Combining Two Sources
Aligned to RI.4.9 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.
What this lesson teaches
When two texts cover the same topic, you can put their information together to know more than either one alone. Look for facts they share, facts that are new in each, and how they fit together into a fuller picture.
Worked examples
Example 1
One book says bees make honey; another book explains how bees carry pollen between flowers. Combined, you can explain both what bees make and how they help plants grow — more than either book said by itself.
Example 2
One source says the Dust Bowl was caused by drought; another says by plowing up prairie grass. Together they explain it better than either alone.
Example 3
When two sources conflict, say so in your writing. 'Sources disagree about the cause' is an honest and useful sentence.
Practice questions
- Read two short texts on one animal and name a fact that only appears in one of them.
- Explain how using two sources helps you learn more than using just one.
- Combine facts from two texts into one sentence about a topic you like.
Watch the lesson
Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.
▶ Watch this lessonEn español
Combinar Dos Fuentes
Cuando dos textos tratan el mismo tema, puedes juntar su información para saber más que con uno solo. Busca los hechos que comparten, los hechos que son nuevos en cada uno, y cómo encajan juntos en una imagen más completa.
Ejemplo 1: Un libro dice que las abejas hacen miel; otro libro explica cómo las abejas llevan polen entre las flores. Combinados, puedes explicar tanto qué hacen las abejas como cómo ayudan a crecer las plantas — más de lo que dijo cada libro por sí solo.
Ejemplo 2: Una fuente dice que el Dust Bowl lo causó la sequía; otra dice que arar el pasto de la pradera. Juntas lo explican mejor que cualquiera sola.
Ejemplo 3: Cuando dos fuentes se contradicen, dilo en tu escrito. 'Las fuentes no coinciden sobre la causa' es una oración honesta y útil.
More Reading: Textos Informativos lessons
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