Describing similarities and differences

Many domestic animals live on farms, in homes, or in pens. Some farmers provide cows with pastures of grass and other plants to eat. In the same way, animals, who may live in a home, are provided with food. In contrast, wild animals like tigers and giraffes, who live in nature, must find their own food by hunting, fishing, or grazing plants.

After exploring the paragraph above, what did you learn about domestic and wild animals?

What is similar and what is different about the animals described?

What do we mean by comparing and contrasting?

Finding the similarities and differences between two topics is what is often referred to as comparing and contrasting. 'To compare' means to find the similarities shared between two topics while 'to contrast' means to find the differences. To compare is to find the similarities shared between two topics while to contrast is to find the differences.

Word clues

Word clues can help to indicate comparisons and contrasts found in text. Refer back to the Minds On section, and examine the words that are bolded. These are examples of word clues that can be used to compare or contrast.

How did your exploration of the paragraph in the Minds On section change the second time?

Examine the chart below for more common word clues found in text.

Task 1: Compare and contrast with a Venn diagram

Examine the two examples of using comparison word clues below. Then, create your own comparison using the word clues chart.

1. A giraffe is a tall animal and a llama is also tall.
2. A cat can be a domestic animal, however a cheetah lives in the wild.

Complete the Compare and Contrast with Word Clues in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable documents.

Task 2: Exploration

Explore Life in the 19th Century, or a text of your choice. Can you identify any of the words listed in the chart within your text? What other words can be included?

Record the words that indicate similarities or differences using a method of your choice. For example, you could underline the words that indicate similarities and use an @ symbol or an exclamation mark (!) for the words that indicate differences.

The following component is not optimized for a non-visual experience. A transcript is available.

Organizing comparisons and contrasts in texts

A Venn diagram is a useful tool to help quickly organize similarities and differences in text. The space in the middle where the two circles overlap is for information that is shared between the two topics. The parts of the circles that do not meet are for the differences.

Task 1: Compare and contrast with Venn diagram

Select two books of your choice to compare and contrast using a Venn diagram or another method of your choice. One of the books that you select can be Then and Now.

The following component is not optimized for a non-visual experience. A transcript is available.

Complete the Compare and Contrast with Venn Diagram Activity in your notebook or use the following fillable and printable documents.

What do you think?

• Comparing and contrasting two separate texts help readers build on their knowledge. However, sometimes word clues are not used.
• What other clues could you consider to help you sort the information?

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.