Comparison & Contrast Essay Writing Workshop
High Order Categories:
Introductory Paragraph/Thesis: Does the intro give you the reader full context to get you in the mindset to read the essay? How does it do so, or what does it need to do so?
• How does the intro provide context for the essay to follow?
• Underline the essay’s thesis. Identify the multiple portions of the thesis.
• What are the subjects being CCd?
• Does the thesis include at least one similarity and at least one difference?
Content: Line of comparison/contrast: How are each of these achieved, or what could help achieve them more effectively?
• The line of comparison and contrast is clear.
• The points about each subject are balanced.
• The points of comparison and contrast highlight an aspect or aspects of the work that is/are meaningful to discuss.
• Do the main points of the essay support the specifics claims of the thesis?
Conclusion: Does the concluding paragraph explain to you the reader what the importance of these ideas is? Does it establish the “so what” of the essay’s points? How does it do so, or what does it need to do so?
Organization
• A clear pattern of organization for a c/c essay is clear. Describe it.
• The order of ideas is logical and clear to the reader: the beginning has a strong lead, the details build on the main ideas, the end concludes the essay satisfactorily, and transitions take readers naturally through each of these.
• The progression of ideas aligns with the points of the thesis.
The expectations for the lower order categories are heightening as the quarter progresses based on continued practice and feedback on previous work:
Documentation
• The title and the author of the work are included; signal phrases and parenthetical citations are used correctly throughout the summary to give credit to the original source.
• Mark all signal phrases used with quoted/paraphrased material. If not signal phrase is used, does the author’s name appear in the parenthetical citation? If not, is there a good reason that it doesn’t?
• Review all documentation for accuracy.
• Is a Works Cited page included? Is it formatted properly?
Diction Choices:
• The word choices and level of discourse are not only correct but effective: no homonym errors, suitable for the college-level assignment in which they appear, fluent and easily understood.
• The tone created is a formal one to match the formality of the assignment—no “I. you, us, we, etc…”.
Conventions: mark any areas about which you have questions. Remember, you don’t have to correct the issue you think you identify—just identify and name what you think needs attention.
• Grammar conventions are correct: agreement (s-v & pronoun), modifier placement, parallel structures, etc…
• Punctuation is present, correct, and effective: commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes, quotation marks, periods, exclamation points, question marks, hyphens, and dashes.
• The sentences are constructed correctly and varied in terms of length, openers, and structures. There are no comma splices, fused sentences, or sentence fragments.
Then, use the attached writing workshop worksheet to provide an essay response for each of the other members of your assigned group👆
Be sure to read carefully, offer thoughtful feedback for the purpose of improvement, and word that feedback tactfully. You will be using the thoughtful feedback you receive from you classmates to revise your own work.
Remember to consider the criteria for this essay, not for the purpose of assigning a grade (do not comment on grade level of the work), but for the purpose of addressing multiple aspects of the work from your point of view as a discerning reader who knows the course concepts.