CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.9
The Standard
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts · Reading Standards for Literature
What This Standard Means
Students need to notice what happens to characters in two stories and talk about what is the same and different. They should compare events, problems, settings, feelings, and choices using simple evidence from the text and pictures.
Mastery looks like a first grader saying, “Both characters got lost, but one asked for help and one solved it alone.” Students often retell both stories without comparing them. They may also focus only on small details, like clothing or animal type, instead of the characters’ experiences.
Ways to Teach It
- Use two familiar picture books and have students place event cards on a same-different chart for the main characters.
- Ask students, “How did both characters feel during their problem, and what did each one do next?”
- Give students two character pictures and ask them to name one same experience and one different experience.
- Compare a character’s school day problem to a real classroom problem, like losing a pencil or joining a game.
Plan a Lesson for CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.1.9
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Related Standards
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.K.9
With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.9
Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.9
Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes and topics (e.g., opposition of good and evil) and patterns of events (e.g., the quest) in stories, myths, ...