ompare and ontrast - wordpress.com...sample ompare- ontrast essay 7-8 essay outline template 9-10...

1 081-eng-wb-t2-(Compare-Contrast workbook)

COMPARE AND

CONTRAST GRADE 8 WRITING WORKBOOK

SURNAME, NAME: __________________________________________________

CLASS: ____________________________________________________________

COMPLETE

I C


CONTENTS

SECTION TITLE PAGE NO.

Objectives 3

Introducing PEEL 4-6

Sample Compare-Contrast Essay 7-8

Essay Outline Template 9-10

Essay Planning 11-13

Compare-Contrast Essay 14-15

Proofreading and Editing 16

Notes 17-20

In this writing workbook, you will learn how to compare and contrast two things in an essay. It will be a new form

of writing that you aren’t used to, but if you complete all the activities in the workbook, you will be able to:

Connect ideas between two different subjects

Use specific language and writing styles to make your ideas clear

Progress ideas in an essay in a logical way

Analyze different types of text

Use correct grammar, punctuation and spelling

COMPARE AND CONTRAST WRITING


INTRODUCING PEEL

So far in middle school, you have learned how to write essays in the American style—thesis

statements, topic sentences, supporting details, and so on. But as you prepare to move into Açı

High School, you will have to be familiar with a different style of writing: the British style. And it

all starts with PEEL.

You will find out on the subsequent pages that for which

PEEL stands. The important thing to know right now is

that it is a way of structuring your writing very, very

specifically. Every sentence in a PEEL paragraph or essay

has a very specific purpose. It is a simple formula and

template to follow, but you need to learn it first. That’s

why you have this workbook.

Here are some key words, phrases and ideas that you will will come up throughout this workbook:

Purpose

Topic

Thesis

Similarity

Difference


PEELPEEL

YOUR PLAN

1. You will write a PEEL paragraph about the topic we brainstormed as a class.

2. Pick one of the reasons that we brainstormed for why Jonas is brave.

3. Think about how you will PEEL it. If you would like to you can plan here.

P__________:

E__________:

E__________:

L__________:

4. Write your paragraph on the next page.

WHAT DOES IT STAND FOR? WHAT IS THAT?

PEEL PARAGRAPH


Check off the items as you include them:

Point

Evidence

Example

Link

Topic: __________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

PEEL PARAGRAPH


Sample question: “Compare and contrast Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. How are they similar? How are

they different?”

Although there are key differences between Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, there

are also several striking similarities. The differences and similarities between these two famous

stories can be seen not only in the original book form, but also in the film versions. The key

differences between Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are evident in the stories’ settings,

the heroes’ strengths, and the storylines, whereas the similarities can be seen in the conflicts,

the nature of the heroes, and the themes. In these ways, the differences and similarities

between these two important stories can clearly be seen.

Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are different in a variety of ways. Firstly, a clear

difference can be seen in the settings of the two stories. In The Lord of the Rings, the story

takes place in Middle Earth, which is an imaginary world from long ago, in contrast to Harry

Potter, which takes place during modern times in England. A second contrast between these

two stories is evident in the heroes’ strengths. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo’s power is seen

in his humility and in his ability to resist the evil power of the ring, in contrast to Harry Potter’s

power, which depends a lot on his magical abilities. Finally, the storylines of these two stories

contrast greatly. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo’s journey continues mostly uninterrupted from

the Shire to Mordor, while Harry Potter’s adventures are divided into smaller mini-adventures,

as his story spreads over the course of seven school years. In these ways the differences

between these two stories become very clear.

While Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are different, there are also several

important similarities. These two stories are similar to each other in their conflict of good vs.

evil. In Harry Potter we see this conflict clearly in the struggle between Harry Potter and the

evil Lord Voldemort. In the same way, there is a clear conflict between good and evil in The

Lord of the Rings, which can be seen in Frodo’s struggle of goodness against the evil Sauron.

Another similarity can be seen in the nature of the heroes in these two stories. For example,

Harry Potter and Frodo are both humble people who don’t really want to accept their hero

roles. A final similarity can be seen in the themes of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. For

example, Harry Potter and Frodo both suffer great losses in their struggle against evil, but in

the end goodness wins, clearly sending the message that goodness ultimately wins over evil. As

can be seen in these examples, there are a variety of important similarities between Harry

Potter and The Lord of the Rings.

Although it may seem that Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings are very different, they

are quite similar. Both of these stories excellently show the eternal struggle between good and

evil, and despite the fact that the places, characters, and plot events are different, the more

important elements of conflict and theme are the same. The fundamental elements of what

makes a story truly good seem to remain the same, and these elements keep a good

story alive forever.

SAMPLE COMPARE-CONTRAST ESSAY


SAMPLE ESSAY EXERCISES

Use the sample essay from the previous page to complete the questions below. Label each of the sentences from

the left with one of the terms in the box.

Hook Thesis statement Supporting detail 1 Supporting detail 2 Supporting detail 3

Supporting detail 4 Concluding statement Catchy send-off

Firstly, a clear difference can be seen in the settings of

the two stories.

Although it may seem that Harry Potter and The Lord of

the Rings are very different, they are quite similar.

In these ways, the differences and similarities between

these two important stories can clearly be seen.

Although there are key differences between Harry Potter

and The Lord of the Rings, there are also several striking

similarities.

Finally, the storylines of these two stories contrast

greatly.

These two stories are similar to each other in their

conflict of good vs. evil.

The fundamental elements of what makes a story truly

good seem to remain the same, and these elements

keep a good story alive forever.

Another similarity can be seen in the nature of the

heroes in these two stories.


Introduction: one paragraph

introduces the central purpose of the essay (thesis statement)

makes the reader curious

makes the purpose of the essay very clear

takes a stand

The outline below tells exactly what the purpose is of each paragraph in your essay.

Body: two paragraphs (in this case)

each paragraph uses PEEL (Point + Evidence + Explanation + Link)

You will have three pieces of evidence with explanations

in each body paragraph. This means a body paragraph will look like this:

Point

Evidence

Explanation

Evidence

Explanation

Evidence

Explanation

Link

fulfills the purpose stated in the introduction

provides focused examples to support the central argument, along

with clear explanations

A topic sentence (point) is the first sentence of a body paragraph. It

states the topic or key point. It should be strong and clear.

Conclusion: brings the writing to a satisfying close

shows that the promise made in the introduction has been met

never apologizes for covering the topic inadequately

ESSAY OUTLINE TEMPLATE


In

trodu

cti

on

C

on

clu

sio

n

Body P

aragraph

2

Sentence 1 — Thesis statement. This states the main idea of your whole essay, which should show if you agree or disagree with the original question. Sentences 2-3 — An overview (summary) of your main ideas. This is where you should give a preview of your points, so readers know what you will be telling them. Sentence 4 — Relate back to the question — ‘For these reasons…’

Question to answer in your essay: Compare and contrast two books. How are they similar? How

are they different?

Body P

aragraph

1

Sentence 1 — Point: Topic sentence stating your point from sentence 3 of the introduction Sentence 2 — Evidence (difference 1) Sentence 3 — Explanation: Explain why this ties to the point you have made Sentence 4 — Evidence (difference 2) Sentence 5 — Explanation: Explain why this ties to the point you have made Sentence 6 — Evidence (difference 3) Sentence 7 — Explanation: Explain why this ties to the point you have made Sentence 8 — Link: Tie back to the question

Sentence 1 — Point: Topic sentence stating your point from sentence 3 of the introduction Sentence 2 — Evidence (similarity 1) Sentence 3 — Explanation: Explain why this ties to the point you have made Sentence 4 — Evidence (similarity 2) Sentence 5 — Explanation: Explain why this ties to the point you have made Sentence 6 — Evidence (similarity 3) Sentence 7 — Explanation: Explain why this ties to the point you have made Sentence 8 — Link: Tie back to the question

Sentence 1 — Restate your thesis or main argument of your essay Sentence 2 — Give a final strong example or quotation that makes your most important point Sentence 3 (and 4?) — There are a number of possible ways to end your essay. Here are some possibilities: a) use an emotional final sentence b) ask the reader a question c) make a prediction d) final thought

Finally In conclusion

Therefore In summary

Evidently To reiterate

Consequently As a result

Then In this case

PEEL ESSAY FORMULA TEMPLATE


Using a Venn Diagram, brainstorm the similarities and differences between two books.

COMPARE-CONTRAST ESSAY PLANNING


Book #1 Book #2 Both

Characters

(personalities,

actions, etc.)

Setting

(places,

worlds, etc.)

Plot (conflicts,

problems, etc.)

Language

(emotions,

point of view,

etc.)

ESSAY PLANNING

Fill in the chart below with specific differences and similarities between two books. Use bullet points, not

complete sentences


COMPARE WORDS CONTRAST WORDS

like similar to also similarly

in the same way likewise

compared to

unlike in contrast to while

on the contrary on the other hand

although despite even though

but while differs from whereas

ESSAY PLANNING

Thesis Statement (“… are similar because … , but they are different in how … .”):

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

What are the differences between the two books that you will highlight in your essay?

1) ____________________________________________________________________________________

2) ____________________________________________________________________________________

3) ____________________________________________________________________________________

What are the similarities between the two books that you will highlight in your essay?

1) ____________________________________________________________________________________

2) ____________________________________________________________________________________

3) ____________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion Ideas

A final question A prediction An important quote or example


__________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

COMPARE-CONTRAST ESSAY


______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________


PROOFREADING AND EDITING

Proofreading, editing and revising your own writing is one of the most important parts of writing an essay. Your job

doesn’t end with just writing—you have to go back and check for mistakes! Your argument won’t be very strong if

you misspell your topic and forget to put a period at the end of your Thesis Statement.

For proofreading and editing, it’s all in the CUPS …

For revising, use your ARMS ...

C U P S

Capitalization: names, places, months, titles, I, sentences

Usage: nouns and verbs matched correctly (I am, you are, etc.)

Punctuation: periods, commas, question marks, quotes, etc.

Spelling: check everything—use the dictionary if you need to!

A R M S

Add: sentences and words to strengthen your arguments

Remove: unnecessary or incorrect sentences and words

Move: change the placement of sentences and words

Substitute: trade in sentences and words that work better

Original: _______________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Add: __________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Original: _______________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Remove: ______________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Original: _______________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Move: ________________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Original: _______________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

Substitute: _____________________________________

______________________________________________

______________________________________________

In the space below, pick four sentences from your essay and revise them using your ARMS.


______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

NOTES

ompare and ontrast - wordpress.com...sample ompare- ontrast essay 7-8 essay outline template 9-10...

Documents