Comparing Texts

Grade 3 Reading | FL B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.3.R.3.3

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What Will You Learn?

When you compare texts, you find what's the SAME. When you contrast texts, you find what's DIFFERENT. Today you'll learn to compare how two authors write about the same topic!

βœ… Compare = SAME

Signal words:

❌ Contrast = DIFFERENT

Signal words:

Remember: Two texts can be about the same topic but present it differently. Authors make choices about what to include and how to explain it!

Read Both Passages

Passage 1: Bees in the Garden

Bees are some of the most helpful insects in your garden! These fuzzy creatures visit flowers to drink nectar. As they move from flower to flower, they spread pollen, which helps plants make seeds and grow fruit. Without bees, we wouldn't have many of the foods we love, like apples, strawberries, and watermelons. You can help bees by planting colorful flowers in your yard!

Passage 2: The Life of a Honeybee

A honeybee hive is like a busy city! Every bee has an important job. The queen bee lays eggs all day long. Worker bees build the honeycomb, gather food, and care for baby bees. Guard bees protect the hive from enemies. Honeybees communicate by doing a special "waggle dance" to tell other bees where to find flowers. In winter, bees huddle together to stay warm and eat the honey they stored.

Compare the Passages

Fill in the chart to analyze both passages:

Passage 1 Passage 2
What is the main topic?
What is the main focus?
What facts does it include?

Venn Diagram

Write details in the correct section:

Only Passage 1
BOTH Passages
Only Passage 2

Questions

1

How are the two passages SIMILAR? (What's the same?)

2

How are the two passages DIFFERENT?

3

Which passage would help you learn how to attract bees to your garden? Why?

4

Which passage would help you learn about what bees do inside their hive? Why?

5

Why might each author have focused on different things about bees?

Think About It: Both passages are about bees, but each author made different choices about what to tell you. Passage 1 focuses on how bees help US. Passage 2 focuses on how bees LIVE. Neither is "wrong"β€”they just have different purposes!