Compare Contrast Essay = Potential Unecessary Torture

September 9, 2009 at 1:42 am · Filed under A Day in the Life, Policy and (Critical) Policy Analysis

The first thing I notice after reading through the 8th grade TEKS (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills) is that it does not include students having to write a compare/contrast essay.  Why then has this become a standard 1st 6 weeks tradition at my school?  Yes, students need to:

(A)  write to express, discover, record, develop, reflect on ideas, and to problem solve (4-8);

(B)  write to influence such as to persuade, argue, and request (4-8);

(C)  write to inform such as to explain, describe, report, and narrate (4-8);

(D)  write to entertain such as to compose humorous poems or short stories (4-8);

(E)  select and use voice and style appropriate to audience and purpose (6-8);

(F)  choose the appropriate form for his/her own purpose for writing such as journals, letters, editorials, reviews, poems, memoirs, narratives, and instructions (7-8);

(G)  use literary devices effectively such as suspense, dialogue, and figurative language (5-8); and

(H)  produce cohesive and coherent written texts by organizing ideas, using effective transitions, and choosing precise wording (6-8).

But a September essay?  Seems to me that we can compare and contrast stories, characters, literary elements, authors craft, etc. without ever torturing ourselves with an essay.  Maybe later in the year I could see this working, but right now, we just need to write to explain and discover and entertain and reflect and and problem solve.  We need to get motivated to write and to practice writing conventions within a safe space before forcing topics for mediocre results.  Might need to rock the boat on this one.  Maybe I can be quiet about it.

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