Writing process teaching technique
makes compare and contrast a piece of cake

by Greta Greeb
(Winchester, Virginia)

Whenever I must teach a technique, whether its for part of the writing process or for something different, I keep the content very familiar, often even silly, until the learners master the technique.

For example, when friends want to learn how to bake a high-rise angel food cake, I don't turn them loose on a dozen egg whites. They'd get a flat and gooey dud, and wail that they never were any good at baking, and they never would be.

I teach them how to fold in ingredients using the flat bottomed angel food bowl, a rubber spatula, cornflakes, wheatflakes, raisins, powdered skim milk, and maybe some chopped nuts. The cornflakes get a bit smashed with the initial strokes, but the friends learn how to fold gently without ruining anything.

When their first angel food rises to the top of the pan, they gloat that they had no idea baking was so easy or they would have started baking years ago. The next thing I hear from them, they're baking waffles and chocolate souffles.

Chalk and talk introduction

The introduction for the compare and contrast writing process takes three lists:

• How Similar
• How Different
• Item A — Item B

Either ask for three students to go to the board, or wield the chalk/markers yourself, but have the class call out the observations to be posted.

Once everyone has run out of observations, have the class look at each observation and ask what question it answers:

• How does it look?
• What is it used for?
• Where is it from?
• How is it made?

Jot those questions next to the observations. The questions become the headings for the outline. This is the moment for narrowing the scope instead of outlining a brick of a book.

• Whom do you expect to read this?
• What will that person be interested in knowing?

The final question is, "So what?" The answer to that gives you either your conclusion or your thesis sentence.

For mercy's sake, don't write your own list in advance and hold it in your hand as a checklist as though there were a uniquely right answer.

There isn't.

If you accept Compare-Contrast pairs from the class, working without a safety net, classroom discipline may be a little stretched, but the students will get the point that Compare-Contrast is a useful technique for exploration and evaluation, and not just another classroom exercise.

Linda responds
I think Greta's technique is great — probably because it is so similar to what I do!

For Greta’s list of lighthearted topics for introducing students to compare and contrast writing, click here.