ritz vs. oreo

5th grade.  compare/contrast.   venn diagram.  food.  there we go.  now i have your attention. :0

here's a simple yet effective to teach compare and contrast for nearly any grade level.

1.  gather in baggies:  one ritz cracker and one oreo cookie for each student

2.  dry erase boards and markers

3.  students will draw the Venn diagram on their boards

4.  label--ritz, oreo

5.  ask students to take a minute to examine their tools (cracker and cookie)

6.  in a small group/workstation you can open up for comments as they occur

7.  guide the discussion/comments as necessary

8. what is the same, what is different about these two items?

9.  use descriptive words as much as possible

10.  transfer learning/pr0cess to another topic--maybe a novel the class is reading, maybe two characters, the possibilities are unlimited