Activity
1. The students will need several resources to begin this
lesson. The students will need copies of The Grapes
of Wrath, along with the narratives and poems written
by migrant children.
2.
Before the students actually begin writing the essay,
they need to be taken through
a prewriting exercise. In this exercise,
the students will need to discover elements that can be compared
and contrasted between The Grapes of Wrath and the writings
of migrant children. Elements they may compare and contrast
might be living conditions, family life, and the emotional
impact. The best way to conduct this exercise is to use a
Venn diagram. The Venn diagram might look something like
this:
In
cell A, the students would list the examples that
are specific to The Grapes of Wrath. In cell B, the students
would list the examples that are specific to the
writings
of migrant children. In cell C, the students would
list the similarities between the two pieces of writings.
3.
After the prewriting exercise, the students would
then write their first draft. However, the format
for a comparison contrast essay must first be taught.
The
comparison contrast essay comes in many forms,
but the format that works best for this assignments
is as follows:
I.
Introductions
A.
Topic sentence
B. Background information on topic
C. Thesis—stating the three items that will be
discussed
II.
Body Paragraph/Topic 1
A.
Similarities
1. Grapes of Wrath
2. Writings from migrant children
B. Differences
1. Grapes of Wrath
2. Writings of migrant children
C. Concluding thoughts/ clincher/analysis
III.
Body Paragraph/Topic 2
A.
Similarities
1. Grapes of Wrath
2. Writings of migrant children
B. Differences
1. Grapes of Wrath
2. Writings of migrant children
C. Concluding thoughts/clincher/analysis
IV.
Body Paragraph/Topic 3
A.
Similarities
1. Grapes of Wrath
2. Writings of migrant children
B. Differences
1. Grapes of Wrath
2. Writings of migrant children
C. Concluding thoughts/clincher/analysis
V.
Conclusion
A.
Restate thesis
B. Summarize main points
C. Final thought
4.
Before the students write their first draft, it would
be helpful for them to outline their essay, detailing
every element that they will cover. After they outline
their essay, they can then draft their essay. This process
should be easier now that the essay is completely outlined.
5.
The next process is an editing phase. The teacher may
wish to edit the papers or to conduct a peer editing session.
Whatever the process, the editing phase needs to highlight
mechanical errors, as well as fluidity of thought.
6.
After the editing phase, the final drafts need to be
composed.
Generally, final drafts are typed, follow MLA
format and
are free of errors.
The
students will turn in their essays. A rubric should be
used to assess this essay. The teacher
could use a self made rubric or make one at http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
Embedded
Assessment
Venn Diagram
Draft
Essay
Homework
If applicable
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