Identifying Similarities and Differences - Chpt. 9

While this chapter is not short, it did go into much more detail on specific projects and, as a result, didn't actually offer as much in the way of variety. Of course, there were lower elementary applications that can be useful. My favorite, in the word processing category, was the Analogy of the Day Puzzle. If I could sell this idea to my K and 1st teachers, and demonstrate the creation process with relative ease, I think they would use it. Perhaps more appealing is the continuing accessibility of the materials via technology - no cutting out, no laminating, no shortage of cabinet space or staple holes. Also, the teachers could use an occassional grade level meeting to create enough analogies to last the entire year (or at least 9 weeks). The use of graphics with the pre-readers would connect the vocabulary and pave the way for a progressing sophistication of the instruction. Once the students reach the level of the Geography Classification Table, perhaps the teacher could offer extra points for students able to create an analogy involving differing landforms. Not the simple mountain:highland as river:waterway, but foothill:mountain as tributary:river. This type of relational sophistication leads to, and is, higher thinking.

I have to admit, when I taught 5th grade, we spent a great deal of time calculating our weights on various planets. The kids thought it was hilarious and great fun, even doing the math. The idea of using the spreadsheet formulas to do the math...well. Of course, today, teaching the kids how to execute the spreadsheet formulas and apply it directly to something personal is a great idea. Not to mention that, in the text, the intention was to focus more on the why of differing weight. I'm not a spreadsheet person, but I feel that if the teachers are shown specific applications, with a how-to, they will slowly begin to use this remarkable, available tool.

With regard to the -spiration organizing software, I was especially interested in the comparison template. Since we don't have this software, I can again see the K-1 teachers starting this with perhaps a 4 column table in Word. The first column could be the graphics bank, with the other three being land animals, water animals and both. The students could take turns dragging the graphics to the correct column. This approach could be used for several of the comparison/classification examples given in the chapter.

Finally, with regard to data collection, the use of doc cameras is again a valuable tool. Being able to project the body of a real insect and look closely at the parts, and comparing it to others for similarities works well. I can imagine moving to an arachnid without warning and allowing the students to discover the differences, perhaps demanding that this bug be classed differently than the others. Aha!