The Core Six: Compare & Contrast

A new book published by ASCD, The Core Six: Essential Strategies for Achieving Excellence with the Common Core introduces six research based strategies to use in the classroom.  After reading only three chapters one evening, I found a strategy to use the very next day in my lessons.  The book is short and a very easy read, including classroom examples to show how easy it is to weave into any lesson.  

One of the first strategies I used in my lessons was the Compare and Contrast.  Having used Marzano's Nine Instructional Strategies, this strategy was nothing new.  However, one of the pitfalls mentioned in the reading stated that the strategy is often misused as a review strategy AFTER the material has been taught.  The Compare and Contrast strategy is best used DURING the new learning so students have a framework to organize their thinking.

The Top Hat Organizer is the tool used to help students with their new learning.  It is important for teachers to write specific criteria to help students describe the differences in the items being compared.  Students then can discuss their findings and draw conclusions.  By applying their new learning to a task, synthesis occurs as students move their thinking to a higher level.

Here are two examples of how I've used the Top Hat Organizer in my classroom.