Instructional Strategy Lessons for Educators (ISLES)
ISLES - Secondary Education
CONCEPT LEARNING:
EXAMPLES / NON-EXAMPLES
COMPARE & CONTRAST
Procedural Knowledge Level
EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
CONCEPT LEARNING
Since the formation of a generalization is the central act of learning,
examples and non-examples can be used in all subjects and with
most topics. However, not all topics are concepts.
Not all topics fit into the concept-example instructional sequence.
For example, you may want to teach a class about the causes of the
American Civil War. In this context, the causes of the Civil War are
not concepts. It would not make sense to define causes, give
examples of the causes, explain their attributes, and then pick out
new causes for the students to identify.
Using examples and non-examples helps students solidify and
clarify their understanding of important learning concepts. Non-examples that could possibly be confused with examples are an important component
of refining concept acquisition. Additionally, beginning with examples and non-examples that are simple to understand can be an invaluable
scaffolding tool that you can build upon to eventually get to a more complex grasp of a concept.
Comparing and contrasting helps students see relationships and patterns, even between concepts that may seemingly be unalike. It is also a valuable
tool for students to use when they need to organize information; it is a way of breaking down a text or idea into manageable small chunks for students
to comprehend and retain.
Comparing and contrasting to analyze and evaluate concepts promotes deeper understanding. When we compare, we examine similarities among
details or between what is known and suppositions. When we contrast, we focus on differences. Applying both methods together aids
understanding.
Model the strategy for the concept your students are learning. Use think-aloud questions and discussions as you model what to do to build and
deepen comprehension. You could mark the text with sticky notes, using one color for comparing and another one for contrasting. Also useful are
graphic organizers such as charts, tables, and Venn diagrams.
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• CHAPTER 1 •
EXAMPLES / NON-EXAMPLES
First Impressions
Concept learning is the process we use to mentally
categorize and classify objects or ideas based on their
relevant attributes. As you learned in ISES I, two key
strategies you can use to promote concept learning are
examples and non-examples and compare and
contrast.
Mission:
In this chapter, you will learn
how to use effective strategies
to teach concepts. Concepts
are broad, and it may be
necessary to compare and
look at various examples to
decide which type to use.
Both of these
strategies can be used
in various stages of
your lesson plans, and
both are advantageous
when it comes to
scaffolding learning
because you can use
the strategies with
varying degrees of
complexity.
• Section 1 •
Objectives:
Students will be
able to. . .
Exploration
1. Identify planning
considerations for the
use of Concept
Learning strategies.
2. Determine when it is
appropriate to use the
Concept Learning
strategies.
3. Describe an example
of a lesson in your
content area that uses
examples and nonexamples.
4. Describe an example
of a lesson in your
content area that uses
compare and contrast.
Mold or Bacteria?
Before you begin, think about what you remember from the ISLES-S I / Declarative information
for Example / Non-Example. If necessary, review this material. Try to think of concepts within
your subject area that are confusing for students. Would the use of Example / Non-Example help
your students better understand the concept?
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• Section 2 •
What’s This?
In general, examples and non-examples can be anywhere in a unit or lesson, but are most often used when introducing new concepts.
To the right is a breakdown of how to
use examples and non examples in
concept learning, including the
following key pieces of concept
learning:
A name or label for the concept
The definition of the concept
Examples of the concept
Identification and discussion of
key attributes
Identification and discussion of
non-essential attributes.
Non-examples of the concept
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Take a Look
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Hot Links
There are a number of examples of resources available for
all subject areas; the following links are a small sampling
to get you started.
Interactive 1.1
Plan your lesson
Math: Polynomial examples and nonexamples
This site contains a series of examples and nonexamples of polynomial equations, as well as
explanations of the essential and non-essential
characteristics.
History: de facto vs. de jure segregation
In this series of lesson plans, Activity Two contains
practice with examples and non-examples of de jure
and de facto segregation.
English: Examples: Paraphrasing Plagiarism: How
to ...
This site has multiple examples and non-examples of
paraphrasing.
Science: visual examples
This site contains a video of a teacher using visual
examples to teach Boyle’s Law.
Using a blank template of the infographic
on the previous page, plan out your own
lesson using examples and non-examples.
Business:Business communications
This resource uses examples to show students how
to write business letters and produce other sorts of
business communication.
General: Frayer Model | Classroom Strategies
This contains a graphics of the Frayer model, as well
as a number of ways to implement the model in
various classrooms.
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• Section 3 •
Think About
Interactive 1.2 Challenge: Video Analysis
Propaganda
In this video, the teacher uses examples and
non-examples in conjunction with the Frayer
model to teach her students about propaganda
used during the Holocaust. Link: http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y2x-3lm9IU
Analyze how the teacher in this video uses each
of the six steps of concept learning with
examples and non-examples. Explain what she
does in the video that correlates to the six steps.
Then, identify evidence how this strategy has a
positive effect on student learning.
Watch Movie 1.1 and consider the things you have learned about
using examples and non examples.
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Review
Conduct a concept analysis.
Analyze the concepts’s
• Name or Label
• Definition
• Examples
• Essential Attributes
• Non-Essential Attributes
• Non-Examples
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• CHAPTER 2 •
COMPARE & CONTRAST
First Impressions
Compare and contrast is a strategy used to analyze
the similarities and differences between ideas,
objects, people, and events as well as to expose the
relationships between items being examined. The
primary purpose of this instructional strategy is to
aid students in developing critical thinking skills
and provide a means to organize new information.
• Section 1 •
Exploration
Identifying patterns is a natural process for humans. Compare & Contrast capitalizes on this intrinsic ability to aid learning. How can you
design and use the Compare & Contrast instructional strategy in a meaningful way to guide student learning?
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• Section 2 •
What’s This?
Compare/ Contrast may be used at any point of a
lesson. Compare & Contrast works best when
there is a close relationship between the
concepts being discussed. Here are examples of
closely related concepts:
•characters in a story - protagonist/antagonist
•chemical processes - photosynthesis/digestion
•historical figures - 2 generals or 2 presidents
•two geometric shapes - triangle/square
•two poems, movies, plays, etc.
•two celestial bodies - stars/planets
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Interactive
2.1
Compare/
contrast
Quickwrite
How can you use
these images to
encourage your
students to
compare and
contrast?
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Take a Look
Movie 2.1 Using Compare and Contrast
Comparing and Contrasting being explained by
the UNC Writing Center
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Hot Links
A teacher using pinterest to utilize compare/contrast
in the classroom
Compare/contrast - reading strategy - Pinterest
Powerpoint by prominent author, Harvey Silver, about
the use of comparing and contrasting in your
classroom
THE STRATEGIC TEACHER - The Thoughtful
Classroom
Instructional Strategies - Everything Social Studies Google Sites
Instructional strategies and ways to use them in the
Social Studies classroom (although it is applicable
across the curriculum)
Common Core Teaching and Learning Strategies ELA
Grades 6-12
Strategies galore with blank templates and primary
resources at the end
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• Section 3 •
Think About
Follow the link to view how one high school teacher incorporates Compare/Contrast while covering the topic of essays.
http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/rubric/c&c.htm
Notice how she introduces the topic by specifically stating the purpose of the activity. She models the technique while emphasizing the academic
language used for the instructional strategy. She includes guided practice time within the lesson.
After reviewing this lesson, take a moment to think about the reasons she provided for choosing Compare/Contrast as an instructional strategy.
Consider how this approach could understanding within your content area.
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Interactive 2.2
Tweet This: Compare/
Contrast
Find an image that you
could use similarly in
your unit and get
interactive.
Send the image out via
twitter with your
instructions or questions
inspiring others to
compare/contrast it
using the hashtags
#ConceptLearning
#ISLES
1) How could you use the compare and contrast strategy with this visual?
2) What are the steps you would use to analyze this visual using the compare
and contrast strategy?
3) What type of model would you use with this visual (Venn diagram, chart,
essay) convey the most information to your students and check for their
understanding?
4) How might your students’ work be enhanced by using the compare and
contrast strategy with this visual?
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Review
Conduct a concept analysis.
• List all of the characteristics of both items.
• Organize characteristics shared by both items and group them in a separate list.
• If the characteristics have a category that can guide the process, arrange the
characteristics into categories.
•Create the final compare and contrast list.
Select an organizer. The 3 most commonly used graphic organizers are the Venn
diagram, the Double-Bubble Map ®, and a chart.
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• Section 4 •
References
Holocaust Unit Video: Literacy Support: Frayer Model. (2010). YouTube. Retrieved July 31, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=7Y2x-3lm9IU.
Med school, Jones center get relief. (2013). Retrieved July 30, 2013, from http://www.reflector.com/news/jones-center-brody-school-getbudget-aid-2123389.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. (2007). Project Gutenberg. Retrieved July 30, 2013, from http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33.
"Section 1: Why Compare & Contrast? - ASCD." 2010. 30 Jul. 2013 http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/110126/chapters/Section-1@Why-Compare-$-Contrast%C2%A2.aspx
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• CHAPTER 3 •
CREDITS
Development of the ISLES modules was supported
financially by the Teacher Quality Partnership grant
program of the U.S. Department of Education, Office of
Innovation and Improvement.
Creation, development, and editing were provided by the
following individuals:
Adu-Gyamfi, Kwaku; Berry, Crisianee; Brown, Cindi;
Flinchbaugh, Michael; Finley, Todd; Guidry, Allen; Harris,
Julie; Hutchinson, Ashley; Kester, Diane; Knight, Liza;
Jenkins, Kristen; Liu, Yan; Noles, Stephanie; Smith,
Jedediah; Todd, Clinton; Thompson, Tony; Williams, Scott.
Images used with permission.
©2013 East Carolina University.