Comparing Characters Across Stories
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories; identify similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic
What a learner can do afterwards
- Identify what two stories have in common (e.g. 'Both have a bear character')
- Compare information from two books about the same topic
- Discuss how characters' experiences are similar or different across stories
1 · Read
Sometimes two stories have characters that are alike. Read both stories first. Then think about what is the same.
One book has a brave mouse. Another book has a brave lion. Both characters are brave. But a mouse is small and a lion is big.
You can compare more than looks. Did both characters go on an adventure? Did they solve their problem the same way?
Words and ideas are not the same thing. One story can say hut and another can say tent, and both mean a place to live. Two stories can both use the word big and still mean very different sizes. Look at what the words mean, and at what each character really does.
You can only compare what both stories tell you. If one story says how old a girl is and the other story never says it, you cannot say who is older. It is fine to say a story does not tell you. Then you know what is missing.
Make two lists. One list for same. One list for different. This helps you see clearly.
Read both stories, then find what is the same and what is different.
More to read
Compare and Contrast
Good readers think about two stories side by side. They look at what the characters do in each story.
To compare means to tell how two things are the same. Maybe both characters go on a trip. Maybe both characters find a new friend. When you say "both stories have a bear", you are comparing.
To contrast means to tell how two things are different. Maybe one character climbs a mountain and the other swims in the sea. Maybe one character feels scared and the other feels brave.
Here is how to try it. First, read or listen to two stories. Next, think about what each character does and feels. Then ask: what is the same? What is different? You can say it out loud, draw it, or write it down.
Comparing literary texts with similar topics | Guided practice
Have you ever read a story that reminded you of another story? That happens a lot. Different writers can write about the same topic.
Here is a way to compare two stories that share a topic.
Step 1: Notice what is the same. Do both stories talk about sharks? Or mermaids? Or a kid who moves to a new school? That shared thing is the topic.
Step 2: Notice what is different. Maybe one shark story is funny and the other is exciting. Maybe one mermaid is kind and the other is grumpy.
Step 3: Tell someone about it. You can say, "Both stories are about bears, but in one story the bear is lost, and in the other story the bear is the helper."
Comparing literary texts with similar themes | Guided practice
Stories can be very different on the outside. One might be about a rabbit. Another might be about a kid in a big city. But deep down, they can teach the same lesson.
That lesson is called the theme. A theme is a big idea, like "be kind" or "never give up" or "friends help each other".
Characters in different stories often learn and grow in the same ways. The rabbit might learn to share. The kid in the city might learn to share too. Same lesson, different adventures.
Here is how to look for themes. First, read two stories. Next, ask: what did each character learn? Then ask: are the lessons the same or different?
2 · Watch
En anglaisTake it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Optional connections
Where this leads
22 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.