Hello!
How are you? This is a post about one way to organize your comparison-contrast writing - in block style.
Take a look at the composition below. This is written in block style. Block style is good for showing contrast with two things. If you want to focus on the differences between two things, this style would be best for you. Take a look:
Block organization
In this
first paragraph, you show points of comparison between two things (A & B):
Elementary educational school experiences in the
U.S. and Japan have some similarities, but many differences that are reflective
of their societies. In both countries children generally begin school at the
age of 6, and continue their education for six years after. For many of the children it is a new and exciting world,
where they are first consciously interacting with children from different
families from their neighborhoods and their areas. They may be very nervous on
their first day of school, but soon they make friends with each other and
explore their worlds together.
This second paragraph shows
points of comparison-contrast about point
A:
But the differences can soon be seen when we look
at the daily routines of Japanese and American children in their schools. To
begin with, Japanese elementary school children wear uniforms, and work and
study together in groups to a degree that their American counterparts do not do
as much. Group coordination is central to Japanese childhood education, and
students with special needs, such as learning disabilities, may still not get
the special attention that many Americans might believe they should get. On the
other hand, Japanese children develop a sense of responsibility as a whole towards their
classrooms and schools that American children are not required to;
children in Japan have to clean their classrooms and facilities themselves, in
coordination with one another and under the supervision of their teachers, to a
degree that would amaze most Americans. In addition, a sense of play and
freedom is allowed in Japanese elementary education that some Americans may
find too permissive. Yet in terms of group cohesion and responsibility,
Japanese children may be more sensitive to the needs of others, and may therefore
be more socially aware and mature than their American counterparts.
This third paragraph shows points of
comparison contrast about point B:
By contrast, American elementary education stresses
the development of children as individuals to a degree that Japanese education perhaps does not. In American elementary schools, children do not wear uniforms and are not
expected to clean their own classrooms and schools. In
addition, while there are many group activities, they are not as central to the overall educational experience as they would be in most Japanese schools. The
American school day is also not as long on average as the Japanese school
day, nor do American children go to school for as many days in a year as Japanese children do; the average school year is overall shorter than the Japanese school year. While there are children who engage in activities such as sports, or piano or
ballet lessons, there is no concept of juku,
or cram school, as there is in Japan. American children do not have to do any after school activities
if they choose not to do them, and while many of the children get together and play with each other after school, sometimes on thee school grounds and sometimes at each others' homes, they can go home directly from their elementary
school day if they wish.
Now here are your concluding
sentences:
So as we can see, while there are similarities
between Japanese and American elementary school experiences, there are many
contrasts perhaps demonstrate the differences in the cultures of both countries, and that make the educational experiences consequently different from one another.
I hope this can help you in how to write by contrasting two different things.
After this post, check out the next post on point-by-point organization in comparison-contrast writing!
Image: "Blank Document Area Shows Copyspace White Background For Note" (courtesy of Stuart Miles)/FreeDigital Photos.net
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