Identifying Similarities

A good way to improve the thinking skills of your students is to have them identify the ways in which things are the same.
You can start by having students identify the reason that two things are the same.  You can then have them identify the reason that three things are the same.  Vary the complexity of the things to be compared as appropriate.

1. Lake and ocean. (bodies of water)
2. Verb and noun.  (parts of speech)
3. Democracy and dictatorship. (forms of government)
4. Artery and vein. (blood vessels)
5. The numbers 5, 11, and 23. (odd numbers)
6. Wool, hemp, and cotton.  (natural fibers)
7. Hydrogen, oxygen, iron. (chemical elements)
8. Pulley, lever, and ramp. (machines that make work easier)