by Donald Hall

Before Reading:

PLOs: A2, A3, A4, A9, B5

Tell students that stories often compare and

contrast two ideas. Ask students to contribute

ideas (person, place, or thing) which would make for

a clever children’s book on comparing.

Explain that the learning intention for this lesson is

to examine the language and structure of stories

which compare and contrast. Share the Text

Structure graphic organizers on the next page.

During Reading:

PLO: A8, A7, B6

As the story is read, ask students to listen carefully for:

Compare/Contrast:

• How are the two animals portrayed

• How are the similar/different

• What features are developed around each pet (include features,

characteristics or examples used by the author)

• Ask students if they hear the language of comparison (i.e not only… but

also, resemble, as well as , different from, as opposed to etc.)

This strategy not only prepares students to write stories that defend a

viewpoint , it is also a determining importance strategy.

After Reading:

PLOs: B7, C8, C9, C10

After listening to I am Dog, I am Cat, ask students to turn and talk about the

voice the author demonstrated in this story. Compare responses. Expect

answers that are slightly different from one another because everyone adds

their own thinking.

Provide students with the opportunity to justify their viewpoint on which

makes a better pet - a dog or a cat.

Writing Trait: IDEAS and Organization Learning Intention: establish a clear understanding of

the text structure Compare and Contrast Debbie.nelson@sd71.bc.ca

Point of View

“It is a challenge for Grade 4-6 writers

to step outside of themselves and see

the argument from the point of view of

someone else. They must learn not just to

state their opinions but also to logically

rationalize their opinions with a specific

reader in mind.” Lori J. Rog Marvelous

Minilessons for Teaching Intermediate

Writing

Moving to a satisfying ending.

A good way to end a piece of persuasive

writing is by making an “I, you, or we”

statement.

Writing Samples

Writing samples included in this pub-

lisher document are from Grade 3/4 stu-

dents. Samples are taken from students

with modified, regular and challenge pro-

grams. Choosing a viewpoint topic that

appeals to all ages allowed these student

to co-create criteria, defend their

choice on a planning page and begin writ-

ing with the voice of the Mentor text in

mind.

Play-based lesson

Create an illustration to support your

viewpoint using plasticene. For example:

A student writes to defend his/her

viewpoint for the dog and later creates a plasticene model on a woven mat. Stu-

dents love this visual representation of

their viewpoint.

Other titles for use with Compare/

Contrast Text Structure:

WOOF meow tweet-tweet by Ce-

cile Boyer

Skippyjon Jones series by Judy Schachner (Siamese Cat, Chihua-

hua)

Bottled water is damaging to the envi-ronment, to our bodies, and to our wallets. The next time you want to take some water to the beach, on a run, or for a ride the car, grab a re-usable sports bottle, dip it under the kitchen faucet, and off you go. You’ll be doing some good for your body and for the earth.

Compare and Contrast Text Structure

Words to use:

Compare • Similar to

• Alike

• Same as

• Not only … but also

• Resemble

• As well as

• both

Contrast • Different from

• However

• Although

• On the other hand

• As opposed to

• More than, less than

• On the contrary

Criteria for expressing a viewpoint or opinion in writing:

• ________________________________________________________

• ________________________________________________________

• ________________________________________________________

• ________________________________________________________

• ________________________________________________________

In my writing today I want you to notice __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Planning Page—which do you think make better pets—cats or dogs?

Name: __________________________ Date: ______________________

Cat Dog

Write one to two paragraphs telling which makes the best pet. Remember to refer

to the criteria throughout the writing process. (i.e start with an engaging lead

sentence, add lots of supporting details to explain your main idea, remain zoomed

in on your viewpoint, finish with a conclusion that ties into your main idea)

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