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Spanish Comparisons — Las Comparaciones

Ninth graders learn to make comparisons in Spanish — más… que (more than), menos… que (less than), and tan… como (as… as) — so they can compare people, places, and things.

Grade 9Las Comparaciones50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / CommunicativeExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Use más... que.
  • ✓Use menos... que.
  • ✓Use tan... como.
  • ✓Compare things.
Essential Question

Taller than, funnier than, as fast as — comparing things is part of everyday talk. How do you make comparisons in Spanish?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

Spanish Comparisons Check

Project each item and have students answer about making comparisons. The tool explains más, menos, and tan… como.

⚖️ Understand Spanish comparisonsTry it
Answer each question about Spanish comparisons.
The Lesson · Communicative Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Taller Than, As Fast As

5 min

Comparing things is everyday talk — how do we do it in Spanish?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Compare two things.
  • Ask how to say it.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Compare.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Las Comparaciones

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Spanish Comparisons Check.
  • Note más/menos que.
  • Note tan… como.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Answer.
  • Note it.
  • Reflect.
3

Practice — Practice

14 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Compare two people.
  • Use más… que.
  • Use tan… como.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Compare.
  • Say it.
  • Say it.
4

Speak — Speak

12 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Compare two things aloud.
  • Give an opinion.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Compare.
  • Give it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say what más… que means.
  • Say what tan… como means.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Novice).

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: make comparisons.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand comparison structures.

ACTFL
Comparisons 4.1

Compare grammar across languages.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to describing.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Comparison sentence frames.
  • Sentence frame: “___ es más ___ que ___.”
  • Use example pairs.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with más… que.
  • Use one clear example.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add irregular comparatives.
  • Compare three things.
  • Write comparisons.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • ⚖️Comparison pairs
  • 💻Spanish Comparisons Check
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

la comparacióncomparisonmás quemore thanmenos queless thantan comoas asmejorbetterpeorworsemayorolder/biggerigualequal
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does “más… que” mean?
More… than.
QUESTION 2
What does “menos… que” mean?
Less… than.
QUESTION 3
How do you say two things are equal?
tan… como (as… as).

Reflect: compáralo.

Have students make two comparisons in Spanish — one with más… que and one with tan… como. A printable comparaciones sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Spanish Comparisons (Las Comparaciones)Flip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Spanish Comparisons (Las Comparaciones)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Spanish Comparisons (Las Comparaciones)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: igual, la comparación, mayor, mejor, menos que, más que, peor, tan como
  1. equal
  2. older/bigger
  3. comparison
  4. worse
  5. better
  6. more than
  7. as as
  8. less than

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does “más… que” mean?
  2. What does “menos… que” mean?
  3. How do you say two things are equal?
Answer key — Part A: 1) igual · 2) mayor · 3) la comparación · 4) peor · 5) mejor · 6) más que · 7) tan como · 8) menos que
Part B: 1) More… than. 2) Less… than. 3) tan… como (as… as).