Compare and Contrast Texts Lesson

Comparing Two Texts

What Does It Mean to Compare and Contrast?

Understanding the Key Concepts

• Compare means to identify similarities between two texts.

• Compare means to identify similarities between two texts.

• Contrast means to highlight the differences between the texts.

• In the FAST exam, you’ll need to compare and contrast key aspects like:

  • Themes (main ideas or messages)

  • Tone (the author’s attitude)

  • Point of View (who’s telling the story and their perspective)

  • Structure (how the text is organized) means to highlight the differences between the texts.

Steps to Comparing and Contrasting Two Texts

1. Read both texts carefully: Understand what each text is about and its main ideas.

2. Find similarities: Look for themes, characters, events, or concepts that appear in both texts.

3. Identify differences: Consider how the two texts differ in their message, tone, perspective, or structure.

4. Make connections: Compare how the two authors approach the topic or subject.

5. Use evidence: Cite specific examples from the texts to support your comparison and contrast.

• Identify similarities between two different reading

  passages

• Analyze the content of two reading passages together

Today's Learning Targets

Common Testing Question Types

• Locating answers

  ► Finding details

  ► Interpreting word meaning

  ► Paraphrasing

  ► Identifying the point of view of a passage

  ► Finding support in the passage for a claim

• Some of the questions will ask only about text "A." Some will ask only about text "B."And the last few questions will ask what the two texts have in common or how they differ.

Comparing Two Texts

Comparing and Contrasting Two Texts

Look at two items and explain how they are similar

or different

Open Ended

Provide one similarity between high schools and universities as found in the passages. What do high schools and universities have in common?

Open Ended

Provide one difference between high schools and universities as found in the passages. What are some features of high schools that are not present in universities? What are the features of universities that are not present in high schools?

Open Ended

Which of the passages describes a change over time for one of the institutions? What change occurred?

Open Ended

Identify the use of figurative or metaphorical language from each passage. What was the language used to describe?

Poll

Answer the self assessment scale:

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

Open Ended

Write at least 1 statement that would fit in each of the Venn Diagram sections.

1- Contrasting Hardcover books

2- Contrasting E-Books

3- Similarities in both.

Multiple Choice

If the writer of Passage A were to add more information to Passage B, he would likely give details that describe:

• 
  the various positions one can play on a soccer team.

• how many students suffer from anxiety who do not play sports.

• 
  what a typical day of practice is like.

• the narrator's study habits and school grades.

Multiple Choice

Passage A

Which statement best explains how Passage A characterizes the struggles of the surrealist art movement?

• Its development was slow and its artists hardly noticed by the others.

• The artists failed very quickly even though surrealism was initially successful.

• It failed to find an appropriate audience and its intended targets did not understand the artists.

• Other artists were finding much success, which only further embarrassed the surrealist artists.

Multiple Choice

Passage A

Passage A indicates the author considers that all surrealist artists believe they:

• are engaging in important social commentary with their art.

• promote logical reasoning in art
• conform to societal expectations
• embrace traditional artistic techniques

Multiple Choice

Passage B

According to Passage B, progressive artists believe that ballet has typically been an art form reserved for:

• the working class
• the privileged class

• only children
• the general public

Multiple Choice

Both Passages (Passage A and Passage B)

Based on the passages, surrealist art and the Parade ballet are similar in that:

• both are misunderstood and troubled

• both were desperate for affirmation.

• both were intended to promote the common man.

• both were failures that were never respected.