Comparing a Story and an Article About Geckos
Mrs. Patel's class reads two grade-3 texts about geckos. Text A is a realistic story about a boy who finds a gecko in his garage and watches it climb the wall. Text B is a short informational article explaining that geckos have toe pads with tiny hairs that let them cling to smooth surfaces, and that they eat insects. During discussion, a student says, 'Both texts are about geckos, so they give the same information.' Mrs. Patel wants to write one constructed-response question that requires students to compare how the two texts present geckos, not just identify the topic. She has 25 students; in a previous lesson, 14 students wrote only 'both are about geckos' as their comparison. She needs a question that is text-dependent and asks for synthesis.
1. Write the comparison question Mrs. Patel should use.
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A strong question is: 'How does Text A show what a gecko can do, and how does Text B explain how the gecko does it? Use one detail from each text.' This question requires synthesis because the student must connect a narrative event in Text A - the gecko climbing the garage wall - with an explanation in Text B - toe pads with tiny hairs that cling to smooth surfaces. It cannot be answered by saying 'both are about geckos,' and it requires going back to both texts. It also teaches the intended idea: the story shows an action, while the article explains the body structure that makes the action possible.
2. Explain why a question like 'What are both texts about?' would not meet the goal.
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'What are both texts about?' asks only for the topic, and the answer is simply 'geckos.' A student can answer from the titles or the first line without reading details. It does not require comparing purposes, details, or how the information is presented, so it would not address the 14 students who already equate same topic with same information. In fact, it may reinforce that misconception. Mrs. Patel needs a question that makes students use details from each text and explain a relationship between them, which the topic question does not do.