![]() Click here if you’d like the FREE set of Ice Cream Graphing Materials.įor a beginning activity, make small cards with two items on each card that are similar but also different. We do this again at the end of the year with ice cream flavors. ![]() I ask students to make three observations from their graph, and this is where they compare and contrast to complete the assignment. Not only is this a great icebreaker (kids learn a few names of new classmates) and math activity, but it is also good compare-and-contrast practice. Once they tally the results and make a colorful graph, I put them on a bulletin board called Class Favorites. On the first week of school, I do a getting to know you activity where kids choose a topic (I make sure each topic is unique) and walk around asking each other which type of sport, which season, pizza topping, school subject, rainforest animal, or book is his/her favorite. ![]() By the end of the activity, each Venn diagram should be completely filled, and students have had the opportunity to do lots of comparing and contrasting. In the upper elementary grades, reading skills are usually strong enough that pictures aren’t really needed, but I still think they provide a nice visual and may jog a few extra ideas out of your kids!Īs pairs walk around the room, they stop at each Venn diagram and write a similarity between the two objects, animals, people, or places and a difference. She sets Venn diagrams around the room with small pictures on the top, which show what students are comparing. Another Venn diagram activity that I love is from Miss DeCarbo. See Chapter 15 “Readings: Examples of Essays” to read a sample compare-and-contrast essay.B. Make sure to use comparison and contrast phrases to cue the reader to the ways in which you are analyzing the relationship between the subjects.Īfter you finish analyzing the subjects, write a conclusion that summarizes the main points of the essay and reinforces your thesis. You may also consider your particular approach to the subjects as well as the nature of the subjects themselves some subjects might better lend themselves to one structure or the other. The organizing strategy that you choose will depend on, as always, your audience and your purpose. The body of the essay can be organized in one of two ways: by subject or by individual points. Your thesis should come at the end of the introduction, and it should establish the subjects you will compare, contrast, or both as well as state what can be learned from doing so. Once you have decided on a topic, introduce it with an engaging opening paragraph. The more divergent the two subjects initially seem, the more interesting a comparison essay will be.įirst choose whether you want to compare seemingly disparate subjects, contrast seemingly similar subjects, or compare and contrast subjects. Rather, you might try to compare how apples and oranges are quite similar. For a comparison essay, you likely would not choose two apples or two oranges because they share so many of the same properties already. Similarly, to focus on comparison, choose two subjects that seem at first to be unrelated. Drawing distinctions between elements in a similar category will increase the audience’s understanding of that category, which is the purpose of the compare-and-contrast essay. For example, Red Delicious apples are sweet, while Granny Smiths are tart and acidic. For example, if you wanted to focus on contrasting two subjects you would not pick apples and oranges rather, you might choose to compare and contrast two types of oranges or two types of apples to highlight subtle differences. The purpose of conducting the comparison or contrast is not to state the obvious but rather to illuminate subtle differences or unexpected similarities. The key to a good compare-and-contrast essay is to choose two or more subjects that connect in a meaningful way. A compare-and-contrast essay, then, analyzes two subjects by comparing them, contrasting them, or both. The Purpose of Comparison and Contrast in WritingĬomparison in writing discusses elements that are similar, while contrast in writing discusses elements that are different.
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