Compare and Contrast Essay Writing Activities & Graphic Organizers for Grades 8

No. This resource is for single-classroom use only. In order to share it, you must purchase additional licenses. 

For more information, see ESL Lifeline’s Terms of use.

All resources are designed to be printed as they are packaged, within the PDF file.

• • PRINTING ISSUES: Though all resources have been tested and trialed prior to distribution to ensure quality, computer and printer settings can cause some resources to print as intended.
    • When experiencing printer issues, please refer to the guide below for support:
      • TRY THIS FIRST: When you open the resource in your preferred PDF viewer (Adobe, etc.) and go to print the pages, select printer setup (settings).
      • Be sure that the paper size is set to letter or A4, and check the the ‘scaling’ of the pages is set to 100% or ‘scaled to fit’.
      • For more modern printers, the printing tab on the computer screen usually offers a ‘preview window’ that shows you exactly how the resource will be printed. If your printer has this feature and software, ensure that you look at it before printing.
      • Then, try the printing again.
      • A solution that has also worked in the past is selecting & printing from the PDF only the pages you want to print, instead of printing the whole PDF document.
      • Printing issues do surface from time to time depending on the software being used, so it’s always wise to ensure that your printer drivers are up-to-date.

ESL Lifeline’s resources and material are custom built for secondary middle and high school students. Usually, this means students between the ages of 11-18. 

On the CEFR, ESL Lifeline’s resources range between B1-C1 – Intermediate to Advanced. 

Many of the resource are suitable for adult learners as well. 

Though built for secondary students, he resources can be used across multiple grade levels and age ranges. Teachers know their students the best. It is recommended that, before you purchase a resource, you read the product description carefully and take note of the specific ages and ranges that it recommends. 

Teachers from all over the world have used ESL Lifeline’s resources and materials with great success. A lot of the feedback received has to do with the breadth of content and how much there is in a single lesson. Some teachers have even said they can get 1-2 week out of a single reading comprehension lesson.

While the experience of each lesson will vary depending on the teacher, class demographic and other key variables, many lessons plans ESL Lifeline provides have been written to extend past a single class session. To get the most out of all the content in each lesson plan and all the materials, always consider the pacing of your particular class and how students are responding to the lesson in the moment. For language learning, it is often beneficial to revisit certain parts of a lesson to reinforce concepts and check comprehension. Extending skill lessons into even small, more manageable chunks is also a good strategy to ensure all learners in your class are able to access the content.

Many of the lessons and activities offer extension activities for productive follow-ups that take the subject and language even further. If you are looking to extend or, even, differentiate the learning, it is recommended to use these activities.

There are usually one or two file types available for download: PDF and Zip files.

• • PDF FILE TYPES: PDF files contain the entire resource, with all resource notes, lesson plans and materials included in one file. To download and open a PDF file, your computer will need a PDF reader. Double click the PDF file you wish to use and the download will start automatically.
    • Open your ‘Download’s folder on your computer and the resource will be there after the download is complete. The file name may contain extra wording after download, but the original name remains within the document.”

• ZIP FILE TYPES: When a single resource contains multiple file types – for example several PDFs, PowerPoints, or images – they will be available in a ‘Zipped’ file. To download and open the zipped file, double click on it and the download will begin automatically.
  • Open your ‘Download’s folder on your computer and a folder with the resource will be there after the download is complete. At times, extra wording is added to the file name as it filters through your system. This does not, however, change the resource and its original name will be contained within the text as well.
  • Double click the folder to open the resource and you will see the contents. Oftentimes, ESL Lifeline’s zipped files contain separate PDF files for easier printing and organization of resources. For instance: when there is a student booklet available for a resource, this may be separated from the teachers notes and lesson plans. In this way, all you would have to do is open that PDF and print it as is to distribute to students.
  • ESL Lifeline has many professional PowerPoint presentations included in its catalog. While these files require Microsoft PowerPoint to access and use, they will always be contained within a zipped file. This ensures that you will receive both the PowerPoint and resource notes along with it. For more information on PowerPoint, please see the separate section below.