Students of all ages
- Prior knowledge
- Comprehension
- Identify similarities and differences
- Summarize
- Writing
Strategy steps:
- Write the two target words/titles/topics on the board (e.g., insects and spiders).
- Students list all characteristics they can under each word. This step may be done with the entire class, in small groups, or in pairs.
- Draw a Venn diagram (two overlapping circles) on the board.
- Students determine which characteristics insects and spiders have in common and write them in the overlapping part of the two circles.
- Then they write the unique characteristics of each in the parts of the circles that do not overlap.
- Discuss the diagram.
- Students write a short composition comparing and contrasting the two concepts. With narrative text, students may also be asked to compare two characters, events, or places from the story. This strategy is particularly effective for comparing two different stories that the children have read or that the teacher has read to them.
