Comparison-Contrast of Local and International
Coverage of the Same Current Event
Project Overview
Students in developmental and college-level composition courses often write
comparison/contrast essays as one of the writing modes they study to develop
both their writing and critical thinking skills. When given the freedom to choose
their own topics, first-year writing students will typically write essays comparing
familiar subjects such as mp3 players to CD players, comparing prepaid to
monthly contract cell phone plans, comparing two water-splash parks, comparing
McDonald’s and Burger King, or comparing college classes to high school
classes. While these topics are clearly relevant to their experiences and certainly
allow the students to meet the basic goals of the assignment, writing teachers
would generally prefer that their students move out of their daily experiences and
think a bit more critically about topics that would give them a broader
perspective.
Students, however, are usually not comfortable with the topics that seem most
interesting to writing teachers. The principle of proximity taught in journalism
courses might serve writing teachers well in assigning topics. As watchers of
local television news know, there is almost always a "local" angle to any story. In
this RWLO, the students will be examining perspectives on a current event in a
local paper in the United States and a local paper just across the Canadian
border. The students will use “real-time data” in the form of coverage of current
events in online newspapers.
While this RWLO can be adapted to compare any local newspaper's coverage of
an event to any other media's coverage, this RWLO is specifically aimed at
Niagara County Community College students, who live minutes from Canada but
very often have no idea of the very different perspective of world, national, and
local/regional events just across the border. Using the websites of the Buffalo
News and the Toronto Globe and Mail or the Niagara Gazette (Niagara Falls,
NY) and Niagara Falls Review (Niagara Falls, Ontario), students will find articles
posted on the same event on the same day. They will critically analyze the
articles to find differences and similarities in the coverage.
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Student Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this RWLO, the students will be able to

locate contemporaneous written coverage of the same event in at least
two regional newspapers using the websites of the newspapers to access
the articles,

analyze the articles for differences and similarities in content, organization,
underlying assumptions of the writers, tone, intended audience, and
international/national/local perspectives,

organize their analyses in an appropriate comparison-contrast format,

write coherent comparison-contrast essays, and

document their two articles in MLA format.
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Procedure
Time: Approximately 100 minutes (two fifty-minute class periods) in class and
four to six hours outside of class for completion of the paper.
Materials:
Internet access
A grammar/rhetorical handbook that discusses organizational
patterns for comparison-contrast essays and MLA documentation
Prerequisites:
Prior study of MLA format and documentation
Prior experience with peer response
Prior experience outlining and drafting essays
Implementation: This RWLO can be used either in a classroom equipped with a
computer for each student, as an online assignment in an online or hybrid
course, or as an out-of-class assignment to be completed individually or in small
groups.
Steps:
Session 1:
1. Have students read about the three basic organizational patterns of
comparison-contrast essays in their grammar/rhetorical handbooks in
preparation for the first class period.
2. Discuss those three patterns and their strengths and weaknesses at the
beginning of the first class period: similarities-differences, subject-bysubject, and point-by-point.
3. Model the search process on a projected computer screen using the
actual sites in the assignment to find two articles on a current event of
general interest.
4. Review the MLA citation format for websites.
5. Assign the two example articles as readings for the next class period to
ensure that students can access the sites and search for articles. Alert
students to watch for articles for their upcoming assignment.
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Session 2:
6. At the beginning of the second class period, discuss the two articles.
7. Brainstorm a list of possible points of comparison and contrast for the two
articles as a group.
8. Outline a point-by-point sample essay.
9. Review the "Student Directions" section of the RWLO with students.
10. Allow at least 20 minutes at the end of the second class for students to
begin their searches in class. Their first assignment is to print the articles
for presentation and approval in the next class period and to complete the
two works cited entries for the articles.
Students will complete the written portion of the assignment in stages: a
presentation and approval of their articles (in the form of a works cited page),
an outline, a draft of the essay for peer response, a global revision, and a final
copy for evaluation.
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Content Material
Assignment: Comparison and contrast of news coverage of current events in
local newspapers in the United States and Canada
Student Directions:
 Using the websites of the Buffalo News and the Toronto Globe and Mail or
the Niagara Gazette (Niagara Falls, NY) and Niagara Falls Review
(Niagara Falls, Ontario), find articles posted on the same event on the
same day. Complete the two works cited entries for the articles to turn in
(homework score).

Critically analyze the articles to find differences and similarities in content,
organization, underlying assumptions of the writers, tone, intended
audience, and international/national/local perspectives. If you note other
similarities and differences, feel free to go beyond this list.

Outline a point-by-point analysis of the two articles' similarities and
differences to turn in (homework score).

Write a rough draft of your comparison-contrast for peer response (two
homework scores—one for having a complete draft for the peer response
and one for peer responding to a classmate's draft in writing)

Globally revise the draft based on the peer response and then edit at the
sentence-level. Spell-check and proofread the final copy (for a paper
score).
Referenced URLs:
The Buffalo News: http://www.buffalonews.com/
The Globe and Mail (Toronto): http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
The Niagara Gazette (New York): http://www.niagara-gazette.com/
Niagara Falls Review (Ontario): http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/
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Assessment
Students will receive four homework scores and a paper score for the five
assignments completed in this RWLO. (The average of the students' homework
scores counts 10% of the overall course average in ENG 101, and the average of
six essay scores counts 50% of the overall course average in ENG 101.)
Works Cited page (homework score): scored 0-100 based on the correctness
of the format and content of the two works cited entries and the format of the
works cited page itself. (Students will have studied MLA documentation prior to
this RWLO.) If the articles chosen are inappropriate for a comparison-contrast
analysis, students will be given guidance and a chance to attempt the
assignment again. Extensive comments to aid in revision will be provided on the
works cited page.
Outline (homework score): scored 0-100 based on the correctness of the
format of the outline, the quality and depth of the points of similarity and
difference included, the quality of the writing in general, and the logic of the
organization of the points in a point-by-point analysis. (Students will have
studied outlining prior to this RWLO.) If the outline is completely inappropriate for
a comparison-contrast analysis, students will be given guidance and a chance to
attempt the assignment again. Extensive comments to aid in revision will be
provided on the outline.
Rough draft (homework score): scored 0-100 based on the timeliness and
completeness of the draft for the peer response. (Students will have studied
drafting of essays prior to this RWLO.)
Peer Response (homework score): scored 0-100 based on the depth, clarity,
and helpfulness of the written responses to the peer response prompts provided
as part of the peer response process. (Students will have studied techniques of
peer response prior to this RWLO.)
Comparison-Contrast Essay in the Point-by-Point Format (paper score):
scored 0-100 based on the scoring guidelines for evaluation of essays used by
the NCCC English Department (distributed and discussed in class prior to this
RWLO).
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Links to Course Competencies
This RWLO could be successfully adopted for the following courses: ENG 099
(Writing Workshop—developmental), ENG 101 (Writing I—college composition),
and ENG 145 (Journalism), among others. Specifically, this RWLO meets the
following course competencies in ENG 101:

To develop greater competence in the writing process, from arriving at a
subject through producing a well-organized essay in standard written
English.

To encourage independent, critical thinking and analytical reading.

To familiarize students with the use of information sources, research
techniques, the proper use of source materials, and the proper methods of
MLA source documentation.

To improve computer literacy.

To improve global revising, editing, and proofreading skills and to develop
a sharper focus on the details of good writing.
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Supplementary Resources

Instructional advice on organizing comparison-contrast papers:
http://www.uwf.edu/writelab/handouts/comparisoncontrast.cfm

Other Toronto newspapers:
o The Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/
o The Toronto Sun: http://torontosun.com/

Instructional advice on citing websites in MLA format:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/09/
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Recommendations
Recommendations for Integration: This RWLO would work in the latter half of
any composition course. Knowledge of MLA documentation, outlining, drafting,
and peer response techniques are assumed, so it would not be recommended
early in a course. The pairings of newspapers/media could be adapted to any
region.
Back-up: This RWLO could be done with less current printed articles in a library
subscribing to such pairings of newspapers or other media.
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