December 01, 2015

Compare and Contrast Characters

“Miss Nelson is Missing” Cover Miss Nelson Is Missing, written by Harry Allard and illustrated by James Marshall, is one of my favorites for comparing characters. It is a book that may be used at a variety of levels. Read the story for enjoyment. After, discuss the “two” characters, Miss Nelson and Miss Swamp.

Fill out individual character maps for each character or fill out one map for both characters as shown below which was done with a third grade class. Have children talk about the map(s) with one another.

Whiteboard Compare/Contrast

Depending on your goals, ask students to use the discussion and map to write short character descriptions. Below, see two examples by Kathleen, a fifth grade student, written after completing the activity above.

Kathleen's Example 1 Kathleen's Example 2

Again, this is a popular book for a variety of ages to introduce or reinforce character descriptions and comparisons!

Sheila Zagula

Author

Sheila Zagula works with MindWing Concepts in product development, drawing on her expertise and talents as well as many years of implementing the Story Grammar Marker® and related materials. Her teaching career spans thirty-eight years, most recently as literacy coach in the Westfield Massachusetts Public School System. Sheila has experience as an early childhood educator, a teacher of children with special needs, and a collaborative instructor within an inclusion framework serving children in grades K-5.