RL.2.9: Compare Two Versions of a Story
Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.9 · Cluster: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas.
The Official Wording
Compare and contrast two or more versions of the same story (e.g., Cinderella stories) by different authors or from different cultures.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 2, Reading: Literature · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What RL.2.9 Means in Plain English
Second graders read two tellings of one story, like a Cinderella from France and Yeh-Shen from China, and say what stays the same and what changes. The plot holds, while the setting and the magic helper change: a fairy godmother in one, a magic fish’s bones in the other.
In 1st grade (RL.1.9) children compared the adventures of characters in different stories. Now the comparison is between versions of one story, by different authors or from different cultures. In 3rd grade (RL.3.9) students compare the themes, settings and plots of books in one author’s series.
RL.2.9 I Can Statements
- I can tell how two versions of a story are the same.
- I can tell what changes from one version to the other.
- I can explain how the place a story comes from changes it.
RL.2.9 Worked Example
One original tale told two ways, once in the desert and once in the rainforest, and two answers comparing them.
Version 1, told in the desert: Yusra found a baby camel crying alone by a dry well. She led it across the sand until it found its mother.That evening a sandstorm hid the path home. The mother camel walked ahead of Yusra, step by step, all the way to her door.Version 2, told in the rainforest: Tico found a baby parrot that had fallen from its nest. He climbed the tall tree and set it back inside.Months later Tico got lost among the giant trees. A bright green parrot flew from branch to branch, squawking, until Tico saw his village.
Common Mistakes with RL.2.9
Comparing only the surface
“One has a camel and one has a parrot.”
Try this: Compare one story part at a time, characters, setting, problem, ending and lesson, and write each in the Venn diagram before moving on.
Calling the stories totally different
“They’re not the same story at all.”
Try this: Retell each version in one sentence with the names left out, then read the two sentences side by side.
Choosing one version as the right one
“The camel one is the real story.”
Try this: Explain that every culture tells its own version, and ask what in each version fits the place it comes from.
Where RL.2.9 Fits
Practice RL.2.9
Quick Check
- Where does each version take place?
- How does the help come back to the child in each version?
- What lesson do both versions share?