READING COMPREHENSION

car                           bicycle

STANDARD 2.1   Structural Features w Level 4

COMPARE AND CONTRAST

• To compare is to tell how two or more things, events or characters are alike.
  

• To contrast is to tell how two or more things, events, or characters are different.
  

Comparing and contrasting is a skill you can use to better understand text. One way to do this is to compare and contrast your prior knowledge and experiences with whatever unfamiliar ideas, thoughts, objects or events you encounter while reading. Comparing and contrasting also helps to clarify how people, events, or things within a given story are alike and how they are different.

Definition: Compare and contrast is looking at how two or more things are alike and how they are different.

Venn Diagram

The best tool for comparing and contrasting is a Venn diagram like the one pictured below. Lets see how it works by comparing and contrasting a car and a bicyle. Think about all of the ways that a car and a bicycle are alike. Then think about all of the ways that they are different. In the left circle, write all of the things that only describe a car. In the right circle, write all of the things that only describe a bicycle. In the overlapping area in the center, write all of the things that describe both a car and a bicycle.

Focus: Identify structural patterns found in informational text -- such as compare and contrast -- to strengthen comprehension.

Copyright © 2006 by Fred Duckworth

different       alike       different

wheels

used for

transportaion

two wheels

runs on gasoline

holds two to five

or more people

four wheels

usually operated

manually

holds one

or two people