Virginia SOL 2.RI.3.B
The Standard
Compare and contrast the most important points presented by two texts on the same topic.
Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Integration of Concepts
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read two informational texts about the same topic and identify the main point in each. They explain which important ideas are shared and which are different, using details from both texts.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student names the main point from each text and tells whether those points are alike or different. The student supports the comparison with accurate details from both texts.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may list small details instead of the main points. They may compare the text features or pictures but ignore the ideas, or tell how topics differ without using evidence.
How to Assess It
- Give students two short paragraphs about frogs. Ask: “Write one important point both texts share and one important point found in only one text.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs two short animal texts and fact cards, then have them place each card on a paper Venn diagram.
Ask students to write: “What do both authors want readers to understand, and what important idea appears in only one text?”
Play Same or Different by reading key points from two texts while students hold up labeled cards and explain each choice.
Compare two weather reports for the same day, then identify shared information and details reported by only one source.
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Printable 2.RI.3.B Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 1.RI.3.A
Identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic.
- K.RI.3.A
With prompting and support, identify basic similarities in and differences between two texts on the same topic
- 6.RI.3.B
Compare and contrast one author’s presentation of ideas or events with another’s, identifying where the texts agree or disagree.
- 3.RI.3.B
Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.
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