This article discusses the four forms of identifying similarities and differences: comparing, classifying, creating metaphors, and creating analogies and how these strategies can be used in an elementary classroom.

In this video segment from Cyberchase, the CyberSquad must locate a crystal with the highest fraction of orange color.

This lesson focuses on comparing and ordering fractions in ways that encourage deeper understanding of’ ‘number sense’ by supporting learners to consider different techniques to order and compare fractions with different numerators and denominators. The three techniques covered in this lesson are those used to compare fractions with like numerators or denominators, unlike numerators or denominators and by comparing to a 1/2 benchmark. Emphasis are placed on the two latter techniques. Activities and practice exercises involve real-world problems including sales discounts, cooking measurements and school score reports.

Watch a video that explains how to write a comparison/contrast essay. Print a document to accompany the video for more practice. Comparison/contrast essays help you learn really efficiently, because they present information in a way our brains like. When we see something new, we want to know how it's similar to something we already know about, and how it's different, too. Let's say that you need to buy a car. When you look at the different models, you'll compare what's similar and different between the models. When a cell phone manufacturer comes up with a new model, they tell you what great features the phone has that people have liked before (the similarities) and what fantastic new features it has that help it stand out (the differences).

Students will use a stopwatch to time themselves performing in various events, record data, and then compare and order decimals to determine bronze, silver and gold medal winners.

Students will use gumdrops and toothpicks to create the tallest Christmas tree. This is a fun and educational activity which encourages students to use math and engineering skills.

This article provides links to standards-based science and literacy lessons about weather, climate, polar climates, and climate change.

In this activity, students will share their preferences based on likes and dislikes. Students will discuss their preferences on multiple different topics to include activities, food, clothing, items, etc, using complete sentences.

Indiana State Standards AS-2.1 through AS-2.3 research project for our Second Grade Class.

This article discusses the research-based strategy of identifying similarities and differences and provides links to web sites to develop teacher's content knowledge.

This free, online article, developed for elementary teachers, describes a Kindergarten polar science, standards aligned, unit centered on The Polar Express developing literacy, math, and science skills.

Student teams assign importance factors, called "desirability points," the rock properties found in the previous lesson/activity in order to mathematically determine the overall best rocks for building caverns within. They learn the real-world connections and relationships between the rock and the important engineering properties for designing and building caverns (or tunnels, mines, building foundations, etc.).

This article provides geography lessons to teach elementary students about the polar regions. Literacy extensions are included for each lesson.

This article provides a list of children's literature relating to the geography and characteristics of the Arctic and Antarctica.

In this activity, students will share their preferences based on likes and dislikes. Students will discuss their preferences on multiple different topics to include activities, food, clothing, items, etc, using complete sentences. 

In this activity, students will share their preferences based on likes and dislikes. Students will discuss their preferences on multiple different topics to include activities, food, clothing, items, etc, using complete sentences.

Working as if they are engineers aiming to analyze and then improve data collection devices for precision agriculture, students determine how accurate temperature sensors are by comparing them to each other. Teams record soil temperature data during a class period while making changes to the samples to mimic real-world crop conditions—such as the addition of water and heat and the removal of the heat. Groups analyze their collected data by finding the mean, median, mode, and standard deviation. Then, the class combines all the team data points in order to compare data collected from numerous devices and analyze the accuracy of their recording devices by finding the standard deviation of temperature readings at each minute. By averaging the standard deviations of each minute’s temperature reading, students determine the accuracy of their temperature sensors. Students present their findings and conclusions, including making recommendations for temperature sensor improvements.

This lesson can be used to provide an example of the compare and contrast text structure.  It also give students the chance to compare and contrast using a venn diagram after reading an expository text.