Plan a Paragraph That Compares Two Animals

Choose two animals your child knows well, or look at pictures of them side by side. Talk about how they are alike first, then how each one is different, before filling the boxes and writing the draft.

Plan a paragraph comparing two animals with a topic sentence, how they are alike, how each differs and a closing. A topic sentence tells what your whole paragraph is about. The directions on the page read: Read the model. Then, write a topic sentence and how the 2 animals are alike. Then, name each animal and write how it is different. Then, write a closing sentence. Then, use your plan to write your draft on lined paper.

Yes, both. We made it for 3rd Grade informative writing, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with compare and contrast paragraphs. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

Students typically use a Venn diagram to brainstorm similarities and differences, then transfer that information into an organized paragraph using comparison transition words (both, however, on the other hand, similarly).

Students can use point-by-point organization (alternating between the two subjects for each trait) or block organization (all about subject A, then all about subject B) - worksheets often introduce the simpler block format first.

Familiar topics like two animals, two books, two seasons, or two historical figures are most effective because students can draw on background knowledge rather than needing to research, keeping the focus on writing structure.

2 printable worksheets, all free to preview. Downloads are included with a ClassWeekly free trial, and every page prints on standard 8.5 x 11 paper.

These are written for 3rd Grade students, roughly ages 8-9. Many teachers also use them a grade up for review or a grade down as an extension, so use the preview to judge the fit for a particular child.

Yes. Each one shows the Common Core code it covers on its own page, so you can check the alignment yourself rather than taking our word for it.