Students read two different short stories (a fantasy and a science fiction story) across Day 1 and Day 2, giving them two authors' treatments of setting and events to consider. Activity 4 prompts students to examine how the natural environment shapes each story, asks them to record phrases and sentences the author uses to describe settings, and contrasts the role of environment (e.g., garden as character versus environment as antagonist). Discussion questions explicitly ask students to consider why the natural environment is important to both stories, inviting comparison of the stories' treatments of setting and conflict.

Activity 4 asks students to read a poem excerpt of "Rip Van Winkle" and "consider how it is different from the story." The activity prompts students to answer: "Which version did you enjoy more and why? How were they similar? How were they different?" The Parent Plan for Activity 4 also explicitly states that the activity asks the child to compare the short story and the poem.

Students are asked to compare the two female characters using a Venn diagram in Activity 4, identifying similarities and differences between Widow Carey and Sylvia. The Skills list includes making connections within and between texts by recognizing similarities and differences based on a common lesson, character, theme, or message. Activity 3 asks students to write a critique that discusses what they think the author was trying to communicate, and the Wrapping Up questions prompt discussion of how the natural environment changed the lives of both female characters.

Students read two different primary sources (a Tennessee schoolgirl's diary and a Pennsylvania prisoner's journal) in Activity 4 and are asked to compare their perspectives. The Parent Plan instructs caregivers to discuss the perspective of both authors, ask the child to explain the two perspectives, and identify facts and opinions in both letters. The Wrapping Up questions explicitly ask, "How did the points of view of the diary and journal accounts differ?" and the Skills list includes summarizing author purpose/stance and exploring bias and word choice.

Students read the picture book Pink and Say and multiple Civil War primary letters (Activity 5). In Activity 5 they identify the letter writers, recipients, sides of the war, and the opinions expressed, and the Wrapping Up discussion explicitly asks, "How are the Civil War letters similar to the book Pink and Say? How are they different?" Activity 2 also has students rewrite a passage from a different point of view, prompting comparison of narrator perspective.

Students read a novel that presents the Battle of Bull Run from a variety of points of view (soldiers, civilians, slaves, free people of color, a doctor, an artist) and are asked to summarize the accounts and explain each character's perspective. Activity 2 asks students to read a Civil War speech and then identify three factual statements and three opinion statements, and to examine Civil War posters and explain how pictures could have been used as propaganda. Discussion prompts ask students which account they enjoyed most and why, and to consider why the author chose multiple perspectives, encouraging comparison of different narrators' viewpoints.

The Parent Plan lists a skill to "identify the speaker and recognize the difference between first-and third-person narration (for example, autobiography compared with biography)." Activity 1 defines biography and autobiography and asks students to place events on a Biography Web, organizing events chronologically from a biographical account. Students are asked to summarize chapters and add events to a timeline, showing engagement with how one text presents events about Einstein's life.

Students read Chapters 5 and 6 of the book and watch two videos about Einstein, taking notes on important ideas (Activity 4 and Reading and Questions). Students are asked to distinguish facts from the narrator's opinions while viewing the videos (Parent Plan) and to write a summary of one video using their notes (Activity 5). The Wrap-Up discussion prompt explicitly asks students to compare how the book and the video each present Einstein's "miracle year," noting similarities and differences.

Activity 2 directs students to look up an encyclopedia entry on Albert Einstein and "compare the style and content of the encyclopedia entry to the biography you are reading and the videos you watched." The Forms of Media activity page asks students to answer specific comparison questions (e.g., how the media differ, which produced the greatest emotional response) and then explain to a parent how each source contributed to their understanding and the benefits and limitations of each source. The Parent Plan section provides guided answers that reiterate comparing informational purpose, detail, and emotional impact across the biography, encyclopedia, and videos.

Students read Chapters 14–17 of the novel and two different published versions of Little Red Riding Hood (Perrault and Grimm). Students use a graphic organizer to record similarities and differences between Annemarie's story and the versions of Little Red Riding Hood and decide which version is most similar to Annemarie's story. The activity explicitly asks students to identify parallels the author draws between Annemarie's journey and the fairy tale, and to record connections in their journals.

In Activity 2 students read two Norse myths plus information about Ponce de León and are instructed to "write three similarities and three differences you can find between these stories (including the Ponce de León story and other stories found on the weblink) and the story in the novel." Students record their ideas in a journal. The activity explicitly requires comparing multiple texts (myths, legend, and the novel).

The lesson's Activity 5 directs students to watch the Disney movie Tuck Everlasting and then "record three ways the movie differed from the book" (plot differences, added or missing characters, etc.). It also asks students to predict "How similar do you think the movie will be to the book?" and to note three things they would have done differently if they had made the movie. The Parent Plan reiterates having the child write about three ways the movie differed from the book and share ideas.

Students read an informational book (What Was the Great Depression) and are asked in QUESTION #5 to compare its purpose with that of the historical fiction novel Esperanza Rising, prompting them to consider how the novel's viewpoint will differ from the nonfiction account. Students examine primary-source photos and firsthand accounts in Activity 1 and answer a discussion question that asks how the photos (primary sources) and the book (secondary source) each help them understand the period. Students also take the role of Cultural Commentator when reading novel chapters, recording cultural details that can be contrasted with information from informational texts.

The lesson includes a direct comparison prompt: "Both What Was the Great Depression and Esperanza Rising dealt with the Great Depression. How were their approaches similar? Different? How did each text help you better understand the time period?" This asks students to identify similarities and differences in how two texts treat the same events and to evaluate how each text contributes to understanding the historical period.

The lesson asks students to analyze similarities and differences between an original text and its dramatic adaptation (Parent Plan Skills) and to discuss how a dramatic interpretation can be similar to and different from the text itself. Students read a provided readers' theater script, write their own script based on events from the novel, and are prompted to explain how their script is similar to and different from the actual events in the story. The activities require students to transform prose into drama and to compare the novel's events with their staged presentation.

Students are asked to compare their emotional responses to two poems ("The Panther" and "The Bear") and to record words and phrases the author uses to appeal to emotions, which requires comparing presentations across two authors. A Parent Plan question explicitly asks how "The Panther" and "The Dancing Bear" are similar, prompting students to compare themes and author choices. In the ellipsis activity, students must choose three poems and explain why each poet might have used an ellipsis, which asks students to compare authorial punctuation choices across multiple texts.

The Parent Plan lists the skill to "Compare and contrast the stated or implied purposes of different authors writing on the same topic," which directly instructs students to compare authors. Activity 4 directs students to reread two poems about buffaloes and draw a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the two poems, and the parent notes give specific similarities and differences students might record. Several activities also ask students to identify tone, purpose, and poetic choices, which can be used in comparisons between authors.