Identifying
Similarities & Differences
Classroom Instruction That Works
Herbert Hoover Middle School
Bonja, Bouchard, Marasco,
Patel, Ruggiero, Spiezio
The Numbers
Setting Objectives & Providing
Feedback
90.5%
Cues/Questions & Advanced
Organizers
36%
Reinforcing Effort and Providing
Recognition
28%
Nonlinguistic Representation
19.8%
Identifying Similarities and
Differences
6%
Homework & Practice
7%
The Numbers (continued)
Generating and Testing Hypothesis
3%
Co-operative Learning
5%
Summarizing & Note Taking
8%
WALT
Today’s Objectives:
• Understand the purpose and importance of
identifying similarities and differences
• Determine ways to implement identifying
similarities and differences in the classroom
• Review examples of identifying similarities and
differences activities
Categories of Instructional Strategies
that Affect Student Achievement
Standard
Ave. Effect Size
Percentile
(ES)
Gain
1.61
45
31
.31
1.00
34
179
.50
.80
29
21
.35
Homework and practice
.77
28
134
.36
Nonlinguistic representations
.75
27
246
.40
Cooperative learning
.73
27
122
.40
.61
23
408
.28
.61
23
63
.79
.59
22
1,251
.26
Category
Identifying similarities and
differences
Summarizing and note taking
Reinforcing effort and providing
recognition
Setting objectives and providing
feedback
Generating and testing hypotheses
Questions, cues, and advance
“Classroom Instruction that Works”, Marzano, Pickering and Pollock
organizers
No. of ESs
Deviation
(SD)
Create the Environment for Learning
Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback
Reinforcing Effort & Providing Recognition
Cooperative Learning
Develop Understanding
Cues, Questions,
Advanced Organizers
Nonlinguistic
Representation
Summarizing & Note
Taking
Homework & Practice
Extend & Apply
Knowledge
Identifying Similarities &
Differences
Generating & Testing
Hypotheses
How can we use this strategy to improve
student achievement?
• Give students a model for the process
• Use familiar content to teach the steps
• Give students graphic organizers
• Both teacher directed guidance & student centered
opportunities
The Big Picture:
• The brain works by building
connections and associations
• The brain remembers more easily
things that are unusual
Four Thinking Process Tasks
… of how items, events, processes, words, things or
concepts are similar and different.
Higher Level Thinking…
Bridging
Comparing
Known
Classifying
New
Creating
Creating
Metaphors
Analogies
...is identifying a
…is identifying
and articulating
S & D between
or among items
or ideas.
…is identifying
characteristics
and grouping
like items.
pattern in one
topic, then
finding a
different topic
that has the
same pattern.
…is identifying
and analyzing
relationships
between ideas.
For example,
Comparing
Recognize and
compare the
following
The identification of important
plane and solid
characteristics is the key to effective
geometric
comparison.
figures:
square,
It is these characteristics that are then
rectangle,
used as the basis to identify similarities
triangle, . . .
and differences.
SD Standard: 3.G.1.1
(Comprehension)
-Marzano,2001
Steps to Comparing
1. Select the items you want to compare.
2. Identify the characteristics of the items on which you
want to base your comparison.
3. Explain how the items are similar and different with
respect to the characteristics you identified.
** Model the process, provide corrective feedback, set the
stage for students to provide their own feedback.
Graphic Organizers for Comparing
Characteristics
Items to be compared
#1
#2
#3
Similarities
Differences
Similarities
Differences
Similarities
Differences
Similarities
Differences
Comparison Matrix
-more useful to provide a greater number of details
-most useful when comparing only two items
Science
Math & Tech
World Language
Unconventional Venns
Cooperative Learning
When there is nothing in common...
For example,
Invertebrates
animals without
a backbone or
spinal column
Vertebrates
Classifying
The process of grouping things that
are alike into categories on the basis of
their characteristics.
-Marzano,2001
animals with a
backbone or
spinal column
Graphic Organizers for Classification
Place Categories in column headings
-most useful when all categories are equal in
generality
-more useful when all categories are not equal in
generality
Comparison Matrix
Author Study:
Comparing Texts
Affinity Diagrams
Identifying Similarities & Differences
Classifying Activity
•
•
With your group, classify the geographical features listed
on the accompanying sheet into four categories
Work together to determine category names
Creating Metaphors
For example,
Love is a rose.
The two items in a metaphor
are connected by an abstract or
non-literal relationship.
-Marzano,2001
Steps for Creating Metaphors
1. Identify important or basic elements.
2. Write basic information as a general
pattern by
•
Replacing works for specific things with words
for more general things
•
Summarizing info when possible.
3. Find new information/situation to which the
general pattern applies.
Graphic Organizer for Metaphors
Element 1
Literal
Pattern 1
Abstract
Literal
Pattern 2
It depicts that two elements have
somewhat different literal patterns, but
they share a common abstract pattern.
Element 2
Metaphor Activity
•
We’ll read you a scenario... tell us how to solve the
problem!
Carpenter is to
hammer as
painter is to
brush.
Hot is to cold as
night is to day.
Creating
Analogies
Analogies help us to see how
Oxygen is to
seemingly dissimilar things are
humans as
similar.
carbon dioxide is
They increase our understanding of
to plants.
new information (most complex).
Core is to earth
as nucleus is to
atom.
-Marzano,2001
Steps for Creating Analogies
1. Identify how the 2 elements in the first pair
are related.
2. State the relationship in a general way.
3. Identify another pair of elements that share
a similar relationship.
Graphic Organizers for Analogies
Is to
Relationship
Is to
Creating Analogies
Coming Up...
• January 29th:
Whole Group
Session: PLC Guidelines
Moving Forward
• February 26th:
PLC
Breakout Sessions
For Fun...