Identifying+Similarities+and+Differences



**Identifying similarities and differences**: Differentiating similarities and/or differences within two or more things that are being compared.

"Marzano's research indicates there are four processes that identify how items, events, processes, or concepts are similar and different. They are ** comparing, classifying, creating metaphors, and creating analogies **." (Miller)


 * Comparing is the act of putting two things together and looking at the similarities and differences.
 * Comparing an apple to a watermelon. Both are fruit and have seeds, but weigh different amounts and taste different.
 * Classifying is looking at different characteristics and putting similar items together.
 * Separating M&Ms by color. The red are in one group, yellow are grouped separate, and so forth.
 * Creating metaphors involves noticing patterns in one specific topic and choosing a different topic with the same pattern.
 * Using the term, "That man is a machine!"
 * Creating analogies is the process of identifying and analyzing the way ideas relate to each other.
 * "Life is like a box of chocolates." This analogy can have many meanings. Examples: life is delicious, life can be risky when bad things happen (the chocolate melts in the heat, it can get messy), life is full of choices (there are many types of chocolate), ect.

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Dr. Harvey Silver has great points to the different types of comparative thinking. The second grade students that learned the differences between coins goes perfectly with the evidence he used in his lesson. The students reached a certain point in the lesson where they could reach in the bag and differentiate between the coins without looking at them, demonstrating the power of similarities and differences.



Identifying similarities and differences help students to focus on the different processes that can be used to remold and comprehend information. Different classroom activities that challenge students to pick out the similarities and differences can help tremendously during a lesson. Classifying tasks, creating metaphors and analogies, and comparing tasks are all different ways to identify similarities and differences. Utilizing these methods causes students to develop a deeper understanding of the content. The link below gives more information on similarities and differences and other topics included, click below for additional information. [|Identifying Similarities and Differences]