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Chronology, narration, and description are fundamentals of effective writing, so it makes sense to start with these basics in our first formal essay assignment. Please read this handout carefully; doing so will ensure your success with the project. Assignment: Write a 3-paragraph essay that includes chronology, narration, and description as methods of developing your ideas – telling your story. Purpose: The purpose of the assignment is to give you the opportunity to experience your writing process as you develop a formal essay.
Your purpose is to convey the significance of a personal experience to your readers. Audience: Me! This may seem obvious, but carefully consider what this means as you choose your topic. Length: Your essay should be at least 3 paragraphs – it may be more, but not less. The Writing Process for Short Essay 1: The following list outlines the process you will need to follow in order to receive full credit for the formal essay, so follow the instructions carefully, keeping documentation of each step. 1 .
Complete at least three pre-writing traceries: freighting, brainstorming, quadrants, and/or mapping-clustering. Review the ideas you’ve generated and choose a topic for your formal essay. 2. Repeat step 1 until you find a suitable topic. 3. Formatting and drafting will be started in the computer lab on Wednesday, September 25. 4. Bring a word-processed, printed draft to class for review on Thursday, September 26. Complete the workshop worksheet with your partner(s); keep the worksheet that was filled out by your partner and be sure his/her name is on it. Keep a copy of the workshop draft for your folder. . Revise your essay using the suggestions made by your peer reviewer(s), me, and/or tutor(s) in the Learning Center. Remember: make changes according to what you think is best for your readers! Print a copy of this draft (#2) for your folder. 6. Complete the Writing Reflection for Short Essay 1 (see the back page of this handout). Word process the reflection as a separate document. 7. Word-process the final draft of your essay and print it along with the Writing Reflection. 8. Complete the in-class editing exercise and hand in all required materials (see #1-10) for evaluation on Monday, September
Writing Reflection for Short Essay #1 : Please word process your final draft of this reflection. Your reflection will not be graded for grammar or mechanics. It should be at least %-page long. Your response should answer the following: Describe your decision-making process: how/why did you choose your topic? Are you still satisfied with that choice? Why/why not? Which pre-writing strategy was most helpful – freighting, brainstorming, quadrants, or clustering? Why do you think this strategy worked well for you? Did you work with another student to get suggestions for improving your essay?
Did you work with a tutor? Me? How did the suggestions you received help you make changes to the essay? Essay #1 Grading Criteria: Includes the materials (steps) outlined in “The Writing Process for Short Essay 1” on page 1 of this handout. Reflects the required formatting for formal essays – proper settings for font size and style, margins, headings, page numbers, etc. Demonstrates the qualities of chronology, narration, and description: вЂ?+ conveys the significance of the story or the significance of the person, place, or object being described. ?+ follows a clear sequence of events. вЂ?+ uses sensory details. Contains sentence-level errors that do not interfere with the focus and development of the ideas. A “B” paper: Includes the features described for a C paper. Includes an introduction that gives background information and a clear focus for the paper. Includes a conclusion that provides an ending to the paper and emphasizes the life lesson of the story. Contains only a few sentence-level errors, showing particular attention to correct forms of past tense verbs and sentence variety.
An “A” paper: Has the features described for both C and B papers. Includes especially effective sensory details – readers are able to hear, see, touch, smell, and/or taste what the writer is describing. Contains few or no sentence-level errors, showing particular attention to correct forms of past tense verbs and sentence variety. A “D” will be earned if the final paper is missing some or all of the materials outlined in “The Writing Process for Short Essay 1 . ” An “F” will result if the paper is not handed in. Grade/Comments: