Unit #12
11th and 12th English
Comparison/Contrast Papers
Read pp 216-224 and focus on the “point by point” method
of comparison/contrast papers rather than the “block method”.
Look especially at “Problems to Avoid” on page 218 about the
“so-what” problem.
Notice “Pattern One” on page 216. This is the method you
will be using.
Look at how the outline is arranged. There are three main points, then an “A” and a “B” under each main point. Notice that in each heading, “Mom’s” is always under “A” and “Mcphony’s” is always under “B”.
Assignment 12.1
In this assignment, we will combine the thesis statement and essay map into one sentence just like the example in the book. Write this one sentence (thesis and essay map combined) on a topic you can compare/contrast of your choice, or look at pp 219-220 for ideas. After this is done, write an outline (having three points) similar to the one on p. 216 under “Pattern One: Point by Point” and submit the thesis, essay map, and the outline at the same time.
(90 minutes)
Submit Assignment 12.1 (15 pts) due November 8
Assignment 12.2
Write your comparison/contrast paper using the information you submitted in assignment 12.1. I suggest looking at the “Sample Student Essay” on pp 221-224. This example is done in the point by point pattern and shows you how the paragraphs should look. Ignore that it is six paragraphs (you only need five). And also try to get over the really lame topic for the paper...who really cares about reading a paper about grocery shopping anyway? When submitting this assignment, include your outline from assignment 12.1 at the top of the page so I can refer back to it.
(2 hours)
Submit Assignment 12.2 (100 pts) due November 11
Point 1: Individual attention
A. Home daycare
B. Center care
Point 2: Consistency
A. Home daycare
B. Center care
Point 3: Germ-free environment
A. Home daycare
B. Center care
Every working parent knows the painful issue that
arises whenever it is necessary to locate and choose a new daycare
provider for a child. All of us want our children to be placed in the
best of hands where they will be well cared for, loved and nourished
while we work. Most of us are also aware of the sad stories that
sometimes result from bad day care. As a result, most parents have
debated the obvious choice that exists in most towns between home day
care and the larger day care center environment. I prefer home daycare
for my child versus center care because home daycare allows for
individual attention, more consistency, and provides a more germ-free
environment.
Every child needs individual attention in order to feel loved and to
develop self confidence in life. Young children develop better
attitudes later in life if their individual needs are met when they
are at this age. The first benefit that I see in a home daycare is
the amount of individual attention that can be given to each child.
In a home care arrangement, the teacher may have only five or six
children and can meet the needs of the individual children as they
arise. It is also easier for the teacher to engage the children in
successive activities without the complications that result from
having 15-20 kids trying to finish their projects. This seems far and
away better for early childhood development and it more nearly
replicates care that is provided in the child’s own home. In the home
care arrangement, there is always enough time for hugging, talking,
cuddling or reading a book to an individual child. But I can never
forget picking up my own little son from a large center where, on most
days, he always was standing at the window staring outside, waiting
for me to rescue him. In a center environment, teachers often care
for as many as 20 children with only one adult assistant. The few
children that are well behaved at the daycare center are practically
ignored because a teacher is dealing with all the problem students.
It is simply impossible to meet the children’s individual needs in the
manner that is needed for healthy development. The teacher cannot give
one child individual attention without being barraged by the crowd of
other kids, each seeking the same individual attention. Studies
indicate that these children later become aggressive, non-compliant
and withdrawn, perhaps because the care center can only provide care,
and rarely love.
In addition to love, children need consistent care in order to bond
with an trusted adult and develop a sense of security. At home daycare
the child has only one teacher for long periods of time, and he has a
chance to bond with that teacher and to develop a strong level of
trust. This is one of the best reasons that children belong in home
daycare rather than daycare centers. When we shifted our son to a
home care environment, he quickly developed a good relationship with
the care-giver and had a very healthy experience in this respect. The
young woman was a great person with similar views on raising children.
Our child fell in love with the situation and was always happy to go
there. This is in stark contrast to his attitude toward the earlier
care center, where he always was lonely, lost, confused and merely
waiting to be rescued during the entire day. In the care center, a
child is likely to wind up having a long string of different teachers
and care-givers. The person there one day could disappear the next.
Very few of those care givers seem to have genuine love for any child,
but merely put in their hours for a paycheck, while looking forward to
escaping responsibility at the end of the day. The child is very
unlikely to bond with any such persons, or to develop any healthy
trust for the overseeing adult. If the child bonds at all, it will be
with another peer, which can undermine everything that the child ought
to be learning from a responsible adult.
It’s the dream of most parents to keep their child healthy. Home
daycare often appeals to parents who want to keep their child in a
warm, friendly, homelike and more germ-free environment. The child is
less likely to pick up illnesses with a smaller number of children.
The number-one compliment that our son’s home care-giver got from us
concerned the fact that he did not get sick while staying there. The
home care system usually allows the teacher better opportunity to
maintain cleanliness in the facility. Furthermore, because this is a
small operation, usually in the teacher’s own home, the teacher’s
personal reputation always is on the line. She simply can’t afford to
let things get dirty or to allow anything to contribute to bad health
for her students. She doesn’t have a large crowd of students to blame
for any passing bug among them. Daycare centers with 50 or more
children in the whole center seemingly breed illnesses. The mere size
of the student body constantly infests the school with new strains of
every sort of malady that might exist. And there is a clear tendency
in such centers to relax standards for cleanliness. In a class with 20
students and hundreds of toys and other items that the kids use every
day, it simply is impossible to keep a sterile environment. As long as
our son remained in such a center, he was constantly victimized by new
colds and ear infections every two weeks. That was a travesty. A large
care center teacher might try to keep a sterile room, but the fact is
that she is lucky if she is avoids getting sick herself. Sick kids
are an unavoidable reality in those facilities.
Lots of parents struggle with making the decision between home
daycare and the care center, and it really comes down to the
advantages and disadvantages that meet your family's needs. But for
me, the issue is a no-brainer. I prefer home daycare for my child
because home daycare allows real individual attention, more
consistency, and a more germ-free environment. If you find a good
home daycare — one you feel comfortable leaving your child in every
day — then it can be a wonderful alternative to the large care center.
Your child can have all of the comforts and security of a home
setting, while having other children to play and socialize with, too.
As a parent, I am sure that I am doing my best to provide good care
for my child because I have known both systems and it is in the home
environment that I know my child will be best cared for.
Nov 7-11
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years....Read Chapter 25-27
