[Click here and type name]
Template for Compare and Contrast Lesson
(Inspired by The Strategic Teacher by Silver, Strong, and Perini)
Lesson title: [Click here and type title]
Mentor Text to be used in this lesson: [Click here and type name of mentor text]
Showing students how to compare well: What comparison activity could you start your lesson with,
which would have students compare things (not necessarily even related to the lesson) so they can learn
what a quality comparison looks like? Type a script for a comparison activity below:
[Click here and type a brief script for an introductory comparison activity]
Introducing the things to be compared: Which two objects, concepts, or mentor texts will the students
compare and contrast in this lesson? How will you introduce the two items to your students?
[Click here and type how you would introduce the two items]
Establishing a purpose for the comparison and introducing specific criteria for comparison: How will
you explain your BIG purpose for the comparison/contrast you’ll have your students do? What specific
criteria (or categories—What do they eat? What about size? Etc.) will you have students focus on?
[Click here and type how you would explain the purpose and the criteria]
Introducing your comparison tool: What tool will you create to make sure your students focus on the
criteria you have established? The tool needs to make sure the criteria are applied to both items being
compared.
As part of this proposal, you will also need to create the graphic organizer that you will use.
Modeling the comparison tool: How will you show students how to use comparison organizer? Explain
your modeling process and script what you will say.
[Click here and type how you would say this]
Posing a high-level question after the comparison: What synthesis question will you use to lead a
discussion after the students have compared and contrasted, and how would you have them explore an
answer?
[Click here and type your synthesis question and you instructions for assigning it to students]
Writing about the comparison: What will you have students write independently to show they learned
something from the comparison/contrast?
[Click here and summarize your writing assignment]