In The Freedom Writers Diary, we read an inspirational story about a group of students who find the motivation to change their lives and about a teacher who made a difference in the lives of her students. Yet there are many such stories about inspirational teachers and their amazing students. What can we learn from their examples?

For this essay, you will compare the events in The Freedom Writers Diary to one of the following movies:

• Stand and Deliver

• Mr. Holland's Opus

• Dangerous Minds

• Lean on Me

• Dead Poet's Society

• To Sir with Love

As you write your  Comparison/Contrast essay, you will want to avoid simply stating, "there are similarities and there are differences between the two stories." Of course there are! That is obvious, and you could say the same thing about almost any two things or people. Instead, narrow the focus of your paper. Do you want to focus on the experience of the teachers or the experiences of the students? Think about their struggles, their guides, their companions. The key to a successful essay will be to have a very clear sense of what we can learn by looking at the two stories together.

Your essay will need to be a MINIMUM of THREE pages  in length. 

Prior to submitting your essay to me in class, you must submit your essay to Turnitin.com. Assignments that have not been submitted to Turnitin will not be evaluated.

When you turn in your final draft you will need to include the following items IN THIS ORDER.

1. The final draft of the essay. I will grade whatever is on the top. Remember that your essay will need to follow the format outlined in class. Formatting errors will cost you four points each.

2. A letter to me in which you discuss what you liked about this topic. What did you find difficult about this assignment and what did you do to overcome those difficulties? What do you think are the strengths of your essay? What would you still like to work on if you had more time? Keep in mind that the letter is not an opportunity for you to "sell" your essay to me. I will not read the letter until after I have given your essay a grade. I simply want to hear your assessment of your writing.

3. All of your rough drafts and prewriting.

When you come to class the day your  essay is due, your packet should be ready to go.  I will not have a stapler or paper clips with me.  You need to take care of all of this before you come to class.