Best Practices in Action: Using Analogies to Enhance Background Knowledge DVD

Building on ASCD’s series of professional development programs on classroom practices that research has shown to be effective in increasing student achievement, this DVD demonstrates how to use analogies to build students’ background knowledge of academic subjects. Show this program in your next teacher meeting or workshop to explain why teaching students to identify similarities and differences by creating analogies enhances their understanding of and ability to use knowledge.

Classroom scenes demonstrate how a teacher with a diverse class of third graders introduces the concept of analogy to the class and engages the students in thinking of their social studies content in terms of similarities and differences by using analogies. Show how the teacher leads the class to an understanding of analogies and helps them apply their understanding to their current unit of study. And explain how getting students to create analogies helps them connect lessons to each other or to material in other subjects.