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Reteach
4  USE A VENN DIAGRAM
Students can use a Venn diagram to record comparisons
and contrasts.
5  PROVIDE PRACTICE
  • Ask students to compare and contrast two
    characters in a story or two characters in
    different stories.
  • Ask students to compare and contrast
    information in a nonfiction article.
Graphic Organizer 17
1  DEFINE THE TERMS
Explain that when you compare and contrast, you
tell how two things are alike and different. Point
out that in some contexts, questions asking
students to compare may be asking students
to describe both similarities and differences.
2  GIVE AN EXAMPLE
Provide a simple example, such as comparing
a dog and a chameleon.
  • Alike: Both are animals; both have four
    legs and a tail; both can be pets.
  • Different: One is a mammal, the other is a
    reptile; one has fur, the other does not.
3  DISCUSS CLUE WORDS
Students should look for clue words that signal
comparisons and contrasts as they read. List
some examples on the board:
Compare Contrast
like unlike
alike on the other hand
similarly however
Compare and Contrast
Noticing, understanding, and making comparisons and contrasts can clarify for
students what they read. Use this routine to teach comparing and contrasting.
Lukens, Rebecca J. A Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature. Pearson Education, 2003, p. 286.
Rebecca J. Lukens,
A Critical Handbook of Children's Literature
“Comparisons are one means of making concepts clear to the reader, and
some writers use comparisons simply and effectively.”
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
Research on Compare and Contrast