Graphic Organizer

Compare and Contrast Chart

Grades
3 - 12
Printout Type
Graphic Organizer

About this printout

This organizer can be used to help students explain similarities and differences between two things or ideas. After this organizer has been completed, it could easily be developed into a classroom discussion or writing topic on the information gathered.

Teaching with this printout

Give students two things that you would like to compare and contrast, and have students brainstorm how they are alike and how they are different.  Students can make lists of these ideas, or they could discuss their thoughts with a partner or group. Have students share their ideas with the class, as this will enable students to see different ideas to compare and contrast that they may not have thought of themselves.

More ideas to try

  • Use this organizer in different areas of the curriculum. In science, compare two different animals; in social studies, compare two different communities; in math, compare two different shapes.
  • Read a book and then watch the movie based on the book. Compare and contrast the two forms of information using this organizer. Students can discuss similarities and differences in the book and the movie and debate which one they liked better and why.