Common Core Standards
Grade 8
Reading RL.8.5
Compare and contrast the structure of two or more texts and analyze how the differing structure of each text contributes to its meaning and style.
When we're talking about structure in terms of novels, we're talking about the way a text is written. Is it in the form of letters or is it in the form of poetry? Is it written in chronological order, or are there flashbacks during the story? The whole point of this Common Core Standard is to have students understand why the author would choose to write a text in one way as opposed to another. A good way to do that would be to give students two short texts, written in two different ways, about the same topic and then have them explore how they responded to each text differently.
Example 1
Here's an example lesson to use when your students are reading Of Mice and Men.
After discussing connotation, diction, and syntax, have students read a letter from Steinbeck to his son. Ask students to analyze the writing style and tone of the letter, then compare and contrast this to the writing style and tone of the novel.
Aligned Resources
- Teaching A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: Follow the Thread
- Teaching A Wrinkle in Time: Famous Kids Traveling in Threes (or Fours)
- Teaching The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963: Let's Do the Time Warp
- Teaching The Westing Game: A Puzzle Mystery: "America the Beautiful": In Depth
- Teaching When You Reach Me: The Write Stuff
- Teaching Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: Integration In Our Nation
- Teaching The Fault in Our Stars: It's in the Details – Plot and Themes
- Teaching Because of Winn-Dixie: Because of Winn-Dixie: Yes, That's Actually the Title of This Assignment
- Teaching Because of Winn-Dixie: Channeling Winn-Dixie
- Teaching The Westing Game: A Puzzle Mystery: Wanted: Dead or Wax Look-Alike!
- Teaching Dragonwings: Story Elements Game
- Teaching Moon Over Manifest: Operation "I Spy"
- Teaching Moon Over Manifest: Ode to a Static or Dynamic Character
- Teaching The Fault in Our Stars: SomeThemes Going on Here
- Teaching Murder on the Orient Express: The Mysterious Story
- Teaching Of Mice and Men: Close Reading Steinbeck: Letters vs. Novel
- Teaching Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: T.J.'s Downward Spiral
- Teaching The View from Saturday: Getting To Know a Turtle (Almost)
- Teaching The Westing Game: A Puzzle Mystery: Share the Wealth: Pair with an Heir
- Teaching American Born Chinese: The Parts Make Up the Whole
- Teaching And Then There Were None: Putting It All Together
- Teaching The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963: The Byron Files
- Teaching A Wrinkle in Time: The Quotable Mrs. Who
- Teaching Because of Winn-Dixie: Planting Your Wait and See Tree
- Teaching Black Beauty: The Parts Fit Together
- Teaching Out of the Dust: This Book of Poems Is a Complete Story
- Teaching Hatchet: All Alone and Nowhere to Go
- Teaching The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963: Getting' Graphic with The Wool Pooh
- Teaching When You Reach Me: The Write Stuff, Part II