Fun With Analogies

There is nothing funnier than a 6th grader trying to do analogies.

Since the things are on every standardized test out there, I figure the sooner they get them, the better. It was also a nice way to spend the time after our big test calming down, while still accomplishing real work.

I told them that it was just a new way of looking at pairs of words. I told them it was like a trivia game, where they had to figure out what the words had in common. I told them that some were really tricky, while others were simple.

Right after I got through telling them all of these things, including going over the sample one below, I told them to do the 8 ones on the board. (We had to go over some of the unfamiliar words, but then I turned them loose, to do their best.)

Sample: horse : ranch :: bird : nest

Did you know that:

The answer to clothes : closet :: includes:

• hat : floor?
• dresser : drawer? (you don't put the dresser in the drawer)
• boot : shoe?

Going over the answers with them brought to light other gems, including the fact that

lifeguard : beach :: buoy : raft (I didn't understand this one)

and

even : odd :: three : four (I didn't know that three and four were opposites, did you?)

Then, to make life even funnier, I had them write their own. I learned many things throughout this lesson, and I just had to share with you the best things. I can't believe I never knew this stuff!

toilet : bathroom :: seed : plant (I asked him to explain, but I never did understand this one)

black : white :: red : blue (I didn't know that the opposite of blue was red. It may well be, actually, but you'd have to be almost an artist to know that, and the kid wasn't. He just thought (in his head) they were).

toe : foot :: hand : leg (your hand is secretly attached to your let, don't you know?)

dog : cat :: chip : dip (I said, WHAT?? She just giggled and ran away.)

I know there were more things I learned, but I can't remember them. It's a shame, since I told myself I had to remember these little nuggets of wisdom, since they would do me good to know. Hey, it might have helped me out while I was watching Jeopardy!

Oh, well. I guess knowledge is fleeting.