Project Overview
The RWLO will be used to give a real-time writing exercise for a compare/contrast
paragraph or essay. The exercise will come at the end of a unit on writing a
comparison and/or contrast paragraph or essay. In most traditional
compare/contrast assignments, the students are writing on a topic that is familiar to
them and requires no online data. The source of the students’ data is the school
library where magazines, newspapers, and articles are the source of the supporting
details. This RWLO uses real-time source data as it exists at this moment.
For this RWLO, the students will use specific web sites to access real-time data to
formulate the points of comparison and/or contrast. Also, the web sites will yield
supporting details for each of the points of comparison and/ or contrast. Besides
the immediate use to develop a compare/contrast paragraph, this exercise has real
life application for students when purchasing products or comparing/contrasting
the performance of selected persons.
The target groups are developmental writers: ESOL, TOEFL, ENC 0020, or
ENC 0021 students.
Student Learning Objectives
USING REAL-TIME DATA FOR A
COMPARE / CONTRAST WRITING ASSIGNMENT
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES
The student will be able to:

Use real-life data sources to gather data to prepare a Compare/Contrast paragraph.

Develop at least three points of Compare and/or Contrast with the gathered data.

Develop at least two supporting details for each point of Compare and/or Contrast.

Write a Compare and/or Contrast paragraph or essay using the real-life data.
Procedures
USING REAL-TIME DATA FOR A
COMPARE / CONTRAST WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Time: Approximately 50 minutes of class time and additional data gathering and
organization out of class.
Materials: (1) Student Directions,
(2) Computers with Internet access.
(3) Compare/Contrast Outline Form
Form
Prerequisites: Instructor models background information on an Introduction to
Compare/Contrast Paragraph. For example:
(A) Evergreen – “A Guide to Writing with Readings”, Seventh
Edition. Pages 115-131
(B) English Skills - John Langan, Seventh Edition. Pages 205-220
Implementation: The RWLO commences in the classroom and finishes out of
class by filling in the attached Compare/Contrast Outline Form. The RWLO
activities begin in the classroom at the time of the assignment of the paragraph.
The first outcome of the RWLO activities is a paragraph outline and then a
completed compare/contrast paragraph.
Steps:
(1) The professor gives a lecture on the Compare/Contrast paragraph.
(2) The students use Compare/Contrast Outline Form to generate the assigned
paragraph.
(3) The Student Directions are distributed which offer the students a choice of
several Compare/Contrast topics and the web site(s) to use.
(4) Once the students choose the topic to research, they must analyze the data and
determine the three points (or category) of compare and/or contrast.
(5) The Compare Contrast Outline Form is then completed with the addition of
two supporting details for each point.
(6) The students present the Compare/Contrast Outline Form to the professor for
review. Once it is accepted, the students write the paragraph and present the paper
for assessment.
Referenced Supplementary URLs:


http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/lit.htm (This is the link to literary devices).
http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml (This is a link to writing Modern
Language Association [MLA] style papers).
USING REAL-TIME DATA FOR A
COMPARE / CONTRAST WRITING ASSIGNMENT
CONTENT MATERIAL
Student Directions:
I.
Before beginning to write, you must gather the necessary real-time data to complete
the Compare/Contrast Outline Form.
Step 1: Choose a topic from the list below and create a topic sentence for the
paragraph.
Step 2: Go to the corresponding Web site(s) for the topic you have chosen and
begin to gather data.
Step 3: Organize you data for the two topics into three points (or categories) of
compare and/or contrast. You then add the three points to the outline form.
Step 4: Once again return to the real-time data to locate two supporting details for each
point of compare and/or contrast. This, too, is added to complete the outline form.
NOTE: You now have all the parts of a paragraph of Compare and/or Contrast.
II.
Prepare a Compare and/or Contrast paragraph using the outline form you have
prepared.
Remember the following guidelines:
(1) Place your name, date, and class time in the upper left hand corner.
(2) The paper must be typed, doubled-space, font size 12 or 14.
(3) Paragraph Format:
The paragraph must have a clear topic sentence with three points of Compare
and/or Contrast and at least two supporting details for each point.
(4) The paragraph must have Unity Support, Coherence, and Sentence Skills.
USING REAL-TIME DATA FOR A
COMPARE / CONTRAST WRITING ASSIGNMENT
TOPICS AND WEB SITES
Topic #1
Compare and/or Contrast two players from the National
Basketball Association.
Site: http://www.nba.com/statistics/player/Scoring.jsp
Directions: 1) On left side of menu titled.
2) Choose a team by double clicking on word statistics under team
name.
3) Select a player to compare or contrast.
4) Click on head to head
5) Select a second player for compare and/or contrast.
6) Click Go.
Use the real-time statistics to develop three points of Compare and/or Contrast, and
the two supporting details for each point.
Complete the Compare and/or Contrast Outline Form before beginning to write.
Topic #2 Compare and/or Contrast two cars.
Web Site: http://www.dodge.com/vehicles.html
Directions: 1) Click on a Dodge model to Compare and/or contrast.
2) From the left side menu, click on Compare Vehicles
3) Click on “Edmunds Competitive Comparison.”
4) Go to Step 1 and select a vehicle.
5) Click ADD
6) Go to Step 2 and select features
7) Go to Step 3 and select styles
8) At the bottom of the page, click compare.
The next screen will give you several categories that can be used to develop the
points of Compare and /or Contrast and the two supporting details.
Complete the Compare and/or Contrast Outline Form before beginning to write.
Topic #3 Compare and/or Contrast two products from the Sears Catalog.
Site: WWW. Sears.Com
Directions: 1) Select a category of products, (i.e. Electronics and Computers)
2) Click on Featured Category (i.e. MP3 player)
3) Select two of products for sale by clicking in the box beside the
product.
4) Go to the bottom of the page and click
Use the specific details for each product to organize three points of Compare
and/or Contrast and the two supporting details for each point.
Complete the Compare and/or Contrast Outline Form before beginning to write.
Assessment
USING REAL-TIME DATA for a
COMPARE AND/OR CONTRAST WRITING ASSIGNMENT
The end product of the exercise is a paragraph of comparison and/or contrast. The
paragraph will be assessed using the Four Essential Qualities for Effective Writing: Unity,
Support, Coherence, Sentence Skills. A point system will be used to grade the paragraph.



Topic Sentence is well-written with a clear focused topic and
controlling idea. (10-13 points)
Topic Sentence has a weak focused topic and/or controlling
idea. (8-10 points)
Topic Sentence is a fragment, confused with the title, or lacks a
clear topic. (5-8 points)
UNITY



Paragraph stayed on topic throughout. (10- 12 points)
Paragraph went off-topic once. (8-10 points)
Paragraph went off-topic in several places. (5-8 points)

Paragraph has two supporting details for each major idea.(1013 points)
Paragraph lacks a supporting detail for one major idea. (8-10
points)
Paragraph lacks supporting details for more than one major
idea. ( 5-8 points)


SUPPORT



Paragraph has good specific supporting details for each major
idea. (10-12 points)
Paragraph details need to be more specific in one place. (8-10
points)
Paragraph details have several places that need to be more
specific. (5-8 points)
Assessment-page 2



Transitional words were used to introduce each major idea.
(10-13 points)
A transitional word was missing for one major idea. (8-10
points)
Transitional words were missing or inappropriate in several
places. (5-8 points)
COHERENCE






A method of organization (time and/or emphatic) was used to
organize the details of the paragraph. (10-12 points)
Method of organization was not appropriate for the
paragraph’s details. (8-10 points)
No clear method of organization was used. (5-8 points)
Major errors of sentence skills (run-ons and fragments) were
used. (-3points for each error)
Other errors of word usage, punctuation, spelling, or
grammar. (-1 point for each error)
Deduct total for errors from 25 points
SENTENCE
SKILLS

For ESOL students, divide the total errors by 2 to take into
account second language errors.
How Things Link to Course Competencies
Using Real-Time Data for a
Compare and/or Contrast Writing Assignment
Course Competencies
This RWLO could be applied to the following courses:

Developmental Writing, Level II (ENC 0020 at Miami Dade College)

English for Academic Purposes, Levels IV or V (EAP 1441 or EAP 1540
at Miami Dade College)

ESL Writing courses at the 5th or 6th levels.
Specifically, this RWLO meets the following course competencies:

Prepare an outline for a compare and/or contrast paragraph.

Prepare a paragraph of comparison and/or contrast.

Use real-time internet resources to gather data for a compare and/or
contrast paragraph.
Supplementary Resources

http://mrbraiman.home.att.net/lit.htm (a website that provides definitions of all
literary devices).

http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm (a website that provides a
comprehensive review of diction and syntax).
Recommendations
Using Real-Life Data for a
Compare and/or Contrast Writing Assignment

This RWLO will work best after the students have been introduced to the
writing process and the basic elements of an academic paragraph.

Once the students have been exposed to the basic elements of a paragraph,
the different patterns of paragraph development then can be introduced.

Since the compare and/or contrast paragraph is one of the most common
college writing assignments, this RWLO will be an important part of the
students’ developmental writing.

The use of real-life data will expose the students to research based writing
which will be the staple of their college writing in ENC 1101 and 1102.

The habit of preparing an outline before writing will also be a valuable
learning experience.

This RWLO will work best when time is set aside for a computer lab, so
each student can work on a topic of his or her choice.
Backup: If technology is temporarily unavailable, the instructor can provide pages from a
newspaper, a car catalogue, or a sports magazine. While this is not real-life data, it will give the
students a chance to compare and/or contrast information.
Note: This assignment is best completed with real-life, current data obtained by an internet
resource.
COMPARISON/CONTRAST OUTLINE
TOPIC SENTENCE
PTS. OF COMPARE
CONTRAST
(A)
SUPPORTING DETAILS
(1)
(2)
(3)
CONCLUDING SENTENCE
15
(B)