Within any subject area, there are always important concepts that are similar but not the same. Take math, for example. Fractions and decimals are similar, but they are not the same. In social studies, democracy and socialism are similar but not the same. What’s a good way to help students understand each of these concepts individually and as they relate to each other?

One way to do this is with the Concept Comparison Routine. Using a graphic organizer called a Comparison Table, students, with the teacher’s guidance, begin by identifying the characteristics of two or more important and related concepts. Next, they identify ways in which the concepts are alike and ways in which they are different. They then identify larger categories to which these similar and dissimilar characteristics belong, and develop a summary of how the concepts are alike yet different. This routine is good way to teach analytic thinking.