Comparing What Happens to Characters
A 40-minute Grade 1 lesson on comparing the adventures of characters in two stories, keeping same and different apart.
Comparing What Happens to Characters is a free 40-minute Grade 1 English lesson plan for Common Core standard RL.1.9 — compare what happens to two characters in different stories. 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:
- Grade 1
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- RL.1.9
Grade 1 · Reading: Literature
RL.1.9
Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.
Objective
Students will be able to say how what happens to two characters is alike and how it differs.
Students are successful when they can
- Names a similarity in what happens, not in what they are.
- Names a difference.
- Supports both from the texts.
What you need
- Two short stories with a comparable problem
- A two-circle diagram
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — same problem, two people
5 min- Describe one problem — losing something — and ask two children what they would do.
- Note that the problem is the same and the responses differ.
Teach — compare the events, not the characters
13 min- Read both stories.
- Fill the diagram with what HAPPENS, not with what the characters are like.
- Take a first offering like 'both are children' and set it aside as true but not about the adventures.
- Find two genuine similarities in events and two differences.
- Then ask which character had the harder time, and why.
“Not what they are. What happened to them.”
Guided practice — one each
12 min- Pairs add one similarity and one difference to their own diagram, both about events.
- They write the evidence beside each.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the two-stories page.
- Both passages are on the sheet.
Close
2 min- Ask for one similarity in what happened, and one difference.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Compares what the characters are rather than what happens to them.
Why: Attributes are easier to see than events, and 'compare the characters' invites it.
Fix: Say 'adventures' and 'experiences', which are the standard's own words and cannot be answered with an attribute.
Gives only differences.
Why: Differences are what the eye finds first, and 'compare' is commonly used to mean 'contrast'.
Fix: Ask for the similarity first and separately, every time.
Invents a similarity that neither story supports.
Why: The structure asks for something in the middle, so something is supplied.
Fix: Require evidence from both texts for anything in the overlap. Two pages, or it comes out.
If they are not there yet
- Give the similarity and ask only for the difference.
- Use two stories with an obviously shared problem.
If they finish early
- Compare how the two stories END rather than what happens in them.
- Add a third story to the same diagram.
- Say which character you would rather be, with reasons from both texts.
Exit ticket
Say one way what happened to the two characters is the same, and one way it is different.
What to look for: Both about events. 'Both are girls' is true and is not what the standard asks for.
Printable practice for RL.1.9
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Two Stories Side by SideRead Text 1 and answer the question under it.
Questions about Comparing What Happens to Characters
How long does the Comparing What Happens to Characters lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 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 What Happens to Characters teach?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.9 — RL.1.9, Reading: Literature for Grade 1: “Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories.” In plain terms, compare what happens to two characters in different stories.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Two short stories with a comparable problem, a two-circle diagram 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: compares what the characters are rather than what happens to them; gives only differences and invents a similarity that neither story supports. 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 what happened to the two characters is the same, and one way it is different.” Both about events. 'Both are girls' is true and is not what the standard asks for. 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 What Happens to Characters?
Yes — 1 printable RL.1.9 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 What Happens to 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.1.9 of the Common Core State Standards for English language arts.