Compare and Contrast Essay

This is a sample of a Compare and Contrast essay written by five students in my RtI class. The students read two true stories of success and compare the people involved. Here is their essay that was written together as a class.


Kings of the Water Road
Have you ever dreamed to be someone in the future? I know two people that had different conditions, but they both succeeded.

Kenny Roberts and Amy Van Dyken have some similarities. One similarity is they had conditions that made reaching their goal harder. Amy had problems with asthma. If you have asthma and you're in sports, it's harder to breath. Kenny Roberts had problems with being short and skinny. Kenny's problem was that he was too small for his motor bike, and his motor bike was to big for him. Another similarity is that both of them get teased or made fun of. Amy would get teased just because she was tall, skinny, and dorky until she made the NCAA National Swim Team. Kenny was teased about being small and not being tall enough for racing. Finally, the last similarity is they both won championships. Kenny was the first American to win the Grand Prix World Championship. Amy was the first American woman with asthma ever to win four gold medals in one Olympics.

Amy Dyken and Kenny Roberts have some differences too. One difference is, Kenny and Amy raced in different areas. Kenny raced on a race track all around Europe. Amy swam in a pool in the Olympics. A second difference is one listened to their doctor and the other did not. Amy listened to her doctor, and she joined swimming. Kenny Roberts doctor said, “You can not race any more because you broke your back.” He raced in a back brace and still one the championship. Lastly, Amy quit but, Kenny did not give up his dreams. Amy said that it was to hard for her with asthma condition but, she couldn't stay away from swimming so she went back to swimming. Kenny never gave up his sport. Lots of people thought he was to small for racing but he showed what he was made of.

These people never gave up there dream. They fought through their conditions, went through teasing, but still they knew success is what they wanted.

Written By: Alexa, Cormac, Jasmine, Samantha, Viridiana

Homebase FUN!

Have you seen the new game show "Minute to Win It"? It's great!!!! We will be doing a version of it during our Homebase time. Homebases will be competing against another Homebase. The first Homebase to complete the task will be claimed the winner. The games are simple but difficult to complete. It should be pretty fun for our sixth graders. Here are the games we will be trying. Check out the website and view some of the funny videos!
http://www.nbc.com/minute-to-win-it/how-to/

1. Breakfast Scramble-
Contestant must assemble two (but one at a time) 20-piece puzzle. Cereal box covers will be cut into 20 even pieces. The pieces will be in a single stack.
2. Caddy Shack-
Contestants are given three golf balls. The balls must be stacked vertically and they must stay upright for three seconds without falling.
3. Egg Roll-
Contestants must move three eggs across the floor and into a target area only by "fanning" the eggs with a student white dry erase board. Can use masking tape to make a 12" x 12" square.
4. Keep It Up-
Contestants using only their breath must keep 3 feathers afloat. Can not touch any part of the body.
5. Paper Scraper-
Contestants has to build a tower of index cards that is 10 levels high. Each level consists of two pre-bent cards with a flat card on top. You should check out the video for this one!
6. Spin Doctor-
Contestants grabs a single dime and spins it. The dime must be stopped in the upright position with a single finger. The finger and the wood block must both be in contact with the thin edge of the dime while it is stopped in the upright position. A correctly stopped dime should be placed in the teacher's hand. This must be repeated five times.

Ride Janie Ride

Lakeview Junior High together will raise money for a fundraiser called Ride Janie Ride. This program raises money for different blood cancers. For more information, go to www.ridejanieride.org and to see the three recipients this fundraiser will help! The object is to raise as MUCH money as possible within your homebase and try to build the BIGGEST motorcycle gang. For every $5.00 raised, your homebase will receive a motorcycle. When your homebase has raised $15.00, you get to invite another homebase over for games. At $50.00 your homebase receives an outside homebase. When $100.00 is raised, your homebase will be given a breakfast party! Any grade level that reaches $1,000 will have a field day outside for half a school day! This is SUCH a great cause since our district knows and is related to two of the recipients...lets pull together to make a DIFFERENCE!!!

Spring Fever!

Wasn't Spring Break wonderful??? The weather was wonderful and I had so much fun!!

Now that we are back, we need the kids keep working as hard as they have in the past. Homework will keep coming home and we will still be having some quizzes as tests. This is the time of year where the kids may need a little reminder of the importance of school.

BUT!!!!! Please encourage your child to play outside. There is no replacement for the warmth the sun can provide! There are some wonderful parks in our area. You are never to old to go down the tube slide or jump of a swing! Enjoy!! :)