Reading, Speaking, and Listening: Comparing and Contrasting “The Ants and the Grasshopper” and “Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees” | EL Education Curriculum

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ELA G2:M4:U1:L10

Reading, Speaking, and Listening: Comparing and Contrasting “The Ants and the Grasshopper” and “Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees”

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These are the CCS Standards addressed in this lesson:

  • RL.2.2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
  • RL.2.6: Acknowledge differences in the points of view of characters, including by speaking in a different voice for each character when reading dialogue aloud.
  • RL.2.9: Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.
  • SL.2.2: Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.

Daily Learning Targets

  • I can compare and contrast story elements from "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees."
  • I can compare and contrast two versions of the same story using a sentence frame from "The Ants and the Grasshopper."

Ongoing Assessment

  • During Work Time C, circulate as students compare and contrast the two fables and notice if they are demonstrating understanding of the story elements by comparing and contrasting. (RL.2.2, RL.2.9)

Agenda

AgendaTeaching Notes

1. Opening

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

2. Work Time

A. Comparing and Contrasting Story Elements: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees" (15 minutes)

B. Language Dive: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" (20 minutes)

C. Independent Writing: Compare and Contrast T-Chart (15 minutes)

3. Closing and Assessment

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

Purpose of lesson and alignment to standards:

  • In this lesson, students learn to compare and contrast two different versions of the same story. In Work Time A, they complete a graphic organizer to compare story elements of "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees." They then extend their comparing and contrasting work through a Language Dive. And in Work Time C, they work with partners as they populate their own T-charts in an effort to build independence and to prepare for the Unit 1 Assessment in Lessons 11-12. (RL.2.2, RL.2.3, RL.2.9, SL.2.2).

How this lesson builds on previous work:

  • In Lessons 6-7, students recounted "The Ants and the Grasshopper," and in Lessons 8-9 students recounted a different version of the same story, "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees." In this lesson, students use the class notes they generated from Lessons 6-9 to compare and contrast the two versions of the story. (RL.2.9)

Areas in which students may need additional support:

  • Some students may need additional support to complete their independent writing. Consider working closely with these students in a small group to complete the graphic organizer as a shared writing activity.

Down the road:

  • In Lessons 11-12, students will complete the Unit 1 Assessment, in which they apply their learning from this lesson to complete a graphic organizer to compare and contrast two versions of a fable. (RL.2.9)

In Advance

  • Review the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart as needed (begun in Module 3, Unit 1, Lesson 8.)
  • Preview the Language Dive Guide and consider how to invite conversation among students to address the language goals suggested under each sentence strip chunk (see supporting materials). Select from the language goals provided to best meet your students' needs.
  • Post: Learning targets and applicable anchor charts (see materials list).
  • Determine writing partners for Work Time C.

Tech and Multimedia

Consider using an interactive white board or document camera to display lesson materials.

  • Continue to use the technology tools recommended throughout Modules 1-3 to create anchor charts to share with families; to record students as they participate in discussions and protocols to review with students later and to share with families; and for students to listen to and annotate text, record ideas on note-catchers, and word-process writing.

Supporting English Language Learners

Supports guided by in part by CA ELD Standards 2.I.B.6 and 2.I.B.8

Important points in the lesson itself

  • The basic design of this lesson supports ELLs with the opportunity to participate in a Language Dive conversation during which students compare and contrast story elements from "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees." Students can apply the structure and content of the sentence as they work on graphic organizers in Work Time C and as they complete their Unit 1 Assessment in Lessons 11-12.
  • ELLs may find it challenging to use accurate language structures to describe similarities and differences. Consider briefly reviewing the Contrasting and Comparing anchor chart from Module 2, Unit 3 to allow students to practice describing similarities and differences.

Levels of support

For lighter support

  • During Work Time A, if students are grouped heterogeneously, encourage students who need lighter support to recount each story first.

For heavier support

  • During Work Time A, consider inviting students to create hand gestures for same and different. Students can use the hand gestures as they compare and contrast the two texts throughout the lesson.
  • During Work Time A, consider illustrating the graphic organizer with sketches to accompany the text.

Universal Design for Learning

  • Multiple Means of Representation (MMR): Continue to support comprehension by activating prior knowledge and scaffold connections for students. Continue to provide visual display of questions and student responses on a chart or the board during discussions.
  • Multiple Means of Action and Expression (MMAE): Continue to support students in building their writing stamina and effort by providing scaffolds that build an environment that is conducive to writing.
  • Multiple Means of Engagement (MME): Some students may need additional support in linking the information presented back to the learning targets. Invite students to make this connection by explicitly highlighting the utility and relevance of the activities to the learning target.

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T); Vocabulary Used in Writing (W)

Review:

  • compare, contrast (L)

Materials

  • Comparing and Contrasting anchor chart (begun in Module 1, Unit 3, Lesson 1)
  • Story Elements and Central Message Class Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" (completed in Lesson 7; one to display)
  • Story Elements and Central Message Class Notes: "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees" (completed in Lesson 9; one to display)
  • Compare and Contrast T-Chart Class Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees" (new; co-created with students during Work Time C; see supporting materials)
  • Compare and Contrast T-Chart Class Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees" (example, for teacher reference)
  • Language Dive Guide: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" (for teacher reference)
    • Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart (begun in Module 3)
    • Language Dive Chunk Chart: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" (for teacher reference)
    • Language Dive Note-catcher: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" (one per student and one to display)
    • Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" (one to display)
  • Fables and Folktales response notebook (from Lesson 3; added to during Work Time B; one per student)
    • Compare and Contrast T-Chart Student Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees" (page 13 of the Fables and Folktales response notebook)
  • Fables and Folktales response notebook (from Lesson 3; example, for teacher reference)
  • Unit 1 Guiding Question anchor chart (begun in Lesson 1)

Assessment

Each unit in the K-2 Language Arts Curriculum has one standards-based assessment built in. The module concludes with a performance task at the end of Unit 3 to synthesize their understanding of what they accomplished through supported, standards-based writing.

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reviewing Learning Targets (5 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the first one aloud:

"I can compare and contrast story elements from 'The Ants and the Grasshopper' and 'Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees.'"

  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"How are these two stories related?" (They are different versions of the same story.)

  • Review the following definitions as needed:
    • compare (to find similarities between two or more things)
    • contrast (to find differences between two or more things)
  • Remind students that they learned about comparing and contrasting in Module 1. Display the Comparing and Contrasting anchor chart and invite students to refer to it to help them use language to compare and contrast.
  • Tell students that today they will review two different versions of the same story, "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees." Then they will do a Language Dive while they role-play an event from "The Ants and the Grasshopper." Lastly, they will complete their own T-charts that compare and contrast the two different versions of the story.
  • For ELLs: (Recalling Prior Work: Compare and Contrast) Ask students when they have compared and contrasted something recently. Remind them that they worked with a partner to compare and contrast watercolor paintings.

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Comparing and Contrasting Story Elements: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees" (15 minutes)

  • Gather students whole group.
  • Remind them that they will be comparing and contrasting two different versions of the same story.
  • Display the Story Elements and Central Message Class Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper."
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"Review our class notes. Then recount 'The Ants and the Grasshopper' with your partner using the story elements."

  • Display the Story Elements and Central Message Class Notes: "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees."
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"Review our class notes. Then recount 'Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees' with your partner using the story elements."

  • Tell students they will compare and contrast a few elements of each story today.
  • Display the Compare and Contrast T-Chart Class Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees."
  • Identify each column. Tell students that one column is for story elements that were the same, and the other is for story elements that were different.
  • Point to the character and setting quadrant of each Story Elements and Central Message Class Notes.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"What is the setting of each version of the story?" (outside; fall and winter)

"Are those settings the same, or are they different?" (the same; they take place in the same time of year)

"In which column of the T-chart should I write about the setting?" (the "Same" column)

  • Model writing under the "Same" column:
    • "Both versions take place when the seasons change."
  • Point to the character and setting quadrant of each Story Elements and Central Message Class Notes.
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Who were the characters in each story?" (the bees and the flies; the grasshopper and the ants)

"Are those the same characters, or are those different characters?" (different characters)

"In which column of the T-chart should I write about the characters?" (the "Different" column)

  • Model writing under the "Different" column:
    • "In one version, the characters are bees and flies. In the other version, the characters are ants and a grasshopper."
  • Refer to Compare and Contrast T-Chart Class Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees" (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Tell students they will now read and act out a sentence from "The Ants and the Grasshopper" to compare and contrast the problem/challenge of each story.
  • For ELLs and students who may need additional support with comprehension: (Modeling with Visual Content: Compare and Contrast) Before discussing the texts, consider modeling using the Compare and Contrast T-Chart with something concrete, such as two watercolor paintings or students' clothing. (MMR)
  • For students who may have difficulty with using the far-point displayed anchor chart: Consider providing individual copies of class notes as near-point display of information. (MMR)

B. Language Dive: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" (20 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the posted learning targets and read the second one aloud:

"I can compare and contrast two versions of the same story using a sentence frame from 'The Ants and the Grasshopper'."

  • Ask:

"How do we look closely at sentences during Language Dives?" (look at chunks of the sentence and talk about what they mean)

  • Tell students they will have the opportunity to act out parts of the sentence during the Language Dive.
  • Divide the class in two and assign each half roles of grasshoppers and flies/lazy people.
  • Tell students that during the Language Dive, they should listen for their groups to be prompted to act something out.
  • Focus students' attention on the Questions We Can Ask during a Language Dive anchor chart and remind them that they thought of their own questions to ask during a Language Dive.
  • Think-Pair-Share:

"What is one question you can ask during a Language Dive?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Reread section 3 of "The Ants and the Grasshopper."
  • Focus on the sentence:
    • "'I didn't have time to store up any food,' whined the Grasshopper; 'I was so busy making music that before I knew it the summer was gone.'"
  • Use the Language Dive Guide: "The Ants and the Grasshopper," Language Dive Chunk Chart: "The Ants and the Grasshopper," and Language Dive Note-catcher: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" to guide students through a Language Dive of the sentence. Display the Language Dive Sentence Strip Chunks: "The Ants and the Grasshopper."
  • After the Language Dive, direct students to the Compare and Contrast T-Chart Class Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees."
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Based on what we learned about 'The Ants and the Grasshopper' from our Language Dive, what new ideas do we have about what is the same or different about the problem/challenge the characters faced in each version of the story?" (In both stories, the flies/carefree people and the grasshopper were too busy to collect food for the winter.)

  • Invite students to suggest content to write in each column of the Compare and Contrast T-chart. Remind students that they can use the sentence frame from the Language Dive:
    • "The _____ was/were so _____ that ______."
  • Use the same process to generate content for characters' response to the problem.
  • Tell students that they did such a great job of comparing and contrasting the beginning and middle of each version of the story that next they will compare and contrast the end and the central message of each version with partners.
  • For students who may need additional support with motivation: Invite students to share one way that Language Dives help us better understand the text. (MME)

C. Independent Writing: Compare and Contrast T-Chart (15 minutes)

  • Transition students to their workspaces with pre-determined writing partners.
  • Tell students that they will now complete the Compare and Contrast T-Chart Student Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees" on page 13 in their Fables and Folktales response notebook.
  • Remind students that they already compared and contrasted the beginning and middle of each version. In partners, they will compare and contrast the end and the central message of each version.
  • Turn and Talk:

"Are the endings of the two versions the same or different? How? What is the ending of each version of the story?" (different; grasshopper stays hungry; lazy people are turned into flies; the busy people help the lazy people)

"What will you write on the chart?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Remind students that they can use the sentence structure "so ... that" to describe cause and effect as they write in their charts. (Example: The busy people were so helpful that they shared their honey.)
  • Tell students they will have 10 minutes to complete the chart with their partners.
  • Circulate to support students as they write. Refer to Fables and Folktales response notebook (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Gather students whole group.
  • Give students specific, positive feedback for comparing and contrasting the story elements and central message of "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees."
  • Focus students on the Compare and Contrast T-Chart Class Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees."
  • Using a total participation technique, invite responses from the group:

"Was the ending of each story similar or different?"

  • As students share out, clarify and capture their ideas. Synthesize correct student responses and record them on the class notes. Refer to Compare and Contrast T-Chart Class Notes: "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees" (example, for teacher reference) as necessary.
  • Repeat this process for the central message.
  • For ELLs: (Language for Comparing and Contrasting) To support student discussion, consider reviewing and practicing phrases and sentence frames for comparing and contrasting. (Example: "_____ and _____ are similar because _____.")
  • For students who may need additional support with sustained effort: While circulating, support students in describing cause and effect by prompting them to reflect on their work. (Example: "Can you say more using the 'so ... that' sentence structure? I want to know more about your thinking on the cause and effect in this story.") (MME)

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning (5 minutes)

  • Direct students' attention to the Unit 1 Guiding Question anchor chart, and read the question aloud:
    • "What does it mean to make the world a better place?"
  • Briefly review the story elements and central message from "The Ants and the Grasshopper" and "Bunnyyarl the Flies and Wurrunnunnah the Bees," and Turn and Talk:

"Did the characters in each version of the story try to make their world a better place in similar ways or in different ways? How?" (similar ways because both the ants and the bees tried to make sure there was enough food for everyone in the winter; different ways because the bees shared their food with the flies, but the ants did not share their food with the grasshopper)

Conversation Cue: "Can you give an example?" (Responses will vary.)

  • Preview the next few days' work: Students will read two new stories, recount them, and write paragraphs about their central message.
  • For students who may need additional support with organizing ideas for verbal expression: Before the Turn and Talk, invite students to write their ideas for sharing. (MMAE)

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