You already compare things all the time: two songs on the same playlist, two messages from different people, two versions of the same story. Today you do that with poetry.

You will read two short poems written for this lesson, practise the claim-and-evidence move, then weigh two poems and write one Poetry Comparison Sheet. Use the pair your class chose as anchors in Lesson 91 (titles should be on the board). If those titles are missing, use Still On and The Pitch from this lesson for today only. That sheet is the only portfolio entry from today.

A comparison is not "I liked this one more". It is a claim, then evidence from poem A, evidence from poem B, then what the similarity or contrast shows. Name the technique in the claim when you can (line length, repetition, silence, everyday objects, sound).

Both poems below share a theme: home that is felt rather than said.

Still On

It is on when I leave
and on when I get back.
Nobody turns it off.
The kettle knows my hours
better than I do.
I hang my coat
on the same peg
every night
and nobody says
you are home.

The Pitch

The car is cold.
Dad has the radio on low
so he does not have to talk.
The pitch lights die behind us.
I still have mud on my boots.
He clears his throat once
and that is the whole conversation.
The heater takes the whole way home
to warm up.

Worked claim: Both poems show care without using the word love, but they use different techniques. In Still On, short clipped lines and everyday objects do the work: "Nobody turns it off." In The Pitch, silence and what is left unsaid do it: "He clears his throat once / and that is the whole conversation." Same theme; different techniques (line length and silence).

Using Still On and The Pitch from the previous step, write one short comparison point in the activity on this page. Make it a different point from the worked claim: not line length or silence. Name a technique or mood in your claim, quote from each poem, then say what the contrast or similarity shows. This is craft practice for the sheet you will write later. It is not your portfolio piece: leave the answer in the activity.

Use the two class anchor poems from Lesson 91 (titles should be on the board or in your Portfolio). If that pair is missing, use Still On and The Pitch for today only. Add both titles, write one short note in each cell, rate each poem, and set how much each criterion matters. One quick pass is enough. Changing the weights can change which poem comes out ahead: a comparison is reasoned, not just preferred. This grid is planning only; it does not go in your Portfolio.

This sheet is the only portfolio entry from today. Write a Poetry Comparison Sheet on your two anchor poems (the Lesson 91 class pair, or Still On and The Pitch if that pair is missing). Use at least three named techniques and one theme treatment. For each point, follow claim, evidence from A, evidence from B, then the contrast or similarity. Each point can be two short sentences; quotes can be two to four words.

Aim for a complete first draft in class with all four points written: three techniques and one theme treatment. That first draft counts for your portfolio if time runs out; mark-up and redraft can finish for homework.

When you finish, copy the version you are filing into your portfolio as m4_l103_poetry_comparison_<your-initials>.