I Compared Characters, Yet Stayed At “Remember”

I uncovered this worksheet from the mid-2010s. We were comparing Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. I know what you’re thinking! Compare and contrast? Oh, he’s already at Analyze? Great job!

But look at this set of questions that I gave students. I was only prompting “Remember” thinking. I asked students to recall facts, not actually compare and contrast characters.

This table sets up an Analyze question, but I never actually asked the Analyze question!

My Original Questions

Answer with Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, both, or neither.

  1. Is the son of a Greek god.
  2. Has a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
  3. Attends a school to learn about magic.
  4. Uses a magical sword named Riptide.
  5. Has a close friend who is a highly intelligent girl.
  6. Was raised by uncaring relatives.
  7. Fights against a dark lord who wishes to return to power.
  8. Can speak to snakes.
  9. Has been prophesied to either save or destroy the world.
  10. Is associated with the symbol of a lightning bolt.

Question Renovation!

I’ll keep the original table. Then, I’ll ask a sequence of questions. Remember, each part is a checkpoint. Students do not get to see Part 2 until they’ve answered Part 1 to my satisfaction.

  • Part 1: (I’ll keep the table from above.)
  • Part 2: What do these two heroes have in common? What might they disagree about? (This is the missing Analyze step!)
  • Part 3: If you were to give an award to each of the heroes, what would those awards be for? Think of a clever name and description for each one. The awards can be positive or negative.
  • Part 4: Pick one of the awards to present to the hero. Write a short speech to explain to the audience why this person has earned this particular award. (You can have your students actually design and present their award in class or not).
  • Part 5: Tour your classmates’ awards. Which awards would Harry appreciate? And which would he decline? Write from Harry’s perspective. (You could also offer Percy as a choice).

This little sequence offers so much more opportunity for thinking than my original table of questions.