Unit: Stellaluna Lesson Type: Skill and
Strategy
Skill and Strategy Lesson: Stellaluna
Reading Comprehension Unit: Stellaluna
Lesson Grade Level: 1st / 2nd
Common Core Standards Met: TBD
Learning Goal: Students will compare and contrast the bats and birds in Stellaluna by
identifying at least two similarities and two differences between them.
Skill and Strategy: Compare and Contrast
Materials Provided:
1. Detailed lesson plan
2. Teacher modeling and guided practice example chart
3. Graphic organizer for Stellaluna (provided in part II of the read-aloud lesson of this unit)
4. Non-fiction passage “All About Bats”
Materials Not Provided:
Stellaluna
Notes To Teacher: The following lesson provides optional, suggested language for the teacher.
Part I: Teacher-Modeling and Teacher-Led Questioning
Note to Teacher: This lesson is intended to be used after you have read the book out loud to
your students. Ideally you will have taught the read-aloud, paired-text, and vocabulary & syntax
lessons in this Stellaluna unit prior to teaching this skill and strategy lesson.
Note to Teacher: When modeling for your students how to compare and contrast please
emphasize the Key Words in the text that indicate similarities and differences.
For example: alike, resemble, both, like, same are often used when comparing. Different, but,
however, on the other hand are often used when contrasting.
Note to Teacher: On the board please make two columns. Title the first column “Compare” and
title the second column “Contrast”. As you identify similarities and differences during Part I of
this lesson please list similarities under “compare” and differences under “contrast”. This
information will be used during Part II of this lesson, which is guided practice.
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Unit: Stellaluna Lesson Type: Skill and
Strategy
1. Transition into the lesson: “As you remember, the baby bat named Stellaluna had quite an
adventure! Stellaluna was separated from her mother and ended up living with, and making
friends with, a family of birds. Today we are going to look at the text together and identify how
Stellaluna and the birds are alike and how they are different.”
2. Hold up the closed book and look at the front cover together with the class.
3. Teacher states out loud: “When we compare two things we identify how those two things are
similar or alike.”
4. Teacher thinks out loud: “I’m looking at the cover to see if I notice any similarities between
Stellaluna and the birds. I see that the birds are flying and that they have wings. Stellaluna is
not flying. But she does have wings. Okay, so when I compare Stellaluna with the birds I see
that they all have wings. So Stellaluna is like the birds because they all have wings. So on the
board, I’m going to write that Stellaluna is like the birds because they all have wings.”
5. Teacher writes on the board: “Stellaluna is like the birds because they all have wings.”
6. Turn to pages 27 and 28. Read page 27 out loud to the students and look at the illustration
on page 28.
7. Teacher states out loud: “Now I want to identify how Stellaluna and the birds are different.
When we contrast two things we determine how those two things are different. In the text it
says that ‘bats hang by their feet.’ And that hanging by their feet is right for bats but maybe
wrong for a bird. So when I contrast Stellaluna and the birds I can see that they are different.
Bats hang upside down by their fee. However, birds don’t hang upside down by their feet. So I
will write on the board, “bats hang upside down by their feet, but birds do not.”
8. Teacher writes on the board: “Bats hang upside down by their feet, but birds do not.”
Part II. Guided Practice and Discussion
1. Turn to the illustration on page 16. (Stellaluna and the birds are flying out of the nest
together).
2. Teacher asks students: “Looking at this illustration can you identify another way in which
Stellaluna is like the birds?”
Suggested student response: “Stellaluna is like the birds because Stellaluna can fly like
the birds.”
3. Teacher states: “Excellent, let’s write that on the board.”
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Unit: Stellaluna Lesson Type: Skill and
Strategy
4. Teacher writes on the board: “Stellaluna is like the birds because Stellaluna can fly like the
birds.”
5. Turn to pages 39 and 40. Read page 39 and look at the illustration on page 40.
6. Teacher asks students: “Can you contrast Stellaluna and the birds by telling me another way
in which Stellaluna is different from the birds?”
Suggested student response: “Stellaluna can see in the dark. However, the birds cannot
see in the dark.”
7. Teacher states: “Very good, let’s write that on the board as well.”
8. Teacher writes on the board: “Stellaluna can see in the dark. However, the birds cannot see
in the dark.”
Part III. Student Independent Practice
Note to Teacher:
For this part of the lesson please use the non-fiction reading passage titled “All About Bats.”
Note to Teacher: You can read the passage out-loud to students or have students read the
passage independently.
1. Teacher states out loud: “We are going to read the passage ‘All About Bats.’”
2. Read “All About Bats” passage out loud to students.
3. Display and point to the completed graphic organizer from part II of this lesson on the board.
4. Teacher states out loud: “As you recall we compared Stellaluna to the birds by identifying
similarities between them. We then wrote a sentence to explain why Stellaluna was like the
birds. Let’s read one of the sentences together again. ‘Stellaluna is like the birds because
Stellaluna can fly like the birds.’
We also contrasted Stellaluna with the birds by seeing why they were different. We then wrote a
sentence explaining why Stellaluna was different from the birds. Let’s look at one of those
sentences as well. ‘Stellaluna can see in the dark. However, the birds cannot see in the dark.’”
5. Hand out a copy of the independent practice worksheet to students.
6. Teacher states out loud: “Now that you know even more about bats you are going to compare
and contrast bats and birds on your own. You will write one sentence comparing bats to birds
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Unit: Stellaluna Lesson Type: Skill and
Strategy
and one sentence contrasting bats with birds. On your worksheet you will notice the sentences
have been started for you.
Take a minute to think about the passage we read. Think about what we’ve read and compare
why bats are similar to birds. Then finish the one sentence on the left side of the worksheet,
under the ‘Compare’ header.”
Note to Teacher: Move around the room to determine when most or all students are finished
before checking student work.
7. Teachers asks students: “Who can provide the class with a sentence comparing bats and
birds?”
Suggested student response: “Bats are like birds because they both eat insects.”
8. Teacher states out loud: “Now contrast birds and bats using the right side of the worksheet
under the contrast header. Be sure to think about how bats and birds are different.”
Note to Teacher: Move around the room to determine when most or all students are finished
before checking student work.
9. Teachers asks students: “Who can provide the class with a sentence contrasting bats and
birds?”
Suggested student response: “Bats have hair or fur, however, birds have feathers.”
10. Teacher states out loud: “By using information from both Stellaluna and the non-fiction
reading passage ‘All About Bats’ we practiced comparing and contrasting bats and birds.
Through this task, we used compare words such as, like, similar and both. We also used contrast
words such as but and however.
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Unit: Stellaluna Lesson Type: Skill and
Strategy
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER: Compare and Contrast
The teacher charts bold text during Teacher Modeling (I)
The teacher charts underlined text during guided practice. (WE)
Compare and Contrast: The Birds and Stellaluna
Compare – What is the
Same?
Contrast – What is
Different?
Stellaluna is like the
birds because they all
have wings.
Bats hang upside down
by their feet, but birds do
not.
Stellaluna is like the
birds because Stellaluna
can fly like the birds.
Stellaluna can see in the
dark. However, the birds
cannot see in the dark.
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Unit: Stellaluna Lesson Type: Skill and
Strategy
NAME ______________________________
DATE __________________________
Directions: Using the reading passage “All About Bats,” compare what you know about birds to
what you learn about bats in the passage. Write at least one compare sentence and one contrast
sentence below.
Compare key words: like, alike, same, resemble
Contrast key words: but, different, however, on the other hand
Compare and Contrast: Birds and Bats
Compare – What is the
Same?
Contrast – What is
Different?
Bats are like birds
Bats ________________
because _____________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
___________________.
____________________
However, birds _______
____________________
____________________
____________________.
____________________
___________________.
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Unit: Stellaluna Lesson Type: Skill and
Strategy
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Unit: Stellaluna Lesson Type: Skill and
Strategy
Teacher Answer Key (Answers may vary)
Compare key words: like, alike, same, resemble
Contrast key words: but, different, however, on the other hand
Compare and Contrast: Birds and Bats
Compare – What is the
same?
Contrast – What is
Different?
Bats are like birds
Bats have hair or fur.
because they both eat
However, birds have
insects.
feathers.
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© 2012 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.