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Compare and Contrast LA.7.l.7.7: Compare and contrast elements in mulliple texts

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In this lesson, you will learn about similarities and differences in texts. You will learn how to identify the ways in which two texts are alike or different.

When you compare two texts, you may discover some basic similarities. They may have similar subjects, for example. Sometimes you compare two texts that seem similar to identify the ways they are different. At other times, you compare texts that seem different to figure out the ways in which they are similar.

Even when two authors write about the same topic, the texts they write may be very different. For example, writers may use different structures of organization. One may present Roman history in strict time order. Another may discuss causes and effects in Roman history.

Each writer may have a different purpose. One might describe, while the other seeks to explain, entertain, or persuade. The format can differ, too. One writer may use a narrative, while the other may use an interview to present similar information. Another possible point of comparison is focus. One writer may look at all of Roman history, while another focuses on one period or event.

Like nonfiction texts, stories can also be compared to detect similarities and differences. To compare two stories, think about questions like these:

• Does one story happen in a different time or place than the other?

• Who are the characters and narrator in each passage?

• What events occur in the stories? Are there different endings?

• Is the theme, or message, similar or different in the two stories?

All of these are ways that texts can be alike or different. Identifying similarities and differences can help you understand texts better. Use this diagram as a guide.

Differences Similarities Differences

NGSSS LA.7.l.7.7

Read these Native American myths. Look for similarities and differences to answer the question below.

The Woman Who Married a Frog (Tlingit)

Once upon a time, there was a young woman who ridicu led a frog, saying the frog was so ugly that nOl even another frog would marry him. That night, a handsome man appeared, and the love-struck woman followed him and disappeared. The clan thought the woman was dead, but she was the prisoner of the frogs. Eventually, the wom an returned and told her father, "The frogs understand our language. We must respect them and never ridicule them ." The clan never forgot, and neither did the frogs. It is sa id that even now, when the frogs sing at night, they are telling this s tory to their own children.

The Rabbit Dance (Mohawk)

One night long ago, a group of hunters went out to find game. They soon came to a clearing where they saw an enormous rabbit. Instead of running away, he began thumping his foot like a drum. Other rabbits assembled in the clearing and began to

dance. When the hunters returned to their village and showed the dance to the Clan Mother, she told them the meaning: "The rabbits know we depend on them for food and clothing; they ask us to show our gratitude by imitating their dance." And from that day until today, the villagers have always thanked the rabbits with the Rabbit Dance.

What time period do the two myths cover?

~ This ques tion asks you to determine a similar ity between the two myths.

~ When does each myth begin? Each begins long ago in the past.

~ When does each myth end) Each ends in the present day.

ANSWER: Both myths cover the past to the present.

Name two ways that the myths are different.

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Think About It Think about some possible ways to compare nonfiction texts, such as subject, form, organization, focus, and author's purpose.

Hint What is the author's purpose in the first passage? What is the purpose in the second passage?

CORRECT ANSWER

Read the two passages. Use the Think About It to guide your reading. Then answer the question, Use the Hint to help you,

My Field Trip to a Salt Mine

The Kansas Underground Sa lt Museum is part of a huge sa lt mine that is open to the publ ic. The elevator ride down to the mine is noisy and dark , but once you are in the mine, everything is quiet and welilil. The mine is like a giant room with evenly spaced columns of salt th at support the roof.

Secret Storage

Low humidity conditions make salt mines an exce llent place to store and preserve va luable materi als. The Kansas Underground Salt Museum has a vault that contai ns the original copies of thousands of Hollywood film s, including Tile Wizard oj Oz. All such items, however, must be wel l sealed.

Which of these describes one way the passages are different?

A They are about differenl places. B They are abou t different topiCS.

C One tells about a true story, but the other does not.

D One describes something, and the other explains something.

Answer choice D is correct.

SUPPORTING DETAILS Clues in the first passage, as well as the titl e, tell you that the writer is describing a trip. The writer tell s how things look and sound in a particular place. In the second passage, the wr iter explains how and why sa lt mines are used for storage. The author's purpose is di fferent in each passage.

INCORRECT ANSWERS A is not correct because both passages are about the same place. B is not correc t because both passages are about sa lt mines. C is not correct because both tell true stories .

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Think About It

What is the purpose of this passage? Who is the audience?

How would you describe the language the writer uses? Is it straightforward or exaggerated?

What is the purpose of this passage? Who is the audience?

What kinds of words communicate the writer's feelings? Circle words that give you clues.

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Read the two passages. Use each Think About It to guide your reading.

Cats-B-Gone The Miraculous Herbal Spray that Repels Cats

Attention all gardeners!

Are you tired of planting tender seedlings, only to find that the neighborhood cat has nibbled them down to the bare nubs?

Are you sick of finding little "packages" from those darling kitties in your f1owerbed?

Then try Cats-B-Gone, the splendid herbal spray that cats can't stand! This colorless spray is a secret blend of natural herbs that repels all kinds of felines. Just a few squirts, and- presto!- cats disappea r.

Don't worry, animal lovers, it won't harm the furry felines. They simply detest the smell and high-tail it out of your garden.

Best of all, Cats-B-Gone can now be yours for just $19.99. Don't delay-order your bottle of Cats-B-Gone today!

September 26, 2010

Dear Herb's Herbs:

I received my order of Cats-B-Gone and appl ied it as directed. Your product worked precisely as promised- the cats who had been habitually harassing my garden now maintain a respectful distance. There is just one tiny problem: Now my garden has become completely infested by packs of pooches! It seems that dogs will overcome any obstacle to get near this foul fragrance (which, by the way, is as disgusting to humans as it is to cats). And the dogs are not content merely to sniff. Oh, no; they dig, trample, and roll all over the sprayed plants and anything unfortunate enough to be near them. Enclosed you wi ll find the unused portion of your putrid product, which should be called Canines-Come-Hither!

Furiously,

Victoria Griper

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Hints

Both passages discuss the same topic but from different points of view. What is the topic?

How does each author use language to express a point of view? What kinds of words are used, and what is the overall effect?

The first passage is an advertisement, and the second passage is a letter from an angry customer. How do these types of text differ?

With your partner, share aJld discuss your answers and supporting details .

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Use the Hints to answer the questions below. Circle the correct answers and provide supporting details from the passages.

1 W hich best describes the topic of both passages? A how to order Cats-B-Gone

B how the product affects dogs

C the problems with a product D a product called Cats-B-Gone

Supporting Details: ________________ _

2 How is the language in the first passage similar to the language in the second passage? A The language is humorously exaggerated.

B The language is straightforward and scientific. C The language is sarcastic and sn ide.

D The language is mysterious and awe-inspiring.

Supporting Details: _________________ _

3 One way in which the two passages are different is that A they are about different topics.

B they have different purposes.

C they are about different products.

D they have different settings.

SLlpportil1g Details: ________________ _

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Read "Migrant Memories" and "Theater Review" before answering Numbers 1 through 5.

MIGRANT MEMORIES A DRAMATIC RETELLING BY JEFF PUTNAM

Inspired by the novel ... And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomas Rivera

Alejandro sat beside his grandfather on the long drive from Minnesota to Texas. "Grand-dad, I think you were supposed to turn left back there," he said.

"No, m'ijo, this is the right way; I know it like the back of my hand. I traveled this way every year after the picking season was over in Minnesota."

"Tell about when you were a migrant farm worker, Grand-dad." said Alejandro. "Well, it was difficult, I assure you; we had to stand in the back of the truck the whole way-old folks,

mothers holding their babies, and children alike," replied Alejandro's grandfather. "I could never do it. I would pass out!" said Alejandro emphatically. "Listen, m'ijo, I wouldn't want you to do it, but you could do it. Our hopes and dreams for the future

kept us upright. We had to borrow money just for the truck ride; then we hoped we could earn enough picking spinach, onions, and beets to pay back the two hundred dollars Mr. Hill loaned us for the round trip. We had to pay him double-four hundred dollars-come winter."

"That seems like an unfair lending practice, Grand-dad," said Alejandro. Alejand ro's grandfather chuckled. "One summer when my sister Juanita and I were both old enough

to really work in the fields, we earned enough money together to pay back our loan and purchase a car. It was a rusty old Chevrolet, but to us it was better than a Rolls Royce! We named it el Borrego de Oro, the Golden Lamb. We never stood in a truck again after that, believe me."

Alejandro asked, "But did you keep going back to Minnesota each summer?" Alejandro's grandfather paused a moment to recollect. "We went back for two years after that, until

my parents had saved enough money to achieve their dream of opening a restaurant. Then your great­aunt and I were finally able to attend the same school year-round. Those days were a challenge, but you know, kids are adaptable . .. . Mira, we're almost in Crystal City; I bet your Tia Juanita will have her famous chiles reI/enos ready for us when we get there."

"Yeah! EI Borrego de Oro-the best Mexican restaurant in the valley!" exclaimed Alejandro. "We have arrived!"

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Theater Review

MIGRANT MEMORIES by Perla Sanchez-Wright

The Crystal City Theater's production of Migmnt Memories, loosely based on Tomas Rivera's famous novel ... And the Earth Did Not Devour Him, opened last night. Though the production underwent the usual first-night hitches, the actors performed quite well.

The production's oldest and youngest actors stood out. The two actors portrayed the relationship between a grandfather, who had been a migrant worker in 1950s Texas, and his grandson. During one scene, the two talk in a car on their way home from a visit to Minnesota. There, the grandfather had been a harvest worker as a boy. Unfortunately,

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the lighting didn't work. The stage was completely dark. Imagine the confusion of the two actors as they performed before a packed but pitch-black house! In the end, however, the scene was probably one of the play's best moments. The lighting problem helped heighten the effec t of "wh ispers in the dark" that make the original novel unique.

In the scene, the older actor (who seems to be based on the unnamed narrator in Rivera's novel) tell s his grandson what it was like in "the old days." Back then, he and his family would travel by truck from Texas to Minnesota each year to work the fal! harvest. Everyone had to stand in the truck. Bit by bit, however, the grandfather's family saved up money. Eventually, they saved enough to open a restaurant.

While loosely based on a chapter in the novel, this scene takes a different approach to the

truck journey. In the novel, the chapter is called "When We Arrive." It takes you inside the minds of all of the novel's characters as they wait for the notorious truck to be repaired. Each character has different hopes and dreams for the future-the immediate one in Minnesota and the more distant one. In contrast, the scene in the play focuses on the point of view of one of the truck's passengers toward the end of his life. Now he enjoys a comfortable ride with his grandson Alejandro while looking back on a difficult part of his youth.

This drama provides a fresh take on Rivera's novel. But it is this scene's two actors who really bring his masterpiece to life.

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o How are the details in the dramatic retelling similar to those in the review?

A. Both tell about a trip between Minnesota and Texas.

B. Both describe the lighting malfunction at the thea ter.

e. Both mention the car that the grandfather 's family bought.

D. Both comment on the novel on which the retelling is based.

., Which sentence gives the best description of how the drama tic retelling and the thea ter review are different?

F. The retelling is meant to enterta in; the review is meant to inform.

G. The dramatic retelling is based on a novel; the review makes no mention of the novel.

H . In the retelling, the characters are unnamed; the review mentions the characters' names.

I. The dramatic retelling does not mention its source materia l; the review does.

• Which sentence best describes a difference between the two passages?

A. One mentions the family's restaurant, but the other does not.

B. The grandfa ther is portrayed as caring in one and selfish in the other.

e. One includes mainly dialogue, and the other includes mainly descriptions.

D. One is told from the grandfa ther ' s viewpoint, and the other is told from the grandson 's viewpoint.

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According to the review, how is the play scene different from the novel chapter that inspired it?

F. The play scene is set in a Ca!~ while the novel chapter is set in a truck.

G. The play scene has two characters, whHe the chapter has one character.

H. The p lay scene presents memories, while the chap ter presents hopes for the future.

I. The play scene shows the thoughts of all the characters, while the chapter does not .

• Based on both the retelling and the review, what is most notable about the grandfa ther 's family?

A. Members of the family had to travel to find work.

B. The family lost its way traveling to MiJmesota.

e. Despite being farmers, the family members started a theater.

D. Despite hardships, the family eventually achieved success.

Answer Form

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Number Correct

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