Comparing Two Texts

It's that time of year! The time when teachers prepare their students for their rigorous standardized tests. *Insert eye roll here* Although we dread this, (and so do our students) I try to make it as painless as possible.  Over the last few weeks, we have been practicing juggling multiple texts, including nonfiction articles, literary pieces, newspaper articles, video clips, etc. This week I wanted to take a closer look at a picture book and a video clip. Of course, you can't go wrong by pairing Dog VS Cat (by Gail Fisher) and the ever so entertaining Dear Kitten: Regarding the Dog extended commercial. 

Talk about a perfect pair, these two align wonderfully for this purpose! Don't forget the best part, my students LOVED every minute of this activity! It was engaging, entertaining, and appropriate for our lesson. To tie both of these texts together, I've included a free graphic organizer (Comparing Two Texts) that you can get HERE!

Here's the break down...

First, I read aloud Dog VS Cat to my class. Then, I pass out the graphic organizer, Comparing Two Texts. I discuss the topics included as a whole class. I give them a few minutes to record observations they made during the first read. After going over all topics, I read Dog VS Cat one more time while they record the answers they didn't catch during the first read. I also challenge them to be more specific and detailed from the information that they had already recorded. Once they have completed the entire Dog VS Cat side, we move on to Dear Kitten. 

I have the students set their paper to the side and just WATCH the first time without taking any notes so they can focus only on the video clip. Give them a few minutes to record notes. Watch the video for a second time, recording any details they missed during the first viewing. 

When everyone is finished recording, we are ready to take a look over our graphic organizers as a class. I was super impressed with the responses I was receiving from all of my students. Some of my "hesitant hand raisers" even stepped out of hiding to willingly participate! 

I hope your class enjoys this activity as much as mine. I mean, who doesn't love the Dear Kitten videos?! Don't forget to checkout my other graphic organizers in my store here.