EWRT1A-24: essay 1 due Tuesday, May 3rd

Remember that the final draft of essay 1 is due Tuesday. Two drafts are required, regardless if you handed in a first draft or not. MLA style, which includes both in-text citation and a works cited list as well as MLA formatting, is also required. Please e-mail me if you have any questions.

Here are some general comments based on the first drafts:

• One of the purposes of the essay is to engage with the readings in the class. This means both to use one of the readings as evidence in your paper and to engage with the ideas about education that the texts raise.
• Along the same lines as the previous point, one of the purposes of this paper is to relate your own experience to the readings. So don't simply discuss the reading and your experience separately. Focus on the places where they connect.
  
• Have a clear thesis statement that responds to the prompt and covers the scope of the entire essay. Also, I find it helpful to figure out if my thesis is one that is looking at effects (prompt 1) or causes (prompt 2). Clarifying this for yourself may help you to be clearer in your essay.
• Argue with specific evidence. A claim needs to be proven. You prove a claim with evidence. For this essay, evidence should come from one of the essays and from your own experience. And since your thesis is probably stating a cause and effect connection, your evidence needs to show that cause and effect connection.
  

Lastly, some of the overheads about body paragraphs that I used in class today can be found here and here.