Title: Compare and contrast essay -- Author(s): Kate Connolly -- Grade Level: 3-4 -- Subject Matter: ELA -- Synopsis: Will compare and contrast the planet Earth with another planet which students have already researched.

LE Title: Compare and contrast essay	Author(s): Kate Connolly
Grade Level: 3-4	School : Herkimer County B.O.C.E.S.
Topic/Subject Area: ELA	School Address: Gros. Blvd. Herkimer, NY
Email: kconnolly@herkimer-boces.org	School Phone/Fax: (315) 867-2000

LEARNING CONTEXT

Purpose or Focus of Experience

This Learning Experience is a part of a Learning Unit titled, Out of This World Writing! It is used in preparation for the fourth grade ELA assessment. Students will be using graphic organizers and writing a compare/contrast composition from the information in the organizer. The composition will compare and contrast the planet Earth with another planet which the students have already researched. I plan to use this unit with a special education class, where writing skills are lacking.

Connection to Standards

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

- gather and interpret information from children's reference books, magazines, textbooks, electronic bulletin boards, audio and media presentations, oral interviews, and from such forms as charts, graphs, maps, and diagrams.

- select information appropriate to the purpose of their investigation and relate ideas from one text to another

- select and use strategies they have been taught for note taking, organizing, and categorizing information

- present information clearly in a variety of oral and written forms such as summaries, paraphrases, brief reports, stories, posters, and charts

- select a focus, organization, and point of view for oral and written presentations

- use the process of pre-writing, drafting, revising, and proofreading (the "writing process") to produce well-constructed informational texts

Essential Questions

How do you write a compare/contrast essay?

What are some compare and contrast signal words?

Content Knowledge:

Declarative: Signal Words, Compare, Contrast, rough draft, revise, final draft

Procedural: Writing a compare/contrast essay, completing graphic organizer

STRATEGIES USED

Numbered Heads – This strategy is designed to ensure active involvement on the part of learners by giving

specific tasks to each partner. 1. Students number off #1 and #2. 2. Teacher announces the task and time limit.

3. #1 and #2 switch tasks.

Think, Pair, Share – This strategy encourages individual thought before pairing up to discuss the information.

Listen to the task, think independently, pair with a partner to discuss, share with another group or the class.

PROCEDURE
(Chronologically ordered description of all teacher & student activities and interactions.)

Using think, pair, share, have students compare two random items in the class. Remind them they are looking for similarities.

Next use think, pair, share, to contrast the same objects.

Have students complete compare/contrast graphic organizer with information they found.

Explain that they will be writing a compare/contrast composition comparing and contrasting their assigned planet and Earth. (Students have already written a report on a planet within a unit. – “Out of This World Writing”)

Supply students with a written report about the planet Earth. Have them complete graphic organizer using the Earth report and the report they wrote.

Discuss the compare contrast essay with the class. Use these guidelines.

The purpose of this type of writing is to point out what is alike and what is different about two topics. The key to well written composition is the collection and organization of the details about the two topics. There are several effective ways to write this type of composition. (You may want to limit to one for starting out to avoid confusion.) Each type should begin with an introduction paragraph identifying WHAT is being compared and contrasted.

Paragraph #2- tell about first subject

Paragraph #3 – compare contrast second subject with first subject

Paragraph#4 – conclusion

Paragraph #2- identify similarities

Paragraph #3 – identify differences

Paragraph#4 – conclusion

Paragraph #2 - compare and contrast one aspect of the two subjects

Paragraph #3 – compare and contrast another aspect of the subjects

Paragraph#4 – conclusion

Make a word map to display signal words to help composition flow smoothly. (alike, also, but different, however, in contrast, on the other hand, resemble, same as, similar)

Using numbered heads, have students try to come up with more.

The remainder of the learning experience will be done in a writing workshop fashion. Those that

need extra supports can be granted that, and those that can work with some independence will be

able to do so. Writers are to be reminded of the writing process along the way. If a certain area

seems to be a common problem, some group instruction may be needed.

Students will word process their reports and spell check.

INSTRUCTIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS

During the writing workshop phase, students will be at different places. There may be times when students will have to wait for assistance. It may be helpful to have additional independent activities on hand to occupy that time. This experience allows for varying levels. It may be helpful to use older students or volunteers to aid students in the word processing stage.

TIME REQUIRED

This experience should take about one week. The entire unit was scheduled for three to four weeks.

RESOURCES

Report about Earth

Computers for word processing

Additional help from volunteers or older students during writing workshop can be helpful.

ASSESSMENT PLAN
(Include samples of rubrics, checklists, etc.)

COMPARE/CONTRAST RUBRIC

Task Component	4 pts.	3 pts.	2 pts.	1 pt.
Opening	Creatively begins with and interesting lead that thoroughly identifies the people, places or events as well as the central idea being examined.	Begins with and interesting lead that thoroughly identifies the people, places or events as well as the central idea being examined.	Begins with an opening lead that just identifies the people, places, or events being examined OR just identifies the central idea.	Begins with an opening lead that does not identify the people, places, or events being examined nor does it identify the central idea.
Organization	Effectively and accurately organizes the material in the correct compare/contrast pattern.	Accurately organizes the material in the correct compare/contrast pattern.	Organizes the material in a compare/contrast pattern but varies the pattern throughout the writing.	Material is organized into a pattern that compares the items but does not contrast the items.
Support	Provides well developed and accurate support for each component being examined with the people, places or events.	Provides accurate support for each component being examined with the people, places or events.	Provides some support that is accurate but also has some inaccurate support for the components being examined.	Provides little if any support for the components being examined.
Conclusion	Constructs a thorough closure to the writing that follows logically from the opening lead.	Constructs an appropriate closure to the writing that follows logically from the opening lead.	Constructs a closure that somewhat follows logically from the opening lead - may not be fully explained.	Constructs a closure that does not follow logically from the opening lead.

REFLECTION

This experience was developed to help students work from a graphic organizer and forma piece of writing. I intend to use it in my self-contained special education class, as students will be allowed to work at their own paces. Time will have to spent in planning and scheduling the writing workshop phase to be sure that students that are not being directly instructed are making productive use of their time.

Title III Technology Literacy Challenge Grant

Learning Experience