Compare and Contrast

​when you compare things, you're looking for ways they are alike.

when you contrast things, you're looking for ways they are different.

​the best graphic organizer to use for compare and contrast is the venn diagram.

​A Venn diagram uses overlapping circles to illustrate the similarities, differences, and relationships between concepts, ideas, categories, or groups.

​Similarities between groups are represented in the overlapping portions of the circles, while differences are represented in the non-overlapping portions of the circles.

​key words for comparing:
also
as well as
both
in the same way
just as
like

​key words for contrasting:

unlike
differ
on the contrary
even though
unlike
nevertheless

​in summary:

Comparing and contrasting looks at the similarities and differences between or among ideas. Noting the similarities and differences in ideas leads to the abilities to generalize, categorize, sort, evaluate, and understand new information.