Comparing Literature: Lesson #1

Period: 5
Student Body: 12 Female, 8 Male (Total: 20)
Central Focus: Comparing elements of multiple complex texts
Lesson Goal:
Students will be able to identify similar and dissimilar elements between two different
pieces of text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text
leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
Learning Objectives:
Students will compare and contrast elements of two different texts
Students will justify their responses with evidence from the text(s)
Students will engage in collaborative discussions in both small groups and whole class
settings
Instructional Strategies:
Warm up
Discussion
Comparing and Contrasting
Informal assessment
Graphic organizer (Venn diagram)
Materials:
Overhead projector (to project the music video and the sonnet)
White board and markers
Handout of lyrics and sonnet for all students
Paper and writing materials (for each student)
Chromebook/Warm up sheet (depending on student preference)
Anticipatory Set:
Students will begin the lesson with a warm up activity that is projected on the white
board via projector. Students may use the Chromebooks to do this activity or a sheet of
paper where they keep their warm ups, depending on the preference of the student. The
warm up projected on the board will ask students to respond to the prompt: What do
you do when you compare? What do you do when you contrast? Students will be given
2-3 minutes to respond to this prompt.
Activities/Procedures:
After students have responded to the warm up prompt, the teacher will ask students to
share their definitions. The teacher will adjust any definitions as necessary.

Once the teacher feels she has sufficient definitions for compare and contrast, she will
explain to the students that they are going to be comparing and contrasting two different
texts: Bruno Mars song Just The Way You Are and William Shakespeares Sonnet 130,
My Mistress Eyes.
The teacher will then pass out copies of both the song lyrics and the sonnet. The teacher
will tell students that they need to be following along while the song plays and later when
we read the sonnet aloud. The teacher will also tell students that they should make
annotations on their handout while they read.
The teacher will then play the song, projecting the video onto the white board. While the
video is playing, the students should be reading the lyrics and making annotations on the
handout. Once the song finishes, the teacher will ask students questions about the song
and the lyrics to the song. Questions such as:
What is this song about?
What are some themes in this song?
Who is Bruno Mars singing to?
What is the tone of the song?
What literary techniques are used?
As students respond, the teacher will ask students to go back to the text to justify their
answers with textual evidence. For example, if a student says that the tone of the song is
loving, the teacher will ask the student to find evidence in the text to justify that the tone
of the song is loving. While the class discusses, the teacher will encourage the class to
jot down notes about what is discussed.
The teacher will then introduce Shakespeares sonnet. The teacher will tell students to
keep Bruno Mars song in mind as we read the sonnet together and to think of how these
two pieces of text are similar and how they differ. The teacher will then project the words
of Shakespeares sonnet on the board. The teacher will remind the students to follow
along as the teacher reads the sonnet aloud. While the teacher is reading the sonnet
aloud, the teacher may stop frequently to make comments about what Shakespeare is
saying so that students may have a better understanding. Additionally, a paraphrased
version of the sonnet will be included in the handout for struggling learners to access.
Just like before, the teacher will finish reading the sonnet and then ask the class
questions such as:
What is this sonnet about?
Who is Shakespeare speaking to?
What is the tone of the sonnet? Does it affect the overall message?
What literary techniques are used?
Again, as students respond, the teacher will ask students to go back to the text to justify
their responses with textual evidence. Like before, the teacher will encourage students
to jot down notes from the discussion.
The teacher will then tell the students that they will be comparing the two texts. The
teacher will remind students the definitions of comparing and contrasting. The teacher
will then pass out the Venn diagram graphic organizer to all students. The teacher will
draw a venn diagram on the board and label its parts for students to use as a model.

The teacher will tell students that they should individually fill in the Venn diagram. The
teacher will provide 5-7 minutes for this activity.
After the allotted time is up, the teacher will tell students to discuss what they included in
their Venn diagrams with their table. Each person should share out one thing from each
category of their Venn diagram with their group. While the students are doing this, the
teacher will walk around the room to monitor discussion.
After the teacher feels like the students have sufficiently discussed, the teacher will bring
the class back together. As a class, the teacher and students will fill in the Venn diagram
on the board. When students share their answers, the teacher will write the answers
under the appropriate section of the Venn diagram. The teacher will also ask students to
justify their answers with evidence from the text while sharing.
At the end of this lesson, there will be a creation of a class Venn diagram using the two
texts.
Accommodations for Special Learners:
I do not have any IEP or 504 students in this class period. Additionally, there are no ELL
students in this class. Struggling learners will benefit from this activity because it allows
them to have built in assistance in the group work portion. They will also benefit with the
extra assistance that the paraphrased sonnet may bring them. Interpersonal learners will
also benefit from this activity because it allows them to work with others. Additionally,
intrapersonal learners will benefit from this activity as well because they are able to work
independently before they begin working in their groups. Auditory learners will benefit
from this activity because they will be able to listen to the song as well as the sonnet
being read. Visual learners will benefit because they have the lyrics and the sonnet out
in front of them when the song is play and while the sonnet is being read.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed informally based off of their individual Venn diagrams as well
as the responses they have during the whole class discussion. Using the individual Venn
diagrams that students will submit, the teacher will look to see if students understand the
concept of comparing and contrasting. If students show to be struggling in this area, the
teacher will plan a more comprehensive lesson on the subject. The students will be
assessed informally during the class discussion. During this assessment, the teacher will
be looking for the students ability to justify their responses with textual evidence. If
students struggle to justify their answers, the teacher will plan a more comprehensive
lesson that attempts to tackle the issue. Students will also be informally assessed based
off the types of discussion the teacher hears the students having. If the discussions
arent successful, the teacher will offer assistance during the discussion and then later
plan to create a lesson that teaches students discussion techniques.

Comparing Literature: Lesson #2

Period: 5
Student Body: 12 Female, 8 Male (Total: 20)
Central Focus: Comparing elements of multiple texts
Lesson Goal:
Students will annotate and analyze a complex text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.3
Analyze the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements
of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the
characters are introduced and developed)
Learning Objectives:
Students will listen to and read a complex text.
Students will annotate and analyze a complex text.
Students will develop discussion questions about authors choice from the complex text.
Instructional Strategies:
Read Aloud
Student annotations
Creating discussion questions (Informal Assessment)
Materials:
Student handouts of Young Goodman Brown
Writing utensils for annotations and creation of discussion questions
Paper for writing discussion questions
Anticipatory Set:
The teacher will start the class by reminding the students what they did in the previous
lesson (comparing and contrasting Bruno Mars and Shakespeare). The teacher will tell
students that later in the week they will be repeating the previous lessons activity with
two different texts: Young Goodman Brown and ACT I of The Crucible. The teacher will
tell students that today as a class they will be reading Young Goodman Brown.
Activities/Procedures:
The teacher will hand out a copy of the short story Young Goodman Brown to every
student. The teacher will tell students that they are going to be reading the text together
as a class. The teacher will also tell students that they need to be annotating as they
read along because their annotations will be useful for the next lesson.
Once each student has a handout of the short story, the teacher will begin reading. The
teacher will stop reading frequently to clarify any part of the story that the teacher may
think the students will find confusing. The teacher will also frequently stop reading in
order to ask the students questions about the text. These questions the teacher asks will
be checking for student understanding of the text while they read.
Once the teacher has read the entire short story, the teacher will tell the students to take
out a blank sheet of paper. The teacher will then tell the students to write three
discussion questions about the authors craft. The questions should be things like What

is a theme in this short story? Or How does the authors use of symbols change the
overall meaning of the story? If students are struggling to come up with discussion
questions about authors craft, they may also write discussion questions about parts of
the story that they didnt understand. For example, the student may write a question
such as, I didnt understand who the stranger was in the woods. If students do not have
time in class to work on writing their discussion questions, they will have to write them
for homework.
Accommodations for Special Learners:
I do not have any 504 or IEP students in this class. Additionally, I do not have any ELL
students. Auditory learners will benefit from this lesson because the teacher will be
reading the text aloud while they are following along. Visual learners will also benefit
because they will have a copy of the text out in front of them while the teacher reads
aloud. Struggling learners will benefit from the commentary the teacher will offer while
the teacher reads aloud. All learners will benefit from being able to annotate the story
while the teacher reads aloud. Additionally, all learners will benefit from being able to
generate their own discussion questions. Struggling learners will ask questions that
satisfy their achievement levels while high achieving learners will ask questions that
satisfy their achievement levels.
Assessment:
Students will be informally assessed in this lesson. The discussion questions that
students come up with will give the teacher a clear idea on how much of the text the
students understood. Additionally, the questions will show the teacher how comfortable
students are with elements of authors choice. If the teacher gets a lot of discussion
questions that arent about authors choice/authors craft, the teacher may have to
dedicate a lesson to going over authors craft.

Comparing Literature: Lesson #3

Period: 5
Student Body: 12 Female, 8 Male (Total: 20)
Central Focus: Comparing elements of multiple texts
Lesson Goal:
Students will be able to identify similar and dissimilar elements of two different pieces of
texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text
leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1
Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11-12 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9
Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century
foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the
same period treat similar themes or topics.
Learning Objectives:
Students will compare and contrast elements of two different texts
Students will justify their responses with evidence from the text(s)
Students will engage in collaborative discussions in both small groups and whole class
settings
Instructional Strategies:
Discussion
Comparing and Contrasting
Informal assessment
Graphic organizer (Venn diagram)
Materials:
Copies of The Crucible (one for each student)
Copies of Young Goodman Brown (one for each student)
Graphic organizers (Venn diagrams)
White board and markers
Writing utensils
Student created discussion questions
Anticipatory Set:
The teacher will open the lesson explaining to the students that they are going to
participate in another comparing and contrasting activity. The teacher will tell students
that before they jump in to the activity, the students will discuss in small groups using the
discussion questions that they generated in the previous lesson for the short story

Young Goodman Brown. The students will be provided 10 minutes to discuss their
questions at their tables. While students are doing this, the teacher will be walking
around, checking for understanding as well as answering any questions the students
may be struggling with. In addition, the teacher may pose questions to students who are
struggling getting started which will help guide student discussion.
Activities/Procedures:
After the students have discussed in their small groups, the teacher will bring the class
back together. The teacher will ask each group to share out one thing that they
discussed among them, once again clarifying or answering any questions the class may
have. The teacher will ask the class if they have any other questions about the text that
they want clarified before moving on.
The teacher will then distribute the Venn diagram graphic organizer to each student. The
teacher will tell students that they will be comparing and contrasting different elements
between the two texts Young Goodman Brown and The Crucible. The teacher will tell
students that they need to provide textual evidence for each element they find and
include a quote on the Venn diagram. The teacher will tell students that they must find 2
elements for each section of the Venn diagram with quotes that justify their claims. The
teacher will also remind students that this portion of the activity is to be done
independently. While the students are working independently, the teacher will walk
around the room to monitor student work.
Once the teacher sees that all students have at least 2 elements for each section of the
Venn diagram, the teacher will allow students to discuss in groups. The students will
discuss what they put on their individual Venn diagrams with their groups as well as
telling others the quotes they used in order to justify their responses. Again, the teacher
will walk around the room during this time to monitor student discussion.
Once the teacher feels that students have thoroughly discussed their Venn diagrams in
their groups, the teacher will call the class back together. The teacher and the class as a
whole will then create a class Venn diagram comparing and contrasting different
elements from Young Goodman Brown and The Crucible. When students share their
answers, the teacher will write the answers under the appropriate section of the Venn
diagram. The teacher will also ask students to justify their answers with evidence from
the text while sharing.
At the end of this lesson, there will be a creation of a class Venn diagram using the two
texts.
Accommodations for Special Learners:
I do not have any IEP or 504 students in this class period. Additionally, there are no ELL
students in this class. Struggling learners will benefit from this activity because it allows
them to have built in assistance in the group work portion. They will also benefit from
sharing their own ideas and hearing the ideas of others in the group and whole class
portion of this lesson. Interpersonal learners will also benefit from this activity because it
allows them to work with others. Additionally, intrapersonal learners will benefit from this
activity as well because they are able to work independently before they begin working
in their groups. Visual learners and struggling learners will benefit by being able to use a
graphic organizer in order to sort their thoughts.

Assessment:
Students will be assessed informally based off of their individual Venn diagrams as well
as the responses they have during the whole class discussion. Using the individual Venn
diagrams that students will submit, the teacher will look to see if students understand the
concept of comparing and contrasting. If students show to be struggling in this area, the
teacher will plan a more comprehensive lesson on the subject. The students will be
assessed informally during the class discussion. During this assessment, the teacher will
be looking for the students ability to justify their responses with textual evidence. If
students struggle to justify their answers, the teacher will plan a more comprehensive
lesson that attempts to tackle the issue. Students will also be informally assessed based
off the types of discussion the teacher hears the students having. If the discussions
arent successful, the teacher will offer assistance during the discussion and then later
plan to create a lesson that teaches students discussion techniques.

Comparing Literature: Lesson #4

Period: 5
Student Body: 12 Female, 8 Male (Total: 20)
Central Focus: Comparing elements of multiple texts
Lesson Goal:
Students will be able to identify similar and dissimilar elements of two different pieces of
texts as well as cite textual evidence to justify their choices.
Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text
leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.9
Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century
foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the
same period treat similar themes or topics.
Learning Objectives:
Students will compare and contrast elements of two complex texts
Students will cite textual evidence to justify their choices
Students will begin to compose a comparison essay between two complex texts
Instructional Strategies:
Direct instruction
Materials:
PowerPoint presentation
Comparison essay directions (Google Classroom)
Comparison essay rubric (Google Classroom)
Chromebook (one for each student)
Projector and White board (to project the PowerPoint)
Anticipatory Set:
The lesson will begin by the teacher showing the student a PowerPoint presentation that
the teacher had prepared. The PowerPoint presentation will review different elements of
a comparison essay, things such as introduction, thesis, body paragraphs, textual
evidence and conclusions. This will help refresh students memories about what each of
these components do as well as provide support and examples to struggling learners.
The teacher will encourage students to take notes if they feel they need the assistance.
Activities/Procedures:
After the teacher presents the PowerPoint to the students, the teacher will tell students
to get on Google Classroom and click on their newest assignment. While students are
doing this, the teacher will locate the assignment and project it on the board. The
teacher will read through the comparison essay assignment with students, explaining

various parts of the assignment along the way. The teacher will ask students if they have
any questions about the specific assignment or about comparison essays in general.
The teacher will tell students that it may be a smart idea to use their Venn diagram that
they created from the previous lesson as a way to brainstorm and map out their essay.
The teacher will then allow students to take the remainder of the class period 20-25
minutes to work on their comparison essays. While students are working, the teacher will
walk around the room to monitor their progress and field any questions that students
may have.
Accommodations for Special Learners:
I do not have any IEP or 504 students in this class period. Additionally, there are no ELL
students in this class. Struggling learners will benefit from this lesson through the use of
teacher created examples within the PowerPoint presentation. They will also benefit
from the assistance that the premade Venn diagrams will bring them in regards to
mapping out their essays. Intrapersonal learners will benefit from this lesson because
they are asked to work independently when writing their essays. Visual learners will also
benefit from this instruction when the teacher presents the PowerPoint to the entire
class. Gifted learners will benefit because they will be encouraged to compare more
abstract concepts that the two stories share.
Assessment:
Students will be assessed informally based off of the final product of their comparison
essays. The teacher will be assessing students in 8 different areas: ability to write an
introduction paragraph and thesis statement, ability to compare the texts, ability to
contrast the texts, ability to use textual evidence to justify reasoning, ability to use
correct spelling and grammar, ability to write formally, ability to write a conclusion, and
the students ability to correctly use in-text citations.