Learning Objective: 

1. Identify similarities and differences between two things.

2. Recognize and use compare-and-contrast text structure.

Introduce Comparing and Contrasting, Discuss the concept of comparing and

contrasting.

Comparing: Explain to the students that comparing is when you identify things that are
alike or similar between two or more things. For example, you could compare a granola
bar and a candy bar, asking the students to suggest ways that the bars are similar. Their
responses might include rectangular, edible, sweet, brown, etc.

Contrasting: Explain to the students that contrasting is when you identify things that are
not alike or that different between two or more things. You can use the granola bar
versus candy bar example again, but ask students to suggest how they’re different.

Chemical and Physical Changes

All matter, all things can be changed in two ways: chemically and physically.
Both chemical and physical changes affect the state of matter. Physical changes
are those that do not change the make-up or identity of the matter. For example,
clay will bend or flatten if squeezed, but it will still be clay. Changing the shape
of clay is a physical change, and does not change the matter’s identity.
Chemical changes turn the matter into a new kind of matter with different
properties. For example, when paper is burnt, it becomes ash and will never be
paper again. The difference between them is that physical changes are
temporary or only last for a little while, and chemical changes are permanent,
which means they last forever. Physical and chemical changes both affect the
state of matter.

Here’s a typical block format:

 Introduction to items being compared/contrasted

 Body paragraph #1: similarities of items/topics being compared
 Body paragraph #2: differences of item/topic #1
 Body paragraph #3: differences of item/topic #2
 Closing/Conclusion paragraph
 Here’s a typical alternating format:

 Introduction to items being compared/contrasted

 Body paragraph #1: similarities and differences of point #1
 Body paragraph #2: similarities and differences of point #2
 Body paragraph #3: similarities and differences of point #3
 Closing/Conclusion paragraph

Block Format

When using the block format for a two-paragraph comparison, discuss one subject in the
first paragraph and the other in the second, as follows:

Paragraph 1: The opening sentence names the two subjects and states that they are very
similar, very different or have many important (or interesting) similarities and
differences. The remainder of the paragraph describes the features of the first subject
without referring to the second subject.

Paragraph 2: The opening sentence must contain a transition showing you are comparing
the second subject to the first, such as: "Unlike (or similar to) subject No. 1, subject No.
2..." Discuss all the features of subject No. 2 in relation to subject No. 1 using compare-
contrast cue words such as "like," "similar to," "also," "unlike," and "on the other
hand," for each comparison. End this paragraph with a personal statement, a prediction
or another enlightening conclusion.