Description
What our Compare and Contrast Characters’ Experiences lesson plan includes
Lesson Objective and Overview: Compare and Contrast Characters’ Experiences teaches students strategies for identifying characters’ experiences and compare and contrast them with other characters. At the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify main characters in a story, will be able to compare and contrast the experiences and adventures of the characters, and will be able to analyze how each character responds to the events in the story. This lesson is for students in 1st grade.
Classroom Procedure
Every lesson plan provides you with a classroom procedure page that outlines a step-by-step guide to follow. You do not have to follow the guide exactly. The guide helps you organize the lesson and details when to hand out worksheets. It also lists information in the yellow box that you might find useful. You will find the lesson objectives, state standards, and number of class sessions the lesson should take to complete in this area. In addition, it describes the supplies you will need as well as what and how you need to prepare beforehand. The supplies that you will need for this lesson are hula hoops, index cards, a list of character traits, colored pencils, and pencils.
The lesson includes many suggestions for ways to prepare for this lesson ahead of time, such as making copies of the handouts, making a set of index cards that each have different character traits written on them, and making sure there are traits for the main character in the story that you use for the lesson on the first day. You can find more suggestions in the “Prepare Ahead of Time” section on the first Classroom Procedure page.
Options for Lesson
Included with this lesson is an “Options for Lesson” section. It lists a number of suggestions for ways to teach the lesson. It presents several options, such as using books that tell well-known stories from different perspectives, like fractured fairytales; books that tell well-known stories in different settings and cultures, like fairytales and fables; or books that focus on a similar type of adventure or lesson learned, like the books Amina’s New Friends and Carmen Learns English, both of which compare the stories of immigrant students’ first days in American schools.
Teacher Notes
The teacher notes page includes a paragraph with additional guidelines and things to think about as you begin to plan your lesson. It notes that student should already know how to determine the main idea and central theme in a story before starting this lesson. This page also includes lines that you can use to add your own notes as you’re preparing for this lesson.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST CHARACTERS’ EXPERIENCES LESSON PLAN CONTENT PAGES
The Compare and Contrast Characters’ Experiences lesson plan does not include any content pages. Rather, it provides a very detailed lesson plan, found on the two Classroom Procedure pages.
COMPARE AND CONTRAST CHARACTERS’ EXPERIENCES LESSON PLAN WORKSHEETS
The Compare and Contrast Characters’ Experiences lesson plan includes three worksheets: an activity worksheet, a practice worksheet, and a homework assignment. You can refer to the guide on the classroom procedure page to determine when to hand out each worksheet.
VENN DIAGRAM ACTIVITY WORKSHEET
For the activity worksheet, students will complete a Venn diagram comparing the main character in the story they read with themselves.
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER PRACTICE WORKSHEET
The practice worksheet asks students to fill out the graphic organizer. They will first tell who the main character is in each story. Next, they will follow the instructions for the other boxes (“Compare” and “Contrast”).
COMPARE AND CONTRAST CHARACTERS’ EXPERIENCES HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
For the homework assignment, students will draw a story of their own. They will decide who their main character is, what adventure they will have, and how the story ends. They will use the time words in each box on the worksheet to help them.
