Today, we discussed some of the problems you are having with essay writing. I have pasted the notes below. As an overview, the unit exam (comprehension multiple choice) has been moved to Wednesday, and the in-class essay (which is normally a secured, one day exam) has been extended to two days (Thursday and Friday) but must be done in class (it is NOT a take home).
Essay Concerns
· Titles must be about the topic NOT the story.
o “The Little Business Man” Essay (WRONG)
o The Importance of Quick Thinking (RIGHT)
· The introductory paragraph must have an attention getter about topic NOT story.
· The paper MUST BE double-spaced!
· Papers MUST Be written on one side only
· Must be written in dark blue or black ink (NOT PENCIL!)
· Indent new paragraphs, except the first one
· Make sure you put quotation marks around every reference to the short story
· When you use a name (ie: Sam Carter), Use the full name on first reference, then only the last name thereafter (except if mentioned in the conclusion).
· When writing out numbers, they are to be spelled out up to and including ninety-nine.
o Eg: Luke, a 12-year- old boy (WRONG)
o Luke, a twelve-year-old boy (CORRECT)
· Avoid using “You” in an essay!!!!!!!! (it can turn the reader off if not used correctly).
· …Change the "you" to "one" or use "him/he or her/she" to vary the pronouns. Or, if personal, use “I” (see Fit to Print Pages 188-189 & 199-202)
· Be sure to refer to the pronoun of a person as “who” not “that” or “which”
· An exclamation mark is for an extreme emotion (excitement!!!!). Avoid using it in an essay because, well, most of what you have to say is NOT that exciting (yes, I jest… sort of).
· Do not use “In my opinion”, or “I believe” in your essay. You can cut these words out and the sentence will still work.
o Eg: In my opinion, homework should be outlawed. (WRONG)
o Homework should be outlawed. (CORRECT)
· We need to work on capitals and comma usage
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