Organize a compare and contrast essay

General

In this lesson, students practice organizing their ideas for a compare and contrast essay. The essay format they will practice includes an introduction, two body paragraphs (one for comparing and one for contrasting), and a conclusion. In the end, students apply what they've learned to write their own essays!

Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2a
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2

Learning objective

Students will be able to organize and write informative/explanatory texts, specifically compare and contrast essays, to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Introduction

Provide simple topics/real-life topics to compare and contrast. Two images or phrases are provided with a bank. The bank will be full of descriptions of how they are the same and how they are different. Students can drag and place them into a box labeled “same” and another box labeled “different.”

Instruction

Review informative/explanatory texts, what they are, and their purpose. Explain that one type of explanatory text is compare and contrast essays and provide some examples. Go over transition/keywords that help to indicate compare and contrast. Show the layout or outline of what a compare and contrast essay should look like (intro, compare, contrast, closing).

Practice activities include:
- Sorting keywords - Students will be given keywords/transition words all over the slide that either indicate comparison or contrast. Students will circle compare words in green and contrast words in red with the pencil tool.
- Short text on two topics - Students can drag and drop information from a bank to compare and contrast the two topics and place them into a double bubble map.
- Short text on two topics - Students can write and fill in a Venn diagram to compare and contrast.
- Broken up essay - Students have to drag and place the sentences in the correct order.
- Read a full passage text - Fill in a graphic organizer to compare/contrast the two topics. Later, use this graphic organizer for the final activity.

Quiz

Students respond to 10 questions which check their understanding of key concepts taught in the lesson.

Closing

Students will use the graphic organizer they completed to write a compare and contrast essay. There is a worksheet to help with planning which includes a checklist to help guide their writing.