2. AGENDA
• Review: Essay #3 Assignment
• The Thesis Statement
• Writing Strategies for Defining the Problem
• The Conclusion
• Annotating Sample Essay #3
• Outlining Essay #3
• Homework
3. Review: Essay #3 Assignment
In-class essay that you will write
(in class!) on Tuesday, March 6.
Can use an outline that you will
prepare for Discussion 17.
Bring a blue book.
At least 750 words.
MLA-style format and citations.
Prompt: Write an essay presenting
to your reader a well-defined
problem in education today.
Describe in detail the causes and
consequences, and convince your
audience that this is a problem
worth solving. Address your
presentation of your problem to
your audience: one or more
members of the education board,
its leadership, or to outsiders who
may be able to contribute to
solving the problem.
Note: you should not (yet) propose
a solution to this problem (that’s
for Essay #4).
4. Review: Essay #3 Potential Topics
Common Core State Standards
Student Learning
Technology
Social Media
Politics
High Stakes Testing
School Leadership
Instructors
Curriculum
Funding and Resources
Inequity
Classroom size
Poverty
Family factors
Bullying
Student attitudes and behaviors
No Child Left Behind
Parent involvement
Student health
Which of these did you narrow for your own topic?
5. Review: Essay #3 Research Requirement
While you can discuss your own personal experience, limit this to a single
example, and be careful not to turn this into a narrative essay about your
personal challenges in school. Rather than relying heavily on personal
experience, you should use facts, statistics, or data relevant to the larger
population affected by this problem.
To this end, quote (and cite) at least one outside source.
Harry Potter does not fulfill this requirement, nor does one of the articles we
read for Tuesday.
Your source should be a book or an article from a popular magazine or
newspaper.
You should locate this article using the library databases.
You should include your quote(s) and citation info from this article on your
outline.
What source did you find for Discussion 16?
6. Review: Causes and Consequences
Causes
What is the cause of this problem?
Are there multiple causes?
How did this problem come into
being or how was it created?
Ex.: A cause of school traffic
congestion might be the lack of
public transportation options near
that school.
Consequences
What effects does this problem
have--on students, educators,
and/or society at large?
Ex.: School traffic may cause
students to be late to class, which
may cause them to do less well in
school.
7. Now that you’ve chosen your problem
and narrowed it, what do you do?
8. The Thesis Statement
In a full proposal (essay #4), your
thesis statement will be the
solution that you are offering.
HOWEVER, Essay #3 is not a full
proposal. You are only describing a
problem.
So your thesis statement for this
essay (an explanation of the
problem) should be a statement
of the problem and its causes and
consequences.
9. Defining the Problem:
Writing Strategies
As you are describing the problem and discussing the causes and consequences,
you can make use of the following strategies (from SMG, p. 324).
10. The Conclusion
You should finish your essay by:
briefly summarizing the problem.
reminding readers of its
importance.
calling readers to action by noting
the consequences of inaction.
Note: In this essay, you are not
(yet) proposing a solution!
11. Sample Essay #3
Keep in mind, this is an “out of class” response to this assignment.
It is more polished than we are expecting from you.
12. Read and Annotate Sample Essay #3
Bracket/underline and then label the following components or strategies:
1. The MLA-style heading
2. The informative title.
3. The thesis statement.
4. The causes of the problem.
5. The consequences of the problem.
6. A specific example of the problem.
7. Personal experience or observation (anecdote).
8. Testimony of those affected by the problem.
9. Statistics.
10. Vivid description.
11. A conclusion.
13. Where is the thesis statement?
What is the problem?
What is the cause?
What are the consequences?
19. Conclusion
Briefly restates the problem and why it is a problem.
Suggests who should care and why.
Calls us to take action.
But does not specify the action! (That’s for Essay #4)
20. Writing Your Outline: Start It Now!
Informative or Interesting Title
Introduction
How will you introduce your problem?
How will you make it seem
important?
Your thesis statement:
State the problem: causes and
consequences.
Body paragraphs:
Cause(s)
Consequence(s)
Conclusion
Briefly restate problem
Who should care and why?
Do NOT include a solution.
Works Cited. Prepare accurately in
advance, include on your outline,
and then copy into your essay.
As part of your outline, include:
A brief reminder (one sentence) of
your personal observation or
experience (anecdote).
The quotation(s) from your outside
article, including accurate MLA
citation.
Any statistics or examples with
accurate MLA citations.
21. Homework for Tuesday
Write your complete outline (no
more than one page).
Post your outline for Discussion
#17
Bring your outline and a blue book
(available at the De Anza
Bookstore).
