Terminology note: ELA teachers often call an essay that examines
both similarities and differences between two items a comparison
essay, although strictly speaking comparing means looking
just for similarities.
Writing skeleton™ builds on thesis
The writing skeleton™ builds on the working thesis using
the thesis + reason statement formula just as if the writer
were building a skeleton for a single-topic essay.
In planning a compare contrast essay, the writing
skeleton™ points are reasons for believing in the validity
of the relationship the writer says exists between the compared
items.
If a writer asserts that blogwits are better suited to life in
Wyoming than frogels, the writing skeleton™ points will be
reasons for believing that assertion.
Sample comparison essay skeleton
Below is a writing skeleton™ I invented
to demonstrate how the compare contrast essay is organized. The
working thesis
for the essay is:
Community
colleges are a better choice for average students than four-year
colleges.
Each writing skeleton™ point begins with the working thesis
followed by the word because.
Community colleges are a better choice
for average students than four-year colleges because
community colleges emphasize hands-on learning far more than
four-year colleges do.
Community colleges are a better choice
for average students than four-year colleges because
community colleges provide a degree in half the time four-year
colleges do.
Community colleges are a better choice
for average students than four-year colleges because
employers hiring entry level employees view degree completion
as more important than the length of the degree program.
In the writers' comprehensive plans, the writing skeleton™
sentences slip into the
outline template in the normal fashion. That is, each sentence
becomes one of the main points. (In a formal
outline, the writing skeleton™ sentences would be the
Roman numeral points.)
Common, serious complications
In many cases, compare contrast writing not only involves comparison
thinking, but tricky bits of other types of essays like the argument
or the literary
analysis.
In teaching writing, you should always test your writing prompts
to see what skills and knowledge they require. It is much
easier for students to develop writing competence if you don't
introduce a new major skill set before they are competent in using
the previous one you taught.
Be explicit; Be a model
Hints and helps that are useful for good students are not enough for struggling
students or those with learning difficulties. Students who struggle with writing
need explicit directions and live models of how to write.
