Essay 4 Topics and Instructions

Essay 4 will be your last at-home essay. It is an argument essay, so you will be taking a stand on a controversial issue. Also for Essay 4, you will also find your sources from the SIRS Researcher database on the Hinds library website. (Don't worry! I will explain how to find the sources.)

This assignment serves as a kind of mini-research paper to help you prepare for Composition II. If you can handle this paper, that is a good sign that you are prepared to move ahead. 

 

Essay 4: Argumentation (20% of your final grade)

Due Dates

Email Two Articles to Mrs. Speights: April 23rd (Sat)

Outline with Works Cited Page Due Date: April 23rd (Sat)
*For this outline, I will require a thesis and three topic sentences, along with a works cited page. You must write complete sentences.

Final Draft Due Date: April 30th (Sat) 


General Information on the Essay

The Hinds English department requires that at least two of your Composition I essays be responses to reading. This essay will be second of those responses. You will choose a topic (from my list below) in the SIRS Researcher database, form an opinion, and write an argument essay that includes material from at least two articles in the database.


Directions: View this screencast --> http://screencast.com/t/FFVU7istKNLh Links to an external site.

*I made this screencast last year, so the list of topics is slightly different. Also, you may use articles published 2010-2016. 

1. Go to the Hinds Learning Resources Center: http://www.hindscc.edu/locations-facilities/libraries/library-resources-and-database/index Links to an external site. 

2. Under the section Resources by Subject, choose Pro/Con Issues, and then choose SIRS Researcher.

3. At the top of the screen, you will see Leading Issues. Look to the right and click on Groups.

4. Go to the School, Family, and Youth section. You may choose one topic from the following:

  • Alternative Education: school vouchers, single-sex classrooms/schools, virtual classrooms
  • Education Policy: cursive writing, educational tests and measurements, merit pay for teachers
  • School Environment: cell phones in school, school schedule
  • Teenagers, Civil Rights: teens and driving

 5. Base your thesis on the pro/con question in your chosen topic.
    For example, the question for the virtual classrooms topic is:
    Are online classes as beneficial as face-to-face instruction in a traditional classroom?

    You would turn the question into a position statement such as:
    Online classes are/are not as beneficial as face-to-face instruction in a traditional classroom. (Pick either “are”
     OR “are not.”)

6. The body paragraphs should include: two paragraphs stating your reasons for your position and at least one
     paragraph rebutting an argument from the other side. The rebuttal should be first or last.  

7. Include a works cited page that includes entries for all of the sources that you use. You can find these entries    
    already made for you at the end of the SIRS articles. Be sure to choose the entry labelled as MLA.

 

Requirements for Using the Articles:

  • You must use 2-4 quotations total from at least two different articles. These quotes will only count toward the minimum if they are in the body paragraphs, not the introduction or conclusion. The SIRS topic overview article (labelled “At Issue”) will not count towards the two minimum articles. All articles must be published 2010-2016.

  • You can only use material from the articles in the SIRS Researcher database, unless you receive special permission.

  • You must email a copy of each article to me before I grade your paper.

  • You must have a lead-in and a citation for each quotation. The exception to the citation rule occurs when the article is only available as a web copy (without page numbers) and the author is introduced in the lead-in. See the examples on the "Guide to Using Sources in Essay 4" handout in this week's module. 

  • You must have a works cited page with entries for the articles that you quote in the essay.


Important Grading Notes:

1. If you do not follow the requirements for using sources, your essay grade cannot be above a C.

2. Failure to include quotes, citations, or a works cited page will result in an automatic zero.

3. All argument essays must address the concerns of the other side. You must rebut some argument from
    the opposition in at least one body paragraph.

 

 MLA Essay Format:
The essay should be at least five paragraphs long, have a minimum of 700 words (not including the works cited page), and demonstrate correct grammar. You must also do the following:

1) Use Times New Roman twelve point font            
2) Double-space                                                             
3) Create one-inch margins                                             
4) Insert your last name and page numbers at the top, right-hand side of the header
5) Put your name, my name (Mrs. Speights), your class section, and the date at the top, left-hand side of the first page.
6) Center your title. Do not use "Essay 4" as your title.