Compare/Contrast

What?
The students were given a grocery list. They were asked to write out the area that the items on the list were located ie aisle 5 or the produce section. This was the first "route" they took through the store. Then the students were asked to group the items on the list based on where the items were located in the store, for example milk is a dairy item and salt is a staple. The students then planned out the another route through the store using the grouped items. Finally, the students were asked to compare the two routes and see which would take the least amount of time.

So what?
Once the students grouped the items and compared the two lists, they realized how much time they wasted when going grocery shopping jumping from aisle to aisle and back again. They realized with a little bit of planning they could really save some time!

Now what?
Initially when I began the assignment, I had no intention of the students comparing and contrasting. By the end of the day, the assignment had evolved into a comparing and contrasting assignment. Had I done the assignment from the beginning this way, I believe the other students would have understood better what I was trying to get across: be organized with your shopping and your grocery list and you will save time and money. Next year I will take a more hands-on approach by labeling different areas of the classroom with aisle numbers and sections of a grocery store. The students will then have to follow both routes and tell me which was the most efficient. This assignment has encouraged me to look at other assignments and see how I could incorporate a compare and contrast component.