or events in
a story or drama. Drawing on specific details from the text
Grade Level Indicators:
Reading Process: 3. Make critical comparisons across texts. (Ohio Resource
Center)
Research Standard: Compare and contrast important findings and select sources
to support central ideas, concepts and themes. (Ohio Resource Center).
Objectives:
Students will comprehend the text and demonstrate their understanding by
completing the accompanying worksheet.
Students will use evidence from the text to support their answers.
Materials:
Journeys textbook, Comparing and Contrasting Two Fictional Texts packet,
pencil, whiteboard, dry erase markers smart board, timer
Key Vocabulary:
Target vocabulary from textdiscomfort, primitive, interior, honored, secretive,
immersed, bungled, contagious, brandishing, imprinted
Academic vocabularycompare, contrast, evidence, theme
Instructional Strategies:
Direct InstructionStudents will be given explicit instruction as to how they are
supposed to complete this activity. Direct instruction was developed by Siegfried
Engelmann.
Guided PracticeQuestions will be answered as a whole class. This is strategy
is based on the gradual release of responsibility model by Pearson and
Gallagher.
Collaborative LearningStudents will work in groups to answer questions and
build knowledge together. This is based on the ideas of Piaget and Vygotsky.
Anticipatory Set:
At the very start of class, students will fill out a self-assessment that will indicate
to both the students and to me how well they believe they know this concept and
can utilize these skills. Next, one student will pass out the packets as everyone
gets out their textbooks. During this transition period there will be a brief review
of comparing and contrasting within one text. Prompting questions will include:
What should we look for when we are comparing two characters in a text?
Besides characters, what are some other things we may compare within a single

text? There will then be a brief discussion about how comparing across two texts
may be different. This should take at most five minutes.
Students will then turn to the packets that were just passed out. As a class we
will read the Before Reading section. One student volunteer will read the
introductory passage to the story we will be reading. They will then take three
minutes to answer the first few questions within their groups before discussing
the questions as a whole class.
Activities:
Students will then be assigned certain scenes from the text to perform with their
groups as well as vocabulary words from the text that they will present. Students
will then have time to look up their assigned words and practice their scenes of
the play. This will take about ten minutes.
Once their time is up, students will begin by presenting their vocabulary words to
the class. This should take roughly ten minutes.
We will then being reading the play. The students assigned to the first scene will
begin reading their lines. As we read we will begin answering the questions found
in the during reading section of the packet. Students will need to look back in
the drama to find evidence to support what their answers. Completion of this step
will depend on how quickly the students read and how long it takes them to
answer all the questions. With theoretically twenty minutes left in class at this
point it is unlikely that we will finish reading the play in this one period. If this is
the case, students will put their packets in to their group folders so that they do
not lose them and will be able to work on them more the following class period.
Provided that student do finish reading the play in this period and have time at
the end of class, they will complete the after reading section of the packet. This
section asks students to determine the theme and to fill out the Venn diagram
comparing the two main characters in the story. This will be a review of the
concepts students learned earlier.
Accommodations:
Students at this school are divided into ability groups based on their reading
abilities. Students who are in the lower group will have more time to complete the
activities in this lesson and will spend more time in guided instruction.
For students who have difficulty hearing, the answers that students say will
written on the board.
Students who have difficulty reading will have an opportunity to pre-read their
lines in the play so they know ahead of time what they will be saying.
During tests, certain students will be pulled out of the classroom to be in an
environment with reduced distractions.
Assessment:
This lesson will begin with a diagnostic self-assessment. Students will determine
for themselves is the skills associated with this learning segment are skills they
can readily do, can almost do or cannot yet do. This will show me and the
students what they need to work on during this learning segment.

Students will be informally formatively assessed while they complete the

activities in class based on the answers they provide to prompted questions, and
based on the questions they ask as the lesson proceeds.
There will be a formal formative assessment when students turn in their packets.
Responses will be graded and returned to students with feedback about what
they did well on in the assignment and what they still need to improve upon.

Lesson 2
Standards:
Literature 9: Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries
and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics
Literature 3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings or events in
a story or drama. Drawing on specific details from the text
Grade Level Indicators:
Reading Process: 3. Make critical comparisons across texts. (Ohio Resource
Center)
Research Standard: Compare and contrast important findings and select sources
to support central ideas, concepts and themes. (Ohio Resource Center).
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate their comprehension of the text by completing the
worksheet.
Students will demonstrate their ability to compare the themes of two literary texts
by writing a paragraph.
Students will use evidence from the text to support their answers.
Materials:
Journeys textbook, Comparing and Contrasting Two Fictional Texts packet,
pencil, whiteboard, dry erase markers smart board, timer
Key Vocabulary:
Target vocabulary from textdiscomfort, primitive, interior, honored, secretive,
immersed, bungled, contagious, brandishing, imprinted, persnickety
Academic vocabularycompare, contrast, evidence, theme, summarize
Instructional Strategies:
Direct InstructionStudents will be given explicit instruction as to how they are
supposed to complete this activity. Direct instruction was developed by Siegfried
Engelmann.
Guided PracticeQuestions will be answered as a whole class. This is strategy
is based on the gradual release of responsibility model by Pearson and
Gallagher.
Collaborative LearningStudents will work in groups to answer questions and
build knowledge together. This is based on the ideas of Piaget and Vygotsky.
Anticipatory Set:
Student will get their packets from their group folders and take out their
textbooks. We will take a moment to summarize the play. Depending on how far
students had gotten the day before, we will either summarize the first few scenes
or the whole play. We will also quickly review the questions that we had
answered. This should take no more than five minutes.

Activities:
If necessary, students will continue reading their assigned scenes and answering
the accompanying questions. This will take however long the students need to
get through all the information. It could be anywhere from five to fifteen minutes.
Once the story is over, students will move on to the questions in After Reading
section. Students will determine possible themes of this story and explain why
this theme would be reasonable. They will also work with a partner to complete
the Venn diagram comparing the two main characters form the story. Students
will have five minutes to work with their partners. This should be a review form
what they learned previously. Once students have completed the diagram with
their partners, we will discuss it as a whole group. The whole group discussion
will take roughly two minutes since students should have gotten the information
with their partners already.
Students will then move on to the next page in their packets and turn to the next
story in their textbooks. They will preview the title of the fairytale, The Princess
and the Pea, and they will discuss how the two stories may be similar.
We will then begin reading the story and answering the accompanying questions.
This should take about ten minutes.
Once the story is over, students will then determine the possible themes from this
story and explain why that would make sense. Students will then discuss with a
partner how the themes of the two stories are similar and different and begin
writing paragraph comparing how each story approached the theme. Students
will take as long as they need to complete this paragraph in class. If they are not
able to complete the paragraph within the remaining time, they will finish this for
homework. Students will turn in their packets as they are finished.
If the whole class finishes with time remaining in class, students will get out their
Measuring Up workbooks and turn to page 91 to continue practice of the
concepts they just learned.
Accommodations:
Students at this school are divided into ability groups based on their reading
abilities. Students who are in the lower group will have more time to complete the
activities in this lesson and will spend more time in guided instruction.
For students who have difficulty hearing, the answers that students say will be
written on the board.
During tests, certain students will be pulled out of the classroom to be in an
environment with reduced distractions.
Students who need an extra challenge will be asked two write two paragraphs
instead of just one. One paragraph will be about the similarities and the other
would be about differences.
Students who struggle with organizing their ideas will be provided with graphic
organizers to begin drafting their written responses.
Assessments:

Students will be informally formatively assessed while they complete the

activities in class based on the answers they provide to prompted questions, and
based on the questions they ask as the lesson proceeds.
There will be a formal formative assessment when students turn in their packets.
Responses will be graded and returned to students with feedback about what
they did well on in the assignment and what they still need to improve upon.

Lesson 3
Standards:
Informational Text 9: Integrate information form several texts on the same topic in
order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Grade Level Indicators:
Reading Process: 3. Make critical comparisons across texts. (Ohio Resource
Center)
Reading Applications: 3. Compare important details about a topic, using different
sources of information, including books, magazines, newspapers and online
resources. (Ohio Resource Center)
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate their comprehension of the text by completing the
accompanying worksheet.
Students will use evidence from the text to support their answers.
Materials:
Journeys textbook, Integrating Two or More Nonfictional Texts packet, pencil,
smart board, timer,
Key Vocabulary:
Target vocabulary from textconserving, restore, regulate, vegetation,
endangered, responsibility, attracted, adapted, unique, guardians
Academic vocabulary integrate, evidence, compare, contrast
Instructional Strategies:
Direct InstructionStudents will be given explicit instruction as to how they are
supposed to complete this activity. Direct instruction was developed by Siegfried
Engelmann.
Guided PracticeQuestions will be answered as a whole class. This is strategy
is based on the gradual release of responsibility model by Pearson and
Gallagher.
Collaborative LearningStudents will work in groups to answer questions and
build knowledge together. This is based on the ideas of Piaget and Vygotsky.
Anticipatory Set:
Students will get out their textbooks as one student passes out their packets.
During this transition time, a few student volunteers will be able to share their
compare and contrast paragraphs from the previous lesson that they completed
for homework. Once everyone has their packets and books, students will open to
page 232 of their textbooks to fill out the vocabulary chart. Each group will focus
on two words and will have five minutes to discuss with each other what they
believe the definition might be based on context clues and/or prefixes, suffixes
and roots. Once those five minutes are up, student representatives from each

group will present their findings to the whole class. This should take about five
minutes.
Activities:
Students will then turn to page 235 of their textbooks. One student will read the
Preview the Topic section, which is about conservation. Students will then
discuss the before reading questions with their partners for a few minutes before
opening up the discussion for the whole class. This should take no more than five
minutes. We will also discuss how this is a topic that they will be learning more
about in their science classes later in the year.
Students will read the narrative nonfiction passage Everglades Forever as a
whole class. One student will read and call on a classmate to continue where
they left off. Students will also be instructed to pay special attention to the images
that accompany the text. As students read, they will take notes about two
different habitats that can be found in the Everglades. Also, students will have
the option to share any questions or comments they may have about the text. If
students do not volunteer to share on their own, I will prompt the students to
share any comments or questions they have after every other page. The amount
of time it will take to complete this activity will depend on how long it takes
students to read, analyze the pictures, and to answer the accompanying
questions. This should not take the entire time, but it is possible, that students
will not finish this task in the single period. If this is the case, students will put
their packets into their group folders so that they do not lose them.
If there is still time after students have read this passage, student will read Reef
Rescue and begin comparing the two texts.
Accommodations:
Students at this school are divided into ability groups based on their reading
abilities. Students who are in the lower group will have more time to complete the
activities in this lesson and will spend more time in guided instruction.
For students who have difficulty hearing, the answers that students say will
written on the board.
During tests, certain students will be pulled out of the classroom to be in an
environment with reduced distractions.
Assessments:
Students will be informally formatively assessed while they complete the
activities in class based on the answers they provide to prompted questions, and
based on the questions they ask as the lesson proceeds.
There will be a formal formative assessment when students turn in their packets.
Responses will be graded and returned to students with feedback about what
they did well on in the assignment and what they still need to improve upon.

Lesson 4
Standards:
Informational Text 9: Integrate information form several texts on the same topic in
order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Informational Text 5: Compare and contrast the over all structure of events, ideas
concepts or information in two or more texts.
Grade Level Indicators:
Reading Process: 3. Make critical comparisons across texts. (Ohio Resource
Center)
Reading Applications: 3. Compare important details about a topic, using different
sources of information, including books, magazines, newspapers and online
resources. (Ohio Resource Center)
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate that they are able to combine information from two or
more texts on the same topic to write knowledgably about it by writing a twoparagraph essay about the texts we just read.
Students will use evidence from the text to support their answers.
Materials:
Journeys textbook, Comparing and Contrasting Two Fictional Texts packet,
pencil, smart board, timer,
Key Vocabulary:
Target vocabulary from textconserving, restore, regulate, vegetation,
endangered, responsibility, attracted, adapted, unique, guardians
Academic vocabulary integrate, evidence, compare, contrast
Instructional Strategies:
Direct InstructionStudents will be given explicit instruction as to how they are
supposed to complete this activity. Direct instruction was developed by Siegfried
Engelmann.
Guided PracticeQuestions will be answered as a whole class. This is strategy
is based on the gradual release of responsibility model by Pearson and
Gallagher.
Collaborative LearningStudents will work in groups to answer questions and
build knowledge together. This is based on the ideas of Piaget and Vygotsky.
Anticipatory Set:
Students will get their packets out of their group folders and they will take out
their textbooks. We will summarize what we had read from the text during the
previous class. This may be the whole text or simply a majority of it. We will
continue reading the work until we are finished with the whole text. We will also
review what it means that to be a narrative nonfiction text.

Activities:
Students will then read Reef Rescue. In small groups, students will discuss
their initial reactions to the text. Students will then discuss with those groups how
they thought this text compared to Everglades Forever. They will look at how
each text presented the information, and discuss which approach they found
most effective.
Then, as a whole class, we will begin writing an essay that integrates the
information from both texts about the importance of protecting the environment.
We will write the first part of the essay as a whole group. Students will then finish
the essays on their own. As students finish, they will turn their packets in.
If there is time at the end of the period, students will get out their Measuring Up
workbooks and turn to page 152 for additional practice of the concepts that they
just learned.
Accommodations:
Students at this school are divided into ability groups based on their reading
abilities. Students who are in the lower group will have more time to complete the
activities in this lesson and will spend more time in guided instruction.
For students who have difficulty hearing, the answers that students say will
written on the board.
During tests, certain students will be pulled out of the classroom to be in an
environment with reduced distractions.
Students who struggle with organizing their ideas will be provided with graphic
organizers to begin drafting their written responses.
Assessments:
Students will be informally formatively assessed while they complete the
activities in class based on the answers they provide to prompted questions, and
based on the questions they ask as the lesson proceeds.
There will be a formal formative assessment when students turn in their packets.
Responses will be graded and returned to students with feedback about what
they did well on in the assignment and what they still need to improve upon.