English // Reading Comprehension
Comparing Characters Across Stories
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories; identify similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic
Quick check
If the learner has read two stories with similar themes — like two tales about a brave hero — can they tell you what was the same and what was different between them?
Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.
Topic // Mastery
What mastery looks like
- Identify what two stories have in common (e.g. 'Both have a bear character')
- Compare information from two books about the same topic
- Discuss how characters' experiences are similar or different across stories
Topic // Map
Where this fits
- RequiredMust come first
- HelpfulHelps, but not essential
Before this
5 topics- Characters, settings, and eventsRequired
Reading Comprehension // Ages 5 to 8
Need story elements to compare texts
Reading Comprehension // Ages 5 to 7
Informational text knowledge supports comparison
- Feelings Change and DifferHelpful
Personal & Social Development // Emotional Literacy // Ages 5 to 7
Comparing characters' adventures and reactions in stories is enriched by the foundational SEL understanding that the same event can make different people feel differently
- Connecting New & Old IdeasHelpful
Learning to Learn // Learning to Learn // Ages 7 to 8
Comparing and contrasting characters or texts draws on the universal habit of connecting new ideas to existing knowledge
- Spotting PatternsHelpful
Learning to Learn // Learning to Learn // Ages 7 to 8
Identifying patterns and similarities across texts is the reading form of the universal pattern-recognition habit
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Comparing Characters Across Stories
Ages 5 to 9 // Thinking skill
Leads to
2 topicsReading Comprehension // Ages 6 to 8
Comparing characters across stories builds on general text comparison skills
History // Historical Thinking // Ages 6 to 8
Recognising that different people give different accounts of the same event is the historical application of the English skill of comparing and contrasting two texts on the same topic
Topic // Standards
Curriculum standards
- Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects
- RI.1.9RI.2.9RI.3.9RI.K.9RL.1.9RL.3.9RL.K.9
English // Reading Comprehension
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