SHARON’S BLOG

How are humans the same? How are we different from each other?

Explore this subject with your students and children as they dig into humanity and learn one method of comparing and contrasting as well.

This prompt comes in the form of a short video. I smiled and laughed through it but found something deeply sad in it as well. How will your students react to the silent messages in it?People all over the world--ethnicities, colors, political persuasions, age groups--share similarities and differences. Watch this video and make lists of similarities and differences, that is, things that make us the same and things in which we are different from others.Click here to view the music video titled “Dancing,” sung to “Trip the Light,” to check it out before you offer it to your students.

The video appeals to the best in our human nature and reminds us of what the world might have been like had we not fallen in Eden.

Your family can do the writing prompt with or without watching the video. You’ll be writing similarities and differences; this is the backbone of many compare-and-contrast essays and so is a good thing to practice, especially with fun topics.

Here’s the prompt:

Similarities and Differences

People all over the world—ethnicities, colors, political persuasions, and age groups—share similarities and differences. Watch this video and make lists of similarities and differences, that is, things that humans share in common and things that set us apart from each other.

After you’ve made your two lists, either decide which list is more important to you or draw some conclusions about humanity based on the items in your lists. Discuss your lists and ideas with your family.

Click here for a free tutorial on compare-and-contrast writing.

Yours for a more vibrant writing class,

Sharon Watson

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