TEXT BASED COMPARISON CONTRAST ESSAY: TWO FAMILIES

 YOU WILL NEED TO ACCESS THE TWO TEXTS “TOGETHERNESS BEDHOUIN FAMILY TIES” AND “THE UK FAMILY:  IN STATISTICS” OFF THE BBC WEBSITE

The purpose of this writing task is to get the students to compare and contrast the typical UK, Turkish and Bedouin family for the purpose of proving that the basic characteristics of families are determined by the culture and traditions of the society of which they are a part.  It is important to make it quite clear to the students that they are not out to prove one is better than the other or to criticize but simply to show that families vary a lot round the globe from society to society and it is the latter which determines this variation. It might be interesting to see whether they can remain focused on the topic. With this in mind, it is suggested that you follow the procedure outlined below.

1.      Have students read “Togetherness: Bedouin family ties” off the BBC website and make notes on the basic characteristics of this family unit along with the reasons. The students will be able to identify with some of the features mentioned and the reasons behind them.

2.      Have them read “The UK family: In statistics” off the BBC website. Again have them make notes and invite them to speculate about the reasons for the trends.

3.      At this point you might like to divide the blackboard into three columns and transfer this data along with information concerning the typical Turkish family to the board. The students might want to distinguish between rural and urban environments: this is fine

4.      Last of all ask them to write the essay. It is suggested that you follow the plan below

I.                    Introduction (Introduce the family as the basic social unit). Thesis statement has to state that the basic characteristics of families are determined by the society and culture of which they are a part. ,

II.                 Dev : What is a “typical family”

III.               Dev: Where families live

IV.              Dev: “Work – life” balance

V.           Conclusion

Make sure to remind students that each paragraph of the development requires its own topic sentence which in turn has to fit in with the thesis statement.