I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Compare and Contrast

Essential Question:

About what 2 elements (i.e., characters, settings) is there adequate information to compare and con

Bridge:

Imagine a Scene

Content:

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Students choose a partner and are instructed to compare and contrast themselves. What are some things that they have in common? What are the things about them that are different? How specific can they get?

Alternate: Bring a guest into the room. Have students compare and contrast their teacher to the principal, custodian, secretary, etc. How will we record our thoughts?

View a complete wheel plan for this unit.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Work in groups. Students compile list of times/events/situations where they needed to use comparison/contrasting skills to problem-solve and make decisions.
Refer to the 1R activity they just completed and the information/perspectives/understandings that were gained by comparing/contrasting.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Each person takes a piece of drawing paper and folds it in half. First play a cd with ocean sounds and seagulls and waves. Students imagine themselves in this setting and draw the place that the music evokes.
Next play cd with sounds from a haunted house (can be found at novelty stores or around Halloween). Students imagine they are in this setting now. On the other side of the drawing paper, illustrate this scence that the scary music inspires.

Share with large group. After comparing/contrasting students may add to their drawings as now they have new insights as a result of this sharing and comparing.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Have students brainstorm what they remember about the fairy tale “Cinderella”. Tell them you will now read a spin off of that fairy tale and we will try to figure out how these are alike and different. Read aloud “Cinder Edna”. Compare and Contrast this character to Cinderella modeling Doubble Bubble visual tool. Book talks and students select next book.

View the book talks for this unit in the resources tab.

View the Double Bubble visual tool for Cinder Edna in the resources tab.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Small group work on comparison and contrast in Specs Log. Introduce vocabulary words. Practice exercises using Venn Diagram and Double Bubble Visual Tool and reading. Discussion of work. approx. 12 days

View a complete outline of scheduled small group work for this unit in the resources tab.

View a complete vocabulary list for this unit at http://www.aboutlearning.com/CS4vocabularycompare-cont.pdf

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Book groups work together to create one Double Bubble that compares/contrasts element or character as determined by the teacher specific to that book. Will be presented at Book Expert Presentation in step 8.
Rubrics determined ahead of group work to set quality standards.
1. King’s Equal: Raphael to Rosalind
2. Baseball Fever: Ezra to his dad
3. Caring for Carrutherrs: Carruthers to his friends
4. When the Soldiers were Gone: Henk's life during the war
to Benjamin's life after the war

Groups are restructured to complete vocabulary word illustrations on large paper which provides more discussion of unit words. Illustrations are created and displayed.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Group reviews Double Bubble created in 3R with teacher; refine and edit.

Using their Specs Logs and double bubbles, students create symbols for their main characters:
1. Baseball Fever-Ezra and dad
2. Carruthers: Carruthers and his friends
3. King's Equal: Raphael and Rosamund
4. Soldiers: Henk's life before the war and Benjamin's life after the war

Students create journal entry in Specs Logs explaining how the skills of comparing and contrasting will help them in their future reading work. This is also an opportunity to explore any ideas from thier "My Link" areas of their Specs Logs for this unit.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Share and display main character symbols. Sharing of Double Bubble Visual tool for each book group.

View the summative assessment at http://www.aboutlearning.com/files/CS4-assessment.pdf

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: