Grade 6: Compare-Contrast Essay

If your introduction makes a sluggish start, try one of these ideas.

Kick off with a question.

When was the last time you wrote a long letter? Maybe, like me, you've come to rely on e-mail. Though alike in some ways, these forms of communication affect a reader differently.

Tell a brief story.

I was shocked when it arrived—a neatly addressed envelope with a pretty stamp. A friend had written me a long, newsy letter on crisp stationery. I hadn't seen one of these in ages! What a difference from e-mail!

Begin with a startling fact.

Last week, members of our class sent more than two hundred e-mails. Although writing e-mail is different from writing a personal letter, these forms of communication have much in common.

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