Comparison and Contrast

1
Comparison and Contrast

• How it should be presented for student use.

2
Overview

• Comparison and contrast are ways of looking at
  objects and thinking about how they are alike and
  different.
• For instance, all of these items are alike
  because they are kinds of food, but there are
  many ways that they are different. For instance,
  they belong to different food groups. Some must
  be cooked before eating, and some can be eaten
  raw.
• When you write comparison and contrast, you will
  pay attention to these kinds of details.

3
Comparisons

• When you compare items, you look for their
  similarities--the things that make them the same.
• For example
• Apples and oranges are both fruit.
• They're both foods.
• Both are made into juice.
• Both grow on trees.

4
Contrast

• When you contrast items, you look at their
  differences.
• For example
• Apples are red. Oranges are orange.
• The fruits have different textures.
• Oranges need a warmer place to grow, like
  Florida. Apples can grow in cooler states, like
  Washington.

5
Organizing a Paper

• Comparison and contrast are used in your writing
  to organize an individual paragraph as well as to
  organize entire papers.
• For instance, you might write a paper that
  compares a movie and a book about the same topic.
  In your paper you can compare and contrast the
  movie version with the book version.

6
Balancing Ideas

• As you begin to organize your writing, it's
  important to make sure that you balance the
  information about the items that you're comparing
  and contrasting.
• You need to be sure that you give them equal time
  in what you write.
• If you cover character, setting, and historical
  accuracy for the book, for instance, you need to
  be sure that you cover the same elements for the
  movie.

7
Three Strategies

• There are three strategies to organize comparison
  and contrast papers
• 1. Whole-to-Whole, or Block
• 2. Similarities-to-Differences
• 3. Point-by-Point

8
Example

• You probably use comparison all the time. Maybe
  you want to buy some candy, so you go to the
  store and look at all of the candy that is
  available.
• You can't buy all the candy, so you have to
  narrow down your choices.
• You compare and contrast the different kinds of
  candy so that you can make your decision.

9
Similarities

• You can compare the kinds of candy by looking at
  the things that makes the candy alike.
• All these kinds of candy are sweet. None of them
  are sour.
• All of the candy is chocolate.
• All these kinds of candy are medium-sized. None
  are big or small.

10
Differences

• You also look at the things that make the candy
  different.
• Some pieces of the candy have a filling, like
  caramel or cookies. Some do not.
• Some of the candy can be broken into smaller
  pieces while the others are harder to divide if
  you want to share.

11
Graphic Organizers

• Graphic organizers are useful tools for gathering
  details about the items that you are comparing
  and contrasting.
• Venn Diagrams help you think about where the
  various characteristics of the items being
  compared and contrasted fit.
• The Compare and Contrast Chart is more like a
  listing tool, where you can brainstorm a list of
  ways that the items are alike and different.

12
Venn Diagrams
Chocolate bar
Chocolate candy
Sweet Chocolate Medium sized
Has filling Cannot be broken into pieces
No filling Can be broken into pieces
http//www.edhelper.com/teachers/graphic_organizer
s.htm
13
Other Graphic Organizers
Four Item Sort
Three Item Venn Diagram
Characteristics 3 by 4
Fact or opinion