Similarities+&+Differences

Similarities & Differences = = =Read and Reflect=

**Identifying Similarities and Differences Pg 10**

When I ask the students to compare, I am asking them to make connections between concepts.

I often have students compare when I am introducing new ideas. We take a moment to think about we know and how that compares to what we will be learning. It falls in line with cueing. I also utilize everyone’s favorite Venn Diagram as a sure fire way to encourage students to compare concepts.

I think my techniques for comparing have become tired. The students are bored with Venn Diagrams and I am not sure if I am getting their best comparison effort. I cannot think of one standout moment when comparing went well or one moment when comparing went not so well. I think I am currently feeling blah about my current practices.

I would like to learn a few new ways to introduce comparing that will ignite student interest and excitement.

Reflections: I liked how this section reminded that you need to ask students to compare two concepts in meaningful ways. You should be thoughtful about what and how you have students compare. I also liked how they showed the comparison of the Amazon Rain Forest and Mojave Desert in three different contexts. Rather than give students a very wide range, narrow their focus and require them to be detailed.

**Classifying Pg 22**

I guess I do not ask students to do a lot of classifying. I can think of instances where I would need students to classify. Such as when we are looking at different types animals and what those animals eat, when we are looking at different polygons, or when we are examining different types of rocks. I can see classifying being a valuable tool in science for sure. If I ask students to classify, I am asking them to organize information in appropriate groupings so they are not simply comparing, but recognizing that like things will need to go together.

As I stated before, I do not utilize this technique very often so I do not have any instances to reflect upon. I would like to learn more ways to implement classifying into my daily lesson planning. Reflections: This was yet another reminder that students need not only help scaffolding their learning, but also require the ability to determine how they want to classify the information. This will help them in remembering the information as well as feeling ownership over the process.

Creating Metaphors Pg 33
When I ask students to create metaphors, I am asking them to make comparisons between two items.

I know that we spent a lot of time teaching students metaphors in the 4th/5th grade language arts classes, but I do not utilize them in my math, science, and social studies content areas. Learning how to use metaphors correctly is difficult for students and I believe this is because it requires a deep understanding of both topics being discussed.

I believe just like in classification, metaphors or something that I should implement more frequently. I would like to learn some ways in which I can implement metaphors into my daily lesson planning.

Reflections: I am not using metaphors very effectively in the classroom and I need to spend more time thinking about how this fits into my curriculum.

**Creating Analogies Pg 43**
Analogies are another way to support students when they are comparing information.

I do not have any specific activities that I do to help students create analogies, but I know that we use them a lot in when we are discussing measurement and proportion in math class.

Just as I have stated above, my instruction is lacking in this area and I look forward to learning some new ways to implementing this more in my teaching.

Reflections: I definitely use analogies more than metaphors. We do not define them as they do on page 45, but we use them to clarify concepts. I wouldn’t hurt to draw these patterns to the attention of the students to help facilitate their understanding. In 5th grade, we do in-depth study of the human body and it would be interesting to see what the students come up with if they were to create analogies concerning different body systems.

=Apply and Reflect=

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I liked these comparing resources, but I am not sure if I think any of them are better than kidspiration or inspiration. I did not feel particularly motivated or inspired when reviewing them to immediately implement them in my classroom. Over the next few weeks, I am asking the students to create a food web after doing some research. I plan on providing students with access to these resources. It will be interesting to see which students gravitate to these resources and who decide to use pencil and paper to create their anologies.