Lessons & Units :: Compare and Contrast 3rd Grade Unit

Lesson 2: Compare and Contrast Settings

Lesson Plan

Colonial Life | 770L

Colonial Life
Learning Goal
Compare and contrast a subject in a nonfiction book.
Duration
Approximately 50 minutes
Necessary Materials
Provided: Guided Practice Example Chart, Guided Practice Example Passage, Independent Practice Reading Passage
Not Provided: Colonial Life by Brendan January, markers, chart paper, lined paper
 

  • Teacher Modeling

    will read aloud Colonial Life by Brendan January, stopping at page 16 to provide a background of Colonial times. I will model identifying one similarity and one difference between Colonial life and life today.

    TIP: Students will have an easier time identifying differences rather than similarities in subjects that seem foreign to them. You may need to model identifying similarities several times before students will understand that even things that are different can have some aspects that are similar.

  • Think Check

    Ask: How did I compare Colonial life to life today? Students should respond that you read about Colonial life and thought about life today. You then thought about what is similar and different about life today.

  • Guided Practice

    will continue charting the similarities and differences between Colonial life and life today, as I finish reading Colonial Life. (Guided Practice Example Chart is provided below in Teacher and Student Materials.) We will write a passage comparing and contrasting three or four characteristics of Colonial life to life today. We will use compare and contrast key words in our paragraph (Guided Practice Example Passage is provided below).

  • Independent Practice

    will read the passage “Trouble in the Amazon” (see Student Independent Practice below) and write a paragraph comparing and contrasting life in the Amazon to life in your community.

    TIP: You may want to create a graphic organizer for your students to organize their thoughts before writing their compare and contrast paragraph in the Independent Practice.

Build Student Vocabulary encountered

Tier 2 Word: encountered
Contextualize the word as it is used in the story When people came from Europe, they exposed Native Americans to diseases that they had never encountered before.
Explain the meaning student-friendly definition) To encounter means to come in contact with or be exposed to something. The author explains Native Americans had never encountered diseases that people from Europe brought with them. This means that they had never come in contact with these diseases.
Students repeat the word Say the word encountered with me: encountered.
Teacher gives examples of the word in other contexts On the way home from work, I encountered a thief who tried to grab my purse. If my dog were to encounter an elephant, he would be frightened.
Students provide examples Tell me about a time that you first encountered something. Start by saying “The first time I encountered _________.”
Students repeat the word again. What word are we talking about? encountered
Additional Vocabulary Words advantage, exchange

Build Student Background Knowledge

Pause while reading pages 12-13 and share information about any American Indians who lived near your school or in your state. Discuss the leaders, lifestyles, and contributions of these American Indians. Did these American Indians encounter the early colonists, or were they settled on land that had not yet been discovered by European colonists?

Texts & Materials

Standards Alignment

(To see all of the ReadWorks lessons aligned to your standards, click here.)

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