Pizza is from a place we now call Italy.
People started making pizza long ago. At first, it did not have tomato sauce. People thought tomatoes were poison!
iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Pizza); Shutterstock.com (All other images); Drew Willis (Maps); © Jayzynism | Dreamstime.com (Squid Pizza); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (Cactus Taco); Shutterstock.com (All Other Images)
Pizza Party or Taco Time?
So many people love pizza and tacos. But what do you know about these yummy foods?
From the September 2025 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will compare and contrast pizza and tacos.
Would You Pick a Pizza Party?
Long Ago
A Lot of Toppings
Would you eat squid pizza?
Today pepperoni is the most popular topping. Some people like pineapple or squid!
Fun to Eat
Yum!
The bottom part of pizza is crust. You can pick it up with your hands. What fun!
Would you pick a pizza party?
Would You Want Taco Time?
Long Ago
Tacos are from a place we now call Mexico.
Tacos have been around for thousands of years. The first tacos had meat, beans, or fish, just like they do today.
A Lot of Fillings
cactus
Now we put all kinds of fillings in tacos. You can even have a cactus taco.
Fun to Eat
tortilla
Tacos are made with tortillas. You eat them with your hands. Taco-rrific!
Would you want taco time?
What does your class think?
Would you want a pizza party or taco time?
Would you want a pizza party or taco time?
Would you want a pizza party or taco time?
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Take a Poll
What does your class think?
Would you want a pizza party or taco time?
Would you want a pizza party or taco time?
Would you want a pizza party or taco time?
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Total Votes: 0
More About the Article
English Language Arts Focus
Compare and contrast
Social Studies Focus
Food history
Step-by-Step Lesson Plan
Implementation
- Whole group
Pairings and Text Connections
- From the Storyworks 1 archive: “Alike and Different: Ketchup and Mustard” (September 2024); “Alike and Different: The Truth Behind Chocolate and Vanilla” (February 2023)
- Suggested books: Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin; Secret Pizza Party by Adam Rubin; Pizza and Taco: Who’s the Best? by Stephen Shaskan
Before-Reading Resources
- Vocabulary slideshow (5 minutes) topping, crust, fillings, tortillas
- Video: Skill Power: Compare and Contrast (5 minutes) A fun how-to video on how and why we compare and contrast
Suggested Reading Focus
Compare and contrast (20 minutes)
- Tell students they will be reading texts about pizza and tacos. Prompt them to think about how these foods are alike and different as they read.
- Preview the parallel structure of the texts. What do children notice about these two pages? (They are set up similarly. Each section has a heading. All the headings are the same.)
- Read “Would You Pick a Pizza Party?” and stop at the end of each section to check comprehension. Then read “Would You Pick a Taco Party?,” again stopping at the end of each section to check comprehension.
- For the second read-through, review the texts under the same headings back-to-back so children can focus on comparing and contrasting. Then discuss what was learned from each section.
- Compare the photos. What can children learn from them?
- To close, ask students to turn and talk about ways pizza and tacos are alike and different. You can also have a class vote to see which students would prefer: a pizza party or a taco party?
After-Reading Skills Practice
- Skills: Compare/contrast (15 minutes)
Text-to-Speech