CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.9
The Standard
Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Informational Text
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read two informational texts about one topic and find the key points in each. They explain which key points are alike and which are different.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students name a key point from each text and support it with a relevant detail. They clearly explain which key points are shared and which appear in only one text.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may compare pictures, titles, or small details instead of key points. They may retell each text separately without saying how the ideas are alike or different. Some assume two texts on the same topic give identical information.
How to Assess It
- Give students two short passages about how penguins stay warm. Ask them to write one key point shared by both and one key point unique to each passage.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs two short animal articles, yellow and blue sticky notes, and a Venn diagram to sort each text's key points.
Ask, “Which important idea appears in both texts, and which appears in only one? Use one detail from each text.”
Play Key Point Match: students place statement cards under Text A, Text B, or Both, then defend one choice.
Compare two child-friendly weather reports about the same storm, then identify shared safety advice and advice unique to one report.
Free download
Printable RI.2.9 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.2.9, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
Download the worksheetLearning progression
Where This Standard Sits
See the whole path on the Reading: Informational Text progression map.
Before This Standard
If students are struggling here, check these first.
What This Unlocks
Mastery here sets students up for these next.
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.5
Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or m...
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.9
Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.
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