Teaching elementary students to compare and contrast can be a challenging yet crucial aspect of reading comprehension. As educators, we constantly seek effective strategies to help our students articulate similarities and differences between stories, characters, and themes. One incredibly useful tool in our arsenal is the use of Compare And Contrast Sentence Frames.
Sentence frames provide a structured approach, particularly beneficial for young learners who may be developing their vocabulary and grammatical skills. For standards like RL.3.9 of the Common Core State Standards, which focuses on comparing and contrasting themes, settings, and plots in stories by the same author, sentence frames become indispensable. Instead of jumping straight to complex writing tasks, these frames offer a scaffold, enabling students to express their understanding in clear, coherent sentences.
Why Sentence Frames are Effective for Compare and Contrast
Sentence frames are partially completed sentences that students fill in with their own words. In the context of compare and contrast, these frames provide the grammatical structure necessary to express comparisons and contrasts effectively. Here’s why they work so well:
- Vocabulary Support: Sentence frames often include key vocabulary related to comparison and contrast, such as “both,” “different,” “similar,” “like,” and “differ.” This exposure helps students internalize and use these terms correctly.
- Grammatical Structure: For students struggling with sentence construction, frames offer a ready-made structure. They learn how to connect ideas using appropriate conjunctions and sentence patterns, which is vital for academic writing.
- Reduced Cognitive Load: By providing the sentence structure, frames reduce the cognitive load on students, allowing them to focus on the higher-level thinking skill of analyzing and comparing content rather than struggling with sentence formation.
- Oral to Written Language Bridge: Sentence frames are excellent for transitioning from oral discussions to written responses. After discussing comparisons and contrasts verbally, students can use frames to organize their thoughts and put them in writing.
Implementing Sentence Frames in Your 3rd Grade Classroom
Let’s explore a practical approach to using compare and contrast sentence frames, inspired by effective classroom practices. This method utilizes children’s literature and a step-by-step process to ensure student success.
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Choose Appropriate Texts: Select two stories that lend themselves well to comparison and contrast. Stories by the same author, like those by Gerald McDermott, are ideal as they often share similar themes or character archetypes while presenting unique narratives. For example, you might choose McDermott’s “Raven” and “Zomo the Rabbit,” both rich in cultural context and engaging for young readers.
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Facilitate Oral Discussion: After reading both stories aloud, initiate a class discussion. Encourage students to share their initial thoughts on similarities and differences they noticed. Pair-sharing and whole-group discussions are valuable at this stage to build oral language skills and activate prior knowledge.
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Utilize a Graphic Organizer (Chart): Before introducing sentence frames, guide students to organize their thoughts using a chart. Focus on the specific elements of comparison outlined in RL.3.9: setting, characters, and plot. Have students describe or list key features of each story element for both texts in the chart. This structured approach ensures they are comparing specific aspects as per the standard.
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Introduce Sentence Frames: Once students have analyzed and discussed the stories and completed their charts, introduce the sentence frames. Start with simpler frames and gradually move to more complex ones. Here are two sets of effective sentence frames you can use:
Set 1: Basic Compare and Contrast Frames
- ______________ and ____________ both have _____________________________.
- ______________ is different than _____________ because __________________.
Set 2: More Varied Compare and Contrast Frames
- _______________ is like ____________ because ____________________________.
- _______________ and _____________ differ because ________________________.
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Guided Practice and Independent Application: Initially, guide students through using the sentence frames, modeling how to fill in the blanks with information from their charts and discussions. Provide examples and think aloud. As they gain confidence, encourage them to use the frames independently to write compare and contrast sentences.
Moving Beyond Sentence Frames
Sentence frames are a stepping stone. As students become proficient in comparing and contrasting, you can introduce more complex graphic organizers like Venn diagrams. Venn diagrams provide a visual representation of similarities and differences, further enhancing their analytical skills. You can also encourage students to move beyond sentence frames and construct their own compare and contrast sentences and paragraphs.
Conclusion
Compare and contrast sentence frames are a powerful instructional tool for elementary educators. They provide the necessary scaffolding for students to meet rigorous reading standards like RL.3.9, fostering both their comprehension and writing abilities. By incorporating sentence frames into your lesson plans, you can empower your students to confidently analyze and articulate the relationships between different texts, setting them on a path to becoming skilled readers and critical thinkers.
