Casey Coley

Language Arts
Second Grade
Title: Charlie Anderson Compare and Contrast
Essential Questions:

What strategies can we use to compare and contrast different things?

What are the similarities and differences between feral cats and housecats?

Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3
Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.5
Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning
introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7
Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to
demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.

Learning Objectives

Assessments

SWBAT identify similarities and differences between

feral cats and house cats by using the text to support
their Venn diagram responses.

Venn Diagram, discussion

SWBAT explain in their own words what it means to

compare, and what it means to contrast.

Closure

Materials:

Venn Diagram packet (3 Venn Diagrams)

Textbooks

Youtube

Prior Knowledge: Students have read Charlie Anderson, a story about a cat who has two
homes on opposite sides of the forest. Opinion writing about cats and dogs, which included
factual articles about cats.

Do Now: Ms. Coley will pass out Venn diagram packet and ask students what the overlapping
circles are. Ms. Coley will ask what it means to compare (find similarities) and contrast (find
differences) things. Students will write down compare find similarities, contrast find
differences, at the top of their packet.
Instructional Plan:
5 minutes: Do Now
10 -15 minutes: Students will listen to small clips of two audios (nature sounds vs. Debussy) and
be asked to discuss with the students next to them to think about similarities and differences
between the two sounds. Ms. Coley will then go over this as a class.
10-15 minutes: Ms. Coley will then bring up two pictures on the flipboard (a gorilla and a
human). Students will be asked to work together to list similarities and differences between the
two pictures on Venn Diagram 2. Ms Coley will then bring the class together and list on the
flipboard ideas discussed by students. Ms. Coley will scaffold responses by asking class to think
about: where they live (introduce: habitat), coloring, hair, families, ask: mammal?, introduce:
diet (what they eat), and how they spend their time.
20-25 minutes: Ms. Coley will ask students to take our their textbooks and flip to Charlie
Anderson. Weve been reading Charlie Anderson this week, who can give a small summary of
what happens in this story? Lets talk about Charlie Anderson. What kind of cat is he? (Country
cat), we talked yesterday about what it meant to be a country cat, Charlie is both feral (wild) and
domesticated (housecat). Today we are going to compare and contrast feral cats and house cats.
With your row, use the story to help you compare and contrast feral cats and house cats.
Formative assessment: Ms. Coley will walk around the room and listen to student discussion as
students begin to work together to compare and contrast using their Venn Diagrams.
After 5-10 minutes (depending on where students are), Ms. Coley will bring class back and begin
reviewing student responses, guiding student responses by asking about cat habitat, diet,
coloring, type of animal, etc.
Closure: Ms. Coley will ask students to discuss what compare/contrast means. One student will
share their definition.

Modifications: Ms. Coley will give lower level students Venn Diagram packet with scaffolding
in place to help them organize their thoughts about the different ideas presented in class.
Charlie Anderson Compare and Contrast: Lesson Rationale
This second grade lesson is an excellent example of best practice in Language Arts as
specified by the standards put forth by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
This lesson promotes the development of literacy across multiple modes of communication
by engaging students in a Venn diagram study through audio, visual, and literary means. Further,
the sensory engagement and collaboration this lesson provides allows for students to discover
multiple ways of knowing the material; not only do students have the opportunity to
independently analyze different forms of literacy, but they must work with small groups to
critically compare and contrast various topics in order to expand and strengthen student
comprehension and interpretation.
Within this Language Arts lesson, students must access the text, Charlie Anderson, in
order to compare and contrast feral and domestic cats in their final Venn diagram. Students are
urged to take on the point of view of different characters as they think through the story in order
to practice reading critically, question what was read, and respond in a certain way. In this
way, students begin to uncover underlying assumptions and motives that otherwise operate
invisibly. When students offer different similarities and differences, they are urged to cite
examples from the text in order to practice providing evidence for their thoughts. This is an
important skill set for students to gradually acquire, as it provides the base for strong writing.
Last, it is always important for the educator to express real interest and passion for a
subject, as students will reflect these qualities. Within Language Arts, as students reflect their
teacher, they learn to find real pleasure in learning reading and writing, essential components of
learning, growing, and participating in society.