Virginia SOL 3.RI.3.B

ELA3rd GradeReading Informational Text

The Standard

Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

Virginia Standards of Learning for English · Integration of Concepts

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students read a matched pair of nonfiction passages and determine what each author wants readers to understand. They use relevant facts from each passage to explain where the authors agree and where their coverage differs.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can state each author's main takeaway in their own words and select details that support it. The student can organize similarities and differences, then explain the comparison with evidence from both texts.
Common Misconceptions: Students may list any fact they notice rather than choose details tied to the main takeaway. They may compare length, pictures, or text features instead of ideas, or use evidence from only one passage.
How to Assess It: Give students two 100-word passages about honeybees. Ask, "Write one idea both authors include, one difference in their coverage, and one supporting detail from each passage."

Lesson moves

Give pairs two animal articles and detail cards to sort under "Both," "Text A," or "Text B," then defend one choice.
Ask, "What idea do both authors include, and what key detail appears in only one text? Cite the sentence."
Play a relay where teams read paired paragraphs, then race to post one shared idea and one unique detail correctly.
Compare two weather reports for the same day, then identify shared information and details found in only one report.

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