Here is a instructional activity that provides scholars with two opportunities to stretch their compare-and-contrast muscles. First, learners compare and contrast their experience reading the fourth stanza of If by Rudyard Kipling to listening to the audio version. Then, they delve deep into the poem's text to compare and contrast its themes with those found in the novel Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Concepts

christopher paul curtis, poetry, poetry analysis, responding to literature, responding to reading, compare and contrast, compare and contrast texts, figurative language

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Additional Tags

english language arts

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Instructional Ideas

• Create a class blog post asking pupils to discuss their conclusions from the compare-and-contrast activities
• Perform the first lesson using the novel and its audio version
• Create a reading-themed bulletin board highlighting all the different texts and their types

Classroom Considerations

• Copies are required
• The eighth in a series of 17 lesson plans designed to accompany Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
• Browse Included Materials to gather materials found in past lessons 

Pros

• Notes are provided that detail how the lesson's activities meet the needs of learners
• Lesson directions are written clearly
• Cooperative learning strategies are incorporated throughout the lesson 

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.6.5 RL.6.7 RL.6.9 L.6.5.a