Compare & Contrast
Step 1: Choose a Topic (Topic due date: Friday, September 14) The topic choice is important. In order to be a good topic.. Compare & Contrast: Student Handout 1 1. The two ideas must have many similarities but also some differences. (For example, it would NOT be a good idea to compare a car with the moon because there are not enough logical similarities.) 2. You need to be familiar enough with both ideas that you can easily think of similarities and differences (or be able to research them). Look at the ideas below and circle any topic that piques your interest. As new ideas come to mind, write them in the empty space provided. Don t analyze them too closely yet. Just write down as many ideas as you can. iphone v. Samsung Galaxy Cricket v. Baseball Facebook v. Instagram PS4 v. XboxX Two different Brands Republican v. Democrat Catholic beliefs v. Protestant beliefs Northern Hemisphere v. Southern Hemisphere Vacation Locations socialism v. capitalism Boy Scouts v. Girl Scouts Candidates for Governor Desktop Computer v. Laptop Computer Technical School v. College Console v. PC Games Indy v. Formula One Snapchat v. Instagram Facebook v. Twitter Salt-water fish v. Fresh-water fish Online jobs v. Traditional jobs two authors Role Models of the 1950s v. Role Models today Parents v. Celebrities on teen influence Online Advertising v. Traditional advertising Vegan v. Vegetarian Avengers v. Fantastic Four Rugby v. Football American Idol v. The Voice Other Topic Ideas: Now go back and look at the ideas you wrote down. Your goal is to find a topic. 1) Has a lot of similarities but also some differences. 2) You know a good amount about. 3) You will enjoy writing about. 4) You will be able to research your topic. Cross out any ideas that do not meet this criteria. Look at the remaining ideas and pick the best option for your topic. Write your final choice here:
Topic : v. _ Compare & Contrast: Student Handout 2 Step 2: Prewrite (Prewriting and Research due date: Friday, September 21) Think about at least three aspects that you can compare/contrast. Write them below: Next, you will begin researching your topics. You might add or change your areas above as you research. A chart like the one below will be provided for you in order to conduct your research. (First item compared) Christianity Source Aspect you are researching (Second Item Compared) Judaism Source
Compare & Contrast: Student Handout 3 Source Documentation Name: _ Period: _ Source Letter Work Cited (MLA style) Mr. Fabian s Signature You must have at least FOUR sources for this paper. This must be checked off by Mrs. Cronsell no later than Friday, September 21 st.
Compare & Contrast: Student Handout 4 STEP 3: OUTLINE: You must organize your information in one of three ways. Method #1: Subject by Subject Discuss your two ideas in separate paragraphs Example: I. Introduction II. Idea #1 (Judaism) A. Mostly Jews B. Believe in one God. C. Reverence only the Old Testament D. Believe Jesus was a good teacher but not the Messiah. E. Believe the Messiah is yet to come. F. Celebrates holidays based on Old Testament. Includes food and gift giving. III. Idea #2 (Christianity) A. Diverse ethnicity B. Believe in one God. C. Reverence both Old & New Testaments D. Believe Jesus is the Messiah, God s son. E. Believe Jesus, the Messiah, will return to earth. F. Celebrates holidays based on New Testament. Includes food and gift giving. IV. Conclusion Method #2: Point by Point Discuss the similarities in one paragraph and the differences in another I. Introduction II. Similarities A. Both believe in one God B. Both reverence the Old Testament C. Both believe the promise of a Messiah D. Both believe the Messiah will come in the future. E. Shares aspects of holidays, such as time of year, gift giving, and food. III. Differences A. Christians believe Jesus is God s son the Messiah. Those who follow Judaism do not. B. Christians believe in the New Testament. Jews do not. C. Jews believe Jesus is dead and look for the true Messiah; Christians believe Jesus has risen and will return to earth. D. Holidays are based on Old Testament (Jews) and New Testament (Christians) IV. Conclusion Method #3: Aspect by Aspect (Recommended) I. Introduction II. Aspect #1 (Jesus) a. Both believe Jesus existed b. Jews do not believe he is the Messiah; Christians do c. Jews believe Jesus died and is still dead; Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead. III. Aspect # 2 (Bible) a. Both believe in the Old Testament and its prophecies i. Christians believe Jesus fulfilled the prophecies ii. Jews believe a Messiah still will come b. Christians believe in the New Testament; Jews do not c. Jews still follow the Levitical laws, whereas Christians are not bound by these laws. IV. Aspects # 3 (Holidays) a. Jewish and Christian holidays are Biblically based b. Jewish holidays center around events in the Old Testament (Passover, Yom Kipper, Hanukkah) c. Christian holidays center around events in the New Testament (Easter, Christmas) d. Both have holidays in December that involve giving gifts.
V. Conclusion Compare & Contrast: Student Handout 4 Write your outline according to one of the formats listed on the back of this page. The different Outline Formats are available on Google Classroom for you to use. You may type up your outline and print it out or you may hand-write it. YOU MUST HAVE AN OUTLINE (including thesis statement) checked off before beginning your draft or you will NOT get credit for your outline. Your outline should be checked off NO later than September 28 th. You will need at LEAST three details under each point. You will be including your research to your draft. Your outline contains just the summarized details. THESIS STATEMENT: The thesis statement summarizes the main point of your essay and guides the reader to better understand the main idea. For a compare and contrast essay, the thesis should summarize the key similarity and difference between the two items and explain why they matter. Example Thesis: Although Jews and Christians have a shared history, worship the same God and share some of the same beliefs and ways of celebrating holidays, they have different holy days they celebrate, view the Bible differently, and strongly disagree about who Jesus is and what that means for the future. Notice that this thesis states the most important similarities and differences but not all of them. It also ties the points together and gives the reader a reason why all of this matters. (Remember specific details are NOT included in your thesis statement.) Avoid starting your thesis statement with There are or stating that the two ideas/topics you are writing about have many similarities and differences. The thesis statement should include the aspects of your topics that you are comparing and contrasting.) Write a thesis statement for your essay: You need to get your thesis statement checked by Mrs. Cronsell prior to beginning your draft.
Compare & Contrast: Student Handout 5 Step 4: Rough Draft (Rough draft due date: October 5th ) A rough draft is just a first draft. It doesn t have to be perfect, so don t worry too much about spelling or grammar right now. Instead, focus on writing logical, interesting comparisons and on following the correct structure. (You will need to do a spell check and look for grammar errors prior to printing.) Remember that this at least a four to five paragraph essay. Paragraph #1: Introduction Recall that paragraph #1 is the introduction to your paper and its main goal is to grab the reader s attention. Think of something interesting that you can start your paper with. Maybe it s a story, a startling fact, or an interesting statistic. Begin with that and then transition into talking about the point you are going to argue. The last sentence of your introduction should be your thesis statement. Look back at the thesis statement you already wrote and make sure that is the last sentence of the introduction. (You will be writing this in Google Classroom.) Paragraph #2 (Body): - Make sure you include researched information and parenthetical documentation. The topic of this paragraph will depend on which method you chose for your outline: Subject by Subject: If you chose to arrange your outline subject-by-subject, this paragraph will discuss the first subject, highlighting all three aspects you researched. Point by Point: If you chose to arrange your outline point-by-point, this paragraph will discuss the similarities between your two ideas, focusing on the three aspects you researched. (If you want to start instead with the differences in paragraph 2 and discuss the similarities in paragraph 3, you may. But you need to have a logical reason for choosing to do so.) Aspect by Aspect: If you chose to arrange your outline aspect-by-aspect, this paragraph will discuss both the similarities and differences of the first aspect. Remember to start with a strong topic sentence for EACH paragraph. Then, discuss the points from your outline. Make sure you use transitions between ideas. Remember to end your paragraph with a concluding sentence. Paragraph #3 (Body): Make sure you include researched information and parenthetical documentation. The topic of this paragraph will depend on which method you chose for your outline: Subject by Subject: If you chose to arrange your outline subject-by-subject, this paragraph will discuss the second subject, highlighting all three aspects you researched.
Point by Point: If you chose to arrange your outline point-by-point, this paragraph will discuss the differences between your two ideas, focusing on the three aspects you researched. (Or, if you discussed differences in paragraph 2, this paragraph will discuss similarities.) Aspect by Aspect: If you chose to arrange your outline aspect-by-aspect, this paragraph will discuss both the similarities and differences of the second aspect. Paragraph #4 (Body): Make sure you include researched information and parenthetical documentation. Your fourth paragraph will be necessary if you did an Aspect by Aspect outline. This paragraph will discuss both the similarities and differences of the third aspect. Paragraph # 4 (Concluding) or # 5 (Concluding): The final paragraph should wrap up your essay in an interesting or thought-provoking way. The first sentence should be a restated version of your thesis. (It should share the same ideas as your original thesis but should be reworded so that it s not the same as before.) This is not the time to bring up any new ideas or to go off on a whole new point, but you should finish your paper by drawing all your conclusions together, explaining why they matter, and leaving the reader with a feeling of completion. It should NEVER start with In conclusion! Print out your rough draft (after double spacing it) and get it checked off and get the rewrite checklist. (I would recommend you run a spell check prior to printing.)
Compare & Contrast: Student Handout 6 Step 5: Rewrite (2 nd draft due date: October 9th) Now that you ve written a rough draft, the next step is to go back and make your paper better. This is called rewriting. Use the checklist below to make corrections and improvements to the rough draft paragraphs you wrote. My paper has at least four to five paragraphs. 1 st paragraph (Intro): Body paragraphs: My paper starts by getting the reader s attention My first paragraph ends with my thesis statement. My first paragraph has at least three sentences. I either discuss one subject in each paragraph (subject by subject), describe similarities in one paragraph and differences in the other (point by point), or discuss the similarities and differences of the subjects based on aspects (aspect by aspect). I have strong topic sentences. I have strong concluding sentences. The arrangement of my points is logical and interesting. I have included research and parenthetical documentation to back up my points. My paragraphs have good unity. (Take out any sentences that do not belong in the paragraph.) My paragraphs each have 5 8 sentences. Final Paragraph (Conclusion): Writing Style: My conclusion paragraph starts with a restated thesis. I don t try to bring up new arguments. I wrap up the essay in an interesting or thought-provoking way. My conclusion paragraph has at least 3 sentences. Check if you have used transitional words such as the following. Add them if needed: again, also, and, but, yet, nor, as a result, below, besides, beyond, equally important, finally, first, second, for example, for instance, furthermore, here, however, in addition, in fact, in other words, in short, in the first place, just as, likewise, meanwhile, moreover, nevertheless, next, on the contrary, otherwise, similarly, still, then, therefore, thus, to sum up, whereas Look for the following words and replace them with more vibrant words that show instead of tell: Great, good, really, very, be verbs, so, get Check the beginning of your sentences to make sure they do not all begin with the subject. Check if your words flow well and are easy to read. Change any parts that are awkward or don t sound right. Make your words more descriptive. (Example: charged instead of ran) After you have made all of these corrections to your draft on your tablet, print out a second draft of your essay.
Compare & Contrast: Student Handout 7 Step 6: Edit (Final paper due date: October 11th) The last step is called editing, and this is the step where you make sure your spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting is correct. For every item on the checklist, look through your paper carefully and correct any mistakes that you find. It is also wise to ask someone else (a classmate, friend, or parent) to look at your paper to see if they find any mistakes that you did not notice. (But you should not ask someone else to look at your paper until you have already found and corrected as many mistakes as you can.) Edit your second draft, making the following corrections on your draft: Spelling is correct. Capitalization is correct. Punctuation is correct. Grammar/usage is correct. No fragments or run-on sentences. Formal language used (no contractions). No 1 st or 2 nd person pronouns used (I, we, us, me, my, etc.). Your final paper you submit to Google Classroom should use the following format/requirements. Name, Period, and Date in Top Right or Left Corner Title (No larger than 18 point type) Double spaced, readable font of no larger than 14 point type 4 to 5 paragraphs Margins on both sides of page (one inch on all sides.) You will also be printing off this paper to turn in as well as submitting it to Google Classroom. You need to include a typed Work Cited page with Mr. Fabian s signature. Turn in your paper to your teacher by no later than October 11th. End of quarter is October 19 th. Late papers will lose 10% per day they are overdue. (Given that there is no school October 12 th -15 th, late papers must be turned in to Google Classroom to be counted as turned in on the day it is completed and the printed copy submitted on the 16 th.)
Compare & Contrast: Grading Form (Holistic) Basic Structure Contains 4 to 5 paragraphs that follow the correct essay structure. 1 st paragraph (Intro): Starts by getting attention Ends with strong thesis Has at least three sentences Body paragraphs: Arranged either subject-by-subject (one subject per paragraph) or point-by-point (similarities in one paragraph, differences in the other) Strong topic sentences Strong concluding sentences Arrangement of points is logical and interesting. Contains good unity (All sentences relate.) Has 5-8 sentences each Last paragraph (Conclusion): Starts with a restated thesis Does not bring up new arguments. Wraps up the essay in an interesting or thought-provoking way. Has at least 3 sentences. Typed Works Cited: Mr. Fabian has signed off your typed Bibliography Writing Style: Uses good transitional words Uses vibrant words that show instead of tell Variety in sentence beginnings (don t all begin with the subject) Words flow well and are easy to read. Uses descriptive words Editing Format Spelling is correct Typed, no larger than 14 point type Capitalization is correct Double Spaced Punctuation is correct Correct heading (including the title) Grammar/usage is correct Margins on both sides (1 inch) No fragments or run-on sentences Written neatly Formal language used (no contractions) No 1 st or 2 nd person pronouns used