10 Ways to Compare and Contrast

So I am totally copying and pasting this entire article from another site. I really like it and want to remember it and so this is the easiest way to find it. Who's blog am I more obsessed about that my own? Exactly.

--

Comparing and contrasting is a higher level thinking skill important across the curriculum. We compare and contrast characters in a story, word choice in writing, equations in math (think < > =, not to mention word problems ), different hypothesis in science, how holidays are celebrated in different cultures, etc. That is probably why comparing and contrasting shows up multiple times in the Common Core Standards. Here are some ideas for comparing and contrasting in your class.

1. Venn Diagrams. In addition to using them on paper, you can make big ones on the floor with hula hoops and have kids use labeled index cards or Post Its to fill in the variables. 
2. Analogies are great because you can use different criteria and then talk about which criteria was used. For example the analogy:  Mountain: Hill : : River : Stream is defined by size while:  December : Christmas : : February : Valentine's Day is defined by time. Here is a free Analogy Worksheet.
3. Similes and Metaphors Like Analogies, students can identify what the criteria is for the comparison. Similes may be easier for younger students because the words "like" and "as" pretty much tell you what the criteria is, while you often have to work a little harder with a metaphor. 
4. Would You Rather Questions present a forced choice between two more or less equal options, which can lead to some terrific discussions. Read more about using Would You Rather Questions with your students here.
5. Class Polls, Bar Graphs, and Glyphs  Good way compare and contrast student's experiences, opinions, traits etc.
6. Foldables can be used in so many ways for comparing and contrasting! Here are instructions on how to make some of the most common foldables.
7. Rating and Ranking There are so many ways to use this. Students can use numbers to rank brainstormed ideas. They can use a rating scale to evaluate their own work, peer presentations, the usefulness of a particular lesson etc. 
8. Comparisons over Time Everyone loves to see improvement. Having students complete a variety of tasks at the start of the year and then doing the same ones at the end is a wonderful way to compare then and now. Do this on a smaller scale with a pretest and post test for any unit of study.
9. T Charts Simple, basic, effective and applicable to so many things. You can put a variable on each side of the chart (eg "Conductor" and "Insulator") or you could put the words "Same" and "Different" on each side and put a the things to be compared at the top (eg: "Mammals" and "Reptiles").
10. Written Essay No one should leave school without being able to write a solid, well-organized compare and contrast essay, complete with examples from life or literature. They will need these skills for the essay portion of the SAT. 

Do you have a tool that has been particularly valuable? Please share!