LESSON 4.3
Writing a Hyperthesis for
a Comparison Paper
For Grades 7-12
You have decided to compare the theories of Hunt and Van Tilburg about how the Rapa Nui transported the moai to their final destination – an undertaking that could be 12 miles long.
What Statement
Begin by mentioning Hunt. That’s because his ideas were in contrast to Van Tilburg’s. You can’t begin with Van Tilburg, because that would imply that she was aware of Hunt’s theory – which she wasn’t.
Task 4.3.1 – Individual or Tandem
Two of the following have good What Statements. Which are they?
- In this paper I will discuss Hunt’s theory about moving the moai, then I will discuss Van Tilburg’s.
- Terrance Hunt believed that the Rapa Nui “walked” the moai to their final destination, whereas Jo Anne Van Tilburg believed that the Rapa Nui put them on sledges, which they rolled over logs.
- Terrance Hunt and Jo Anne Van Tilburg had theories about moving the moai.
- Terrance Hunt’s theory of moving the moai on Easter Island differed dramatically to Jo Anne Van Tilburg’s.
- I think that Terrance Hunt’s idea about how the moai were moved makes more sense than Jo Anne Van Tilburg’s does.
What Not to Do
Given such a prompt, most students will turn in a travelogue that talks about the island and, of course, its world-famous statues, the moai. Writing something like that bores readers because it does not tell them anything they do not already know.
What the students did wrong: They chose a subject based on what they knew. They should have chosen a subject based on what the experts can tell them.
What to Do
Remember the three steps for finding a subject:
- Brainstorm for quantity, not quality
- Grade the ideas
- Rank the A ideas
We are going to modify that a little for an assignment such as this:
- Brainstorm by finding articles
- Pick at least five
- Rank the articles
Get onto the Net. If you can get onto a Net through a university, that’s even better, but if not, you can still find excellent topics.
Do not settle on the first idea. There may be better ones, and probably are.
Instead, research until you have several possibilities.
Avoid books. Look for articles that—
- You can understand
- Are very factual.
- Have a reference list with at least 20 entries
- Is between six and twenty pages (i.e, not too short, not too long)
Process – Individual
Skim these Articles:
- Easter Island boat house – hare paenga
- New excavations in Easter Island’s statue quarry: Soil fertility, site formation and chronology
- Rethinking Easter Island’s Historic ‘Collapse.’
- A New Discovery at Easter Island Could Rewrite History As We Know It
- The ‘walking’ megalithic statues (moai) of Easter Island
- Rethinking Easter Island’s ecological catastrophe
- Ancient fishing activities developed in Easter Island
Decision Chart for Ranking Articles:
| Source | Correct number of pages | Fairly easy to understand | Has hypothesis | Has reference page | I am interested | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat house | ||||||
| Soils | ||||||
| Rethinking | ||||||
| New Discovery | ||||||
| Walking Megaliths | ||||||
| Rethinking – Scholarly | ||||||
| Moving Moai | ||||||
| Ancient Fishing |
There are eight sources, so you will grade them 1-8, with 1 being worst and 8 being best. To make judging easier, find the 8, then the 1, then the 7, then the two, and so on.
| Source | Correct number of pages | Fairly easy to understand | Has hypothesis | Has reference page | I am interested | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat house | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
| Soils | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
| Rethinking | 6 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 25 |
| New Discovery | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| Walking Megaliths | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 36 |
| Rethinking – Scholarly | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 23 |
| Moving Moai | 8 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 31 |
| Ancient Fishing | 2 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 21 |
Note
Some sources had reference pages, but the references were difficult to understand, resulting in a lower score. “Walking Megaliths” scored high but lacked a bibliography, which affected its ranking slightly.
Instead of picking a subject randomly, the decision chart helps you systematically evaluate and choose the best topic. For instance, “Walking Megaliths” and “Moving the Moai” are closely related, making them ideal for a comparison/contrast paper.
Old vs. New Theories
Moving the Moai: Traditional belief by Jo Anne Van Tilburg that the Moai were transported using sledges and ropes by teams of Rapa Nui.
Walking the Moai: New theory by Terrance Hunt and colleagues, suggesting the Moai were “walked” using a motion similar to moving a refrigerator.
Use the decision chart to finalize your topic, then dive deeper into the articles you’ve chosen. Begin drafting your paper by comparing and contrasting the old and new theories of how the Moai were moved on Easter Island.
Task 4.2.1 – Tandem
Download the following video. Answer the questions below.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/S4SZssH5iKs
Task 4.2.2 – Tandem
Download the following video. Answer the questions below.