Comparing and Contrasting

     In reading we are comparing and contrasting stories and story elements.  Last week we read three versions of Little Red Riding Hood.  We started by making a list of the elements we thought would be in the stories.  Then, as we read each one, we checked off the elements we found.  Even though they told the same basic story, each was a very different version!  This week we are doing the same thing with Cinderella stories.

     We are also comparing and contrasting in writing.  Students are using a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast two characters from books they've read.  Next, we'll write paragraphs to compare the characters.  We've been learning about topic sentences that introduce the topic, detail sentences that tell more, and concluding sentences that "wrap it up".

     We even made a connection between our comparing and contrasting in reading and writing and our science experiment that compared and contrasted salt and sugar!

     When we thought about comparing and contrasting in social studies, we thought about ways people use resources to get or make what they need.  Depending on where you live, you use resources in different ways (even though we all need the same things- like food, clothing and shelter).