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E7 E - Compare two short texts

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E7 E - Compare two short texts

Mini-description: Compare two short texts about the same topic. Find key information, notice perspective and opinion, and explain similarities and differences in clear English.

Media start – look and think: What can two readers notice differently in the same text? Name one fact you can see and one possible interpretation. Compare your ideas with a partner.

Your goal

By the end, I can …

read two short texts and find the main information.
compare what is similar and what is different.
distinguish information from opinion.
explain a writer’s perspective with evidence from the text.
use both, while, however and unlike in a short comparison.
discuss my ideas and improve them after feedback.

Learning path: notice → understand → try → use → communicate → feedback → improve → use again.

Before you start

Quick check:

What is a fact?
What is an opinion?
Which words can show contrast: but, while, however?
Can two people write about the same event but feel differently about it?

Hint: If you are unsure, start with this question: Can I check whether this statement is true? If yes, it may be factual information. If it mainly shows a judgement, preference or feeling, it is probably an opinion.

Deutsch-Hilfe bei Bedarf: Eine Information kann überprüfbar sein. Eine Meinung zeigt, was jemand denkt, bewertet oder bevorzugt.

Media focus: Compare and contrast

Use a Venn diagram like this:

left side: only Text A
middle: both texts
right side: only Text B

Viewing task: Watch the video once. Write down two useful ideas for comparing texts. Watch again only if you need to.

Fast feedback: A strong comparison does not only list two texts. It connects them: Both texts … / Text A …, while Text B … / However, …

Reading: Two short texts

Important: The school, names and profiles below are fictional. Do not use private social-media data for this task.

Text A: School update

Phone-free lunch trial

On Wednesday, Greenwood School tested a phone-free lunch break for 30 minutes. Students could still keep their phones in their bags, but they were asked not to use them in the canteen or playground. The school said the trial was designed to encourage more face-to-face conversation. Several teachers noticed more students talking or playing games together. The school has not made a final decision yet. It will ask students for feedback before planning the next step.

Text B: Student voice

“Good idea – but give us a choice”

I expected the phone-free lunch break to be annoying, but it was better than I thought. I talked to two classmates I do not usually sit with, and that was fun. Still, I do not think every lunch break should be phone-free. Sometimes I want to message my family or listen to music. A short phone-free break once or twice a week could work. For me, the best solution is not a total ban but a fair balance.

— Maya, fictional Year 7 student

Notice

Read both texts again.

Task A – information

Find three pieces of information that are the same or connected in both texts.

Task B – perspective

Complete the ideas:

Text A mainly gives the perspective of the school.
Text B mainly gives the perspective of a student.
Text A sounds more informative.
Text B includes more personal opinion.

Task C – evidence

Which words or sentences helped you decide? Underline one short piece of evidence in each text.

Direct feedback: Do not write only “Text B is an opinion.” Better: Text B gives a personal perspective because Maya says what she liked and what she wants.

Understand: Information, perspective and opinion

Information answers questions such as What happened? When? What was planned?

Perspective means the position or viewpoint from which a person presents the topic.

Opinion shows a judgement, preference or belief.

A text can contain both information and opinion.

Viewing challenge: While watching, note one clue for a fact and one clue for an opinion.

Try it:

“The trial lasted 30 minutes.” → information
“It was better than I thought.” → opinion
“The school will ask students for feedback.” → information
“A fair balance is the best solution.” → opinion

Compare the texts

Use this simple comparison frame:

Point	Text A	Text B
Main focus	school trial and next steps	personal experience and preferred solution
Perspective	school	student
Information	30-minute trial, phone use, feedback	experience during the trial
Opinion	little direct opinion	clear personal judgement
Tone	informative	personal and reflective

Your 4-sentence comparison:

Both texts are about the same phone-free lunch trial.
Text A focuses on the school’s plan, while Text B focuses on one student’s experience.
Text B contains more personal opinion. However, it also gives information about the trial.
Unlike Text A, Text B suggests a preferred solution.

Now change one sentence so it is really yours.

Vocabulary in context

Word or phrase	Meaning in this lesson	Example
to compare	to look for similarities and differences	Compare Text A and Text B.
perspective	a way of seeing a topic	The student has a different perspective.
opinion	what someone thinks or prefers	Her opinion is clear.
evidence	words or details that support your idea	Use evidence from the text.
both	true for A and B	Both texts mention the trial.
while	shows a contrast	Text A informs, while Text B comments.
however	introduces a contrast	The trial was short. However, it started a discussion.
unlike	shows a difference	Unlike Text A, Text B uses “I”.

Mini-transfer: Choose two of the linking words and compare two films, games, books or school subjects in two sentences.

Pronunciation

Say the words slowly, then in a full sentence.

compare – stress the second part
opinion – four clear syllables
perspective – stress spec
evidence – stress the first syllable
however – stress ev

Try: “Both texts discuss the same topic. However, they show different perspectives.”

Goal: Be easy to understand. You do not need to copy one special accent.

Listening and viewing

First viewing: What is the main idea?

Second viewing: Listen for words connected with point of view and purpose.

Pair talk:

What can a writer choose to include?
How can word choice show a perspective?
Why should you use evidence before you describe a writer’s viewpoint?

Hint: You do not need every word. Listen for the main idea and useful examples.

Functional grammar for comparing

You need grammar that helps you communicate the comparison.

Same idea:

Both texts mention the lunch trial.

Different focus:

Text A explains the school plan, while Text B describes a student experience.

Contrast between sentences:

Text B is personal. However, Text A is more neutral.

Clear difference:

Unlike Text A, Text B gives a preferred solution.

Reason:

Maya supports a limited phone-free break because she enjoyed talking to classmates.

Try it: Write three sentences using both, while and however.

E-outlook: Past perfect

This is only a controlled preview.

By the time Maya wrote her comment, the school had already tested the phone-free lunch break.

Notice the order: the test happened first; the comment came later.

You do not need the past perfect for your main comparison.

Speaking

60-second pair discussion:

Question: Should schools sometimes have phone-free breaks?

Use:

one idea from Text A
one idea from Text B
your own view
one reason

Useful language:

I agree with … because …

I see it differently because …

Both texts show that …

One difference is …

The evidence for this is …

Feedback partner: Did your partner use information from both texts? Did they explain a reason?

Writing

Write 80–110 words.

Task: Compare Text A and Text B. Explain one similarity, one difference in perspective and one difference in opinion. Give evidence.

Success check:

I mention both texts.
I compare, not only summarize.
I use at least two linking words.
I give evidence.
My own opinion is clearly separated from the writers’ views.

Less support – E challenge: Do not use the model sentences. Create your own structure.

More support if needed:

Both texts …

Text A focuses on …, while Text B …

This shows that …

However, …

In my view, …

Mediation

A German-speaking classmate asks: “Was ist der Unterschied zwischen den beiden Texten?”

Explain the key difference in simple German in 2–3 sentences. Do not translate every sentence.

Then switch back to English and give one sentence of evidence.

Remember: Mediation means passing on the important meaning for a person and situation. It is not a word-for-word translation.

Feedback and improve

Use the 2 + 1 check:

Name two things that work well.
Name one specific next step.

Example feedback:

Your comparison is clear because you use both texts. Add one short piece of evidence for Maya’s opinion.

Then revise one sentence. Do not rewrite everything.

Safe and responsible media / AI use

Use fictional or school-provided profiles. Do not share private social-media data.
Audio or video recordings are voluntary and should stay private unless everyone has agreed to another use.
Do not upload classmates’ work, voices or images to external AI tools without permission.
If you use AI for feedback, write your own first draft first. Check whether the feedback fits your English level and the task.
AI should help you improve your text, not replace your own writing.

Mini-transfer

Choose one new pair of short texts on the same topic, for example:

two short reviews of the same film
two comments on a school event
two short descriptions of the same place

Compare them in five sentences: information → perspective → opinion → evidence → your conclusion.

Self-check: Can do

Mark each statement: yes / almost / not yet.

I can …	yes	almost	not yet
find the main information in two short texts
identify a writer’s perspective
tell information and opinion apart
compare with both, while, however or unlike
support an idea with evidence
improve one sentence after feedback

Next step: If you marked not yet twice or more, repeat the Venn-diagram task with shorter notes. If you marked mostly yes, do the mini-transfer without sentence starters.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

What is the main topic of both texts? (A phone-free lunch trial) (!A new school building) (!A sports competition) (!A homework project)

Which text mainly gives the school perspective? (Text A) (!Text B) (!Both texts only give Maya’s perspective) (!Neither text has a perspective)

Which sentence is mainly an opinion? (A fair balance is the best solution) (!The trial lasted 30 minutes) (!The trial happened on Wednesday) (!The school will ask for feedback)

Which linking word is useful for showing a contrast? (However) (!Yesterday) (!Because of) (!First)

What does evidence do in a comparison? (It supports an idea with details from the text) (!It replaces both texts) (!It gives a random example) (!It makes every opinion a fact)

What is one similarity between the texts? (Both discuss the same lunch trial) (!Both are written by teachers) (!Both demand a total phone ban) (!Both are newspaper reports)

What is one key difference between the texts? (Text B is more personal) (!Text A is written in German) (!Text B has no information) (!Text A is a fictional story about the future)

Which sentence makes a direct comparison? (Text A explains the plan while Text B describes an experience) (!Text A has several sentences) (!Maya is a fictional student) (!The lunch break lasted 30 minutes)

What should you do before using AI feedback for your writing? (Write your own first draft) (!Upload a classmate’s private work) (!Ask AI to replace the whole text) (!Ignore the task level)

What is the best goal when speaking English in this course? (Be understandable and communicate clearly) (!Sound exactly like one native speaker) (!Avoid speaking until every sound is perfect) (!Use the longest words possible)

Memory

compare	similarities and differences
perspective	way of seeing a topic
opinion	personal judgement
evidence	supporting detail from a text
however	contrast between ideas
both	something shared by two texts

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Both	similarity
However	contrast
Evidence	support from the text
Perspective	viewpoint
Opinion	personal judgement

...

Kreuzworträtsel

compare	What verb means to look for similarities and differences?
opinion	What word means a personal judgement?
evidence	What supports your idea with details from a text?
perspective	What word means a way of seeing a topic?
however	Which linking word can introduce a contrast?
source	What do you call the text or material your evidence comes from?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Information or opinion: Write six short statements about school life. Make three factual and three opinion-based. Swap with a partner and classify them.
Venn diagram: Put two similarities and two differences from Text A and Text B into a Venn diagram.
Perspective hunt: Highlight three words in Text B that show Maya’s personal perspective.
Two-sentence talk: Tell a partner one similarity and one difference between the texts.

Standard

Five-sentence comparison: Write five connected sentences comparing information, perspective and opinion.
New text pair: Find or use two teacher-provided short texts on the same topic and create a comparison table.
Mini discussion: Discuss the phone-free break with a partner for two minutes. Use evidence from both texts before giving your own view.
Rewrite perspective: Rewrite Text A in 70–90 words from the perspective of a student who strongly supports the trial.

Schwer

Evidence check: Choose three claims about the texts and decide whether the evidence is strong, weak or missing. Explain why.
Media comparison: Compare a short school announcement with a short student comment about the same event. Focus on purpose, perspective and word choice.
One-minute presentation: Present the most important difference between the two texts without reading a full script. Use one quotation or detail as evidence.
Independent transfer: Create two fictional mini-texts on the same issue from two different perspectives. Exchange them with a partner, who writes the comparison.

Lernkontrolle

Unknown text pair: Compare two new short texts on the same topic. Explain one similarity and two differences using evidence.
Perspective shift: Explain how the meaning changes when the same event is described by a school, a student or a parent.
Evidence decision: Choose the strongest piece of evidence for a comparison claim and justify your choice.
Revision: Improve a weak comparison paragraph so that it connects both texts instead of summarizing them separately.
Reasoned response: Give a 60-second response to a new school issue. Refer to two short source texts before stating your own view.
Source awareness: Explain why two texts about the same event can contain different selections of information without one text automatically being false.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, you should show that you can:

understand the main information in two short texts
distinguish information, perspective and opinion
compare similarities and differences
support ideas with evidence
use clear comparison language
speak or write your own response without confusing it with the writers’ views
use feedback to improve your work
handle media, recordings and AI tools responsibly

OERs zum Thema

Further open media used in this course: Wikimedia Commons images and embedded YouTube learning videos. Check the file or video page for the current author and licence information when you reuse material outside MOOCwiki.

Folgekurs

Continue with a course on comparing longer texts and evaluating evidence. Keep the same routine:

notice → understand → try → use → communicate → feedback → improve → use again

A useful next focus is: Which text supports its ideas more clearly, and how can you explain that without simply choosing a “winner”?

Verknüpfte Lernbereiche

Compare two short texts

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