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Comparing Two Characters

A 30-minute Kindergarten lesson on comparing what happens to two characters in two stories, with same and different kept apart.

Comparing Two Characters is a free 30-minute Kindergarten English lesson plan for Common Core standard RL.K.9 — say how two story characters are alike and how they are different. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Kindergarten
Length:
30 minutes
Standard:
RL.K.9

Kindergarten · Reading: Literature

RL.K.9

With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.

Objective

Students will be able to say one way two story characters are alike and one way they are different.

Students are successful when they can

  • Says something true of both characters.
  • Says something true of only one.
  • Keeps the two answers apart rather than merging them.

What you need

  • Two short stories with a similar problem
  • Two hoops overlapping on the floor, or a two-column chart
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — two of us

4 min
  1. Stand two children up. Ask for one way they are the same and one way they are different.
  2. Do it twice more. The structure is the whole lesson.

Teach — same, different, and where they overlap

10 min
  1. Read both stories, back to back, keeping them short.
  2. Put the two hoops down. Name one character in each.
  3. Take one fact at a time and ask where it goes: only this one, only that one, or both.
  4. Deliberately take a fact that goes in the middle. That is what the overlap is for.
  5. Fill six facts, at least two in the overlap.
“If it is true of both of them, it goes in the middle where the hoops cross.”

Guided practice — one each

8 min
  1. Pairs find one 'same' and one 'different' between the two characters.
  2. Take answers around the room. Reject nothing — put it in a hoop and let the class judge.

Independent practice

6 min
  1. Students complete the two-stories page.
  2. Both texts are printed on the sheet. Read both aloud first.

Close

2 min
  1. Ask for one way the two characters are the same.
  2. Then one way they are different. Two separate answers.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Retells one story instead of comparing.

Why: Retelling is the familiar task and comparing has no obvious shape without a structure to hang it on.

Fix: Hold up the two hoops before they speak. The question is not 'tell me about it' but 'which hoop'.

Gives a difference when asked for a similarity.

Why: Differences are more noticeable, and 'compare' is heard as 'find the difference'.

Fix: Ask the two questions separately and in the same order every time. Do the similarity first, since it is harder.

Says the characters are the same because both are animals, without going further.

Why: It is a genuine similarity and it is the easiest one available, so it stops the search.

Fix: Accept it and ask for another one — this time about what happened to them rather than what they are.

If they are not there yet

  • Give the similarity and ask only for the difference.
  • Use two versions of the same story rather than two different ones.

If they finish early

  • Ask which character had the harder time, and why.
  • Ask what the two stories are both trying to teach.
  • Add a third story and put it into the same hoops.

Exit ticket

Say one way the two characters are the same. Now say one way they are different.

What to look for: Two distinct answers. A child who gives two differences has heard 'compare' as 'contrast', which the hoops fix.

Printable practice for RL.K.9

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Comparing Two Characters

How long does the Comparing Two Characters lesson take?

30 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 4 min, teach 10 min, guided practice 8 min, independent practice 6 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Comparing Two Characters teach?

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.K.9 — RL.K.9, Reading: Literature for Kindergarten: “With prompting and support, compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in familiar stories.” In plain terms, say how two story characters are alike and how they are different.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Two short stories with a similar problem, two hoops overlapping on the floor, or a two-column chart and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: retells one story instead of comparing; gives a difference when asked for a similarity and says the characters are the same because both are animals, without going further. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Say one way the two characters are the same. Now say one way they are different.” Two distinct answers. A child who gives two differences has heard 'compare' as 'contrast', which the hoops fix. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Comparing Two Characters?

Yes — 1 printable RL.K.9 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Comparing Two Characters free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to RL.K.9 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.