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ELA
How to Compare Two Sources
Author, evidence, perspective, and date
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Comparing two sources means looking closely at how they are alike and different in what they say, how they say it, and why they were created. This skill matters because students often read articles, speeches, charts, videos, or primary documents that do not present information in the same way. A strong comparison helps you decide which source is more useful, reliable, or persuasive for a specific task. It also helps you avoid accepting one version of events without checking it against another.
Key Facts
- Compare author, purpose, evidence, bias, date, and point of view before drawing a conclusion.
- A Venn diagram can organize ideas into Only Source A, Both Sources, and Only Source B.
- Reliable comparison requires quoting or paraphrasing evidence from both sources.
- Cross-check facts by asking whether both sources agree on names, dates, events, data, and causes.
- Author's purpose is often to inform, persuade, entertain, explain, or argue.
- A useful comparison statement follows this pattern: Source A says X, while Source B says Y, and both show Z.
Vocabulary
- Source
- A source is any text, image, video, speech, chart, or document used to gather information.
- Perspective
- Perspective is the viewpoint or position from which a source presents information.
- Bias
- Bias is a preference or leaning that can affect how information is selected, described, or emphasized.
- Evidence
- Evidence is the specific information from a source that supports a claim or conclusion.
- Corroboration
- Corroboration is the process of checking one source against another to see whether the information agrees.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Comparing only the topic is incomplete because two sources can discuss the same subject but have different purposes, evidence, or viewpoints.
- Ignoring the date is a mistake because newer sources may include updated facts, while older sources may show what people believed at the time.
- Calling a source biased without proof is weak analysis because you must point to loaded language, missing information, funding, audience, or author background.
- Using evidence from only one source is not a true comparison because your claim must be supported by details from both Source A and Source B.
Practice Questions
- 1 Source A was published in 2018 and Source B was published in 2024. How many years apart were the sources published, and why might that gap matter when comparing facts?
- 2 A student finds 6 facts in Source A and 8 facts in Source B. Four facts appear in both sources. How many total unique facts are there, and which section of a Venn diagram would the 4 shared facts go in?
- 3 Source A is a news report that uses statistics and interviews. Source B is an opinion column that uses emotional language and personal experience. Explain how their purpose, evidence, and perspective are different.