Objectives:
- To make a connection between everyday comparing or contrasting and comparison-or-contrast essays
- To present a visually-oriented means of pre-writing for a comparison-or-contrast essay
- To build on the concepts of forming criteria, presenting reasons, and collecting evidence as presented in Workshops Two, Three and Four6
- To introduce the concept that the comparison or contrast of two things must proceed from one set of criteria or points
- To introduce the two ways of organizing comparison-or-contrast essays: the point-by-point and the block plans
- Name-brand sandwich cookies (such as Oreos), one per student (bring package)
- Similar store-brand cookies, one per student (bring package)
- For each student: three 3 X 5 cards (or small pieces of paper) in one color and three 3 X 5 cards in another color (I used pink and blue)
- Chalk and chalkboard (or overhead projector, blank transparency and marker)
- Optional: three pieces of 8 ½ X 11 paper in one color to match the small cards and three pieces of 8 ½ X 11 paper in the other color to match the small cards
- Begin discussing everyday comparing or contrasting: Ask, “Who has compared or contrasted two things recently?” If there is no response, ask, “Who has had to choose between two things recently?” Ask one student the following questions: “What were choosing between?” “What were you looking for in a (item)?” “Which one did you choose?” “Why?” Wrap up this discussion by pointing out that every time they choose one of two things--a car, an outfit, a date, a college--they are comparing or contrasting.
- Remind students of the sample evaluation of a fast-food restaurant (Taco Bell) that was used in Workshop Two as you quickly put the CRE chart on the board.
| CRITERIA | REASONS | EVIDENCE |
| service | quick, courteous | (specific examples) |
| atmosphere | clean, colorful |
 |
| food | tasty, fresh |
|
- Explain that comparing or contrasting is similar to evaluating, but it is done twice. Ask students to imagine that you have the job of deciding which fast-food restaurant, Taco Bell or McDonalds is better. Stress that to choose between these two restaurants in a fair way, you must begin by using the same criteria for both restaurants. Add to the first C-R-E chart (see above) as illustrated below, talking through the elements as you go.
McDonalds
SAME 
Taco
Bell| EVIDENCE | REASONS | CRITERIA | REASONS | EVIDENCE |
| (specific examplesd) | slow, rude | service | quick, courteous | (specific examples) |
|
|
dirty, dull | atmosphere | clean, colorful |
|
|
|
bland, stale | food | tasty, fresh |
|
- Summarize by explaining that whether you had found the two restaurants similar or different, it was essential that you use the same set of criteria for both the restaurants.
- As you pass out the two colors of small cards to the students, ask if they have any questions about the charts.
- Pass out both kinds of cookies to the students.
- Tell the students that they are going to decide which cookie is better, the name-brand or the store-brand cookies. Ask the students to write the name of the name-brand cookie on the top of the three blue cards and the name of the store-brand cookie on the top of the three pink cards. Then they should place the three pink cards and three blue cards in vertical rows parallel to each other on the top of their desks.
- While they are doing this, draw a blank chart on the board. Depending on the skill level, you may wish to use the optional large sheets of colored paper and duplicate the students’ cards.
Oreos (blue)
SAME
Store Brand (pink)| EVIDENCE | REASONS | CRITERIA | REASONS | EVIDENCE |
- Explain that the first step in choosing which cookie is better is to establish a set of criteria. Hold up the bag of name-brand cookies and say that you will “give” them the first criteria-- “package.” Ask them to write the word “package” on one pink card and one blue card:
(pink)| Oreos
Package |
Store Brand
Package |
- While they are putting these words on the cards, put the word “package” in the first criteria box in the chart.
- Tell the students that they can sample the cookies now and in doing so they should think of two more criteria. “Cookie” and “cream” work well.
- Ask students to put “cookie” on a blue and pink card and “filling” on a blue and pink card:
(pink)| Oreos
Package |
Store Brand
Package |
|
| Oreos
Cookie |
Store Brand
Cookie |
|
| Oreos
Filling |
Store Brand
Filling |
- As they are doing this, complete the criteria section of the chart on the board.
- When they have the card labeled as shown above, ask the students to think about what they liked and didn’t like about the cookies based on the three criteria. Ask the students to write at least one reason on the back of the appropriate card. Depending on the skill level of the students this can be done individually or discussed and done as a group.
- When the cards are completed ask for their input and fill in the reason columns of the chart on the board. Proceed criteria by criteria, completing both sides before proceeding to the next criteria so that the concept of examining both cookies against the same criteria is reinforced. The completed chart might look as follows:
Oreos (blue)SAMEStore
Brand (pink)| EVIDENCE | REASONS | CRITERIA | REASONS | EVIDENCE |
| boring, cheap | package | bright, attractive | ||
| tasteless, soggy | cookie | rich flavor, crisp | ||
| greasy, no flavor | filling | sweet, creamy |
- Explain that for this exercise you will not be working on evidence but that to develop each criteria for each cookie, evidence or specific detail would need to be gathered to develop a paragraph. This evidence could be added to the cards under the reasons.
- Mention that taking notes on similar cards would be a good way to begin pre-writing or note taking for any comparison-or-contrast essay they are assigned.
- Tell the students that you are now going to discuss how to organize comparison-or-contrast essays and that to work on this, each of their cards is going to represent a paragraph in an essay about the cookies they have analyzed.
- Ask students to put their cards in the order that seems to them a good way organize an essay. Remind them that each card is representing a paragraph in the body of their essays. Tell students to work either from left to right in a horizontal row or from top to bottom in a vertical row. This can be done individually or discussed and done as a group.
- The plan most students will implement is the block plan. Choose one of the students who uses this plan, and ask him or her to explain the order of their cards. Depending on the skill level of the students, you may wish to replicate the student’s plan with your large pieces of paper (taping them on the chalk board works well) as the student explains. The criteria may be in any order but the order in one set of cards should be the same as the other set of cards, as follows:
|
Package |
|
Cookie |
|
Cream |
|
Package |
|
Cookie |
|
Cream |
- Stress to students that it is important that the points, in this case “Package,” “Cookie,” and “Cream,” must be in the same order in the “top” half of the essay and the “bottom” half of the essay.
- Ask students to rearrange their cards into another plan for this essay. This can be done individually or discussed and done as a group.
- Choose one of the students who arranges his or her cards in the point-by-point plan, and ask him or her to explain the order of their cards. Depending on the skill level of the students, you may wish to replicate the student’s plan with your large pieces of paper as the student explains.
|
Package |
|
Package |
|
Cookie |
|
Cookie |
|
Cream |
|
Cream |
- As an optional reinforcement exercise, appropriate to close this workshop or to begin the next workshop, give six students the large colored sheets of paper and have them stand in the front of the room. Call on volunteers from the rest of the class to arrange the students with the large sheets of paper to form the block and point-by-point plans. (Arranging them left to right is easiest for the class to see.)
6 If you are not following the sequence of workshops as presented in this handbook, you may wish to read Workshops Two, Three, and Four and define these terms when you use them in this lesson.
Workshop 6 / Workshop 7 / Workshop 8 / Workshop 9 / Workshop 10 / Credits
