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WolframAlpha: Comparing Authentic Data
Details
Activity Website:
Tech Product/Equipment:
Computer and projector, Mobile devices for students
Activity Description
Wolffram Alpha is a search engine that compares anything. In this activity students will work on using comparatives.
Preparation
- Make sure that the site is not blocked at your school before using it or having students use it.
- Preview the website and tweak the handout to fit your class's level.
More Ways
- Alternatively, have students work individually, in pairs, or small groups using the site to enter their own chosen topics based on themes that are covered in class (food, transportation, cities, countries, geographical areas, animals, occupations/wages, etc.) and write and present the information comparing and contrasting items to the class.
- The site provides examples in many topics . Of special interest in ESL may be Words and Linguistics, Anagrams, and Word Puzzles.
Program Areas
- ESL: English as a Second Language
Levels
- Beginning High
- Intermediate Low
- Intermediate High
- Advanced
Lesson Plan
Warm-up
Engagement
Enhancement
- Write "New York City" and "Los Angeles" on the board. Ask students to share what they know about each city (e.g., size, weather, lifestyle).
Write a few student responses on the board.
Briefly review how to form comparatives, highlighting rules like "-er" for short adjectives (e.g., smaller, bigger) and "more" for longer adjectives (e.g., more expensive).
Introduction
Engagement
- Show students how to access WolframAlpha and input a search like "New York City vs. Los Angeles."
Explain that WolframAlpha provides detailed information on topics such as population, weather, and cost of living.
Demonstrate one example comparison using data from the site.
Presentation
Engagement
Enhancement
- Model how to create comparison sentences using information from WolframAlpha.
- Look up key statistics (e.g., population, weather, cost of living) and write them on the board.
- Write model sentences like "New York City has a larger population than Los Angeles" and "Los Angeles is warmer than New York City."
- Pair students and ask them to come up with 2-3 comparison sentences based on other data they find.
Practice
Engagement
Enhancement
Students practice using comparatives with the data they find.
- Divide the class into small groups (3-4 students each).
- Each group uses WolframAlpha to find information about New York City and Los Angeles.
- Groups write 5 comparison sentences using the data (e.g., “The cost of living in New York City is higher than in Los Angeles”).
Each group shares one sentence with the class, focusing on correct use of comparatives.
Evaluation
Engagement
Extension
Distribute or display the following questions for students to answer individually:
Which city has a higher population?
- How does the difference in population affect life in each city?
- Compare the average temperatures in New York City and Los Angeles.
- Which city would you prefer to live in based on the climate? Why?
- How does the cost of living differ between the two cities? Which city is more expensive, and how might that impact residents?
- Compare the land area of New York City and Los Angeles. Which city is larger, and what might that mean for transportation and lifestyle?
- Discuss one other comparison between the two cities that you found interesting. Explain the difference and why you chose it.
Application
Engagement
Enhancement
Extension
Pair up students. Have student compare other things with the search engine. Perhaps they can compare two cities where each come from.
Documents
- Wolfram Alpha.docx - Handout for Students
Standards
- Reading Foundational Skills
- RF.2 - Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). (Phonological Awareness)
- RF.3 - Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. (Phonics and Word Recognition)
- RF.4 - Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. (Fluency)
- Reading
- CCR Anchor 3 - Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.
- Writing
- CCR Anchor 6 - Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.
- Speaking and Listening
- CCR Anchor 1 - Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- Language
- CCR Anchor 1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Tags
grammar, reading, speaking, writing, animals, charts, cities, comparatives, comparing, comparisons, contrasts, data, diet, differences, gap, geography, graphical literacy, graphs, info, info gap, information gap, jigsaw, similarities, superlatives, WoframAlpha, adjectives, adverbs
Tools
Wolfram Alpha
Creative Commons License
CC BY-SA:This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use. If you remix, adapt, or build upon the material, you must license the modified material under identical terms.