Students must master the idea that analogies require identifying the relationship between two terms and then looking for a term with the same relationship to a third term. After explaining this concept to students using examples, challenge them to find relationships between terms. Start with simple comparisons, such as “salmon is to fish as robin is to bird,” and have students identify the relationship.
Place students in groups and ask them to identify relationships between seemingly unrelated terms, such as, “How can a dishwasher be related to a tree?”, “How can the seasons be related to a circus?” or “How can a hot dog be related to a shoe?”
Give each group a pair of terms and have them brainstorm how they can be related, writing down as many statements as they can about the two terms, which could include how they are alike, how they are different, how different items are used for each, or even the words themselves. For example, both a dishwasher and a tree need water; seasons and circus both end in "s," a hot dog goes inside a bun but a shoe goes outside a sock. Have groups come up with unusual analogies to present to the whole class.
Analogies come in four basic categories: semantic, classification, association and non-semantic. It is helpful for students to understand these different types of relationships that an analogy might contain and then to spend time practicing with each different type of analogy.
A semantic analogy involves word meanings, and they might ask a student to recognize synonyms, antonyms, word intensity or parts of an expression.
A classification analogy tests relationships having to do with categories or parts of a whole.
Association analogies might involve relationships such as characteristics of an object, order, cause and effect, function of an object, or tools used for a purpose.
Non-semantic analogies involve logic or mathematics, and might test a student’s knowledge of fractions, multiples or negation. They could also contain letter or sound relationships, such as sound patterns, rhymes or homophones.
Explain the different types of analogies and provide students with examples of each.
Once students understand the different types of analogies, create some fun activities to practice completing analogies and identifying what type they are. Give each student a card with an incomplete analogy. Post cards with words or photos of objects that complete the analogies around the classroom. Have students explore the room, searching for the word or photo that completes their analogy. When all students have found a match, each should share their discovery with the class and explain what type of analogy is used. Follow the activity with an individual assessment worksheet or exercise in which students complete several analogies and identify their type.
In the language arts classroom, analogies are a useful way for students to practice vocabulary. Construct analogies with vocabulary words using synonyms, antonyms or word intensity. In math, students can use analogies to practice formulas, terms or patterns. In science, analogies can be helpful when learning about classification of species, chemicals or matter. In social studies, analogies can help students review facts about people, places or events.