Essay Topics

Essay 3:  Current Issues and Controversies

Write an essay that presents an argument about a topic you of your choice.  Consider both your position on the topic and your opposition's viewpoints.  Support your discussion with solid examples and evidence in addition to information from at least ONE credible source.  This source can be a newspaper article, book, magazine article, news program, Internet source etc.  Keep in mind that, especially with the rise of the Internet, anything can be published, even if it contains false information.    This is true for more traditional sources as well, so evaluate your sources carefully. 

Length: 3-5 pages (750-1250 words)

Your rough and final drafts must:

• Be typed and double-spaced

• Have 1” margins

• Use 10-12 point of an easy-to-read font

• Be spell-checked and proofread 

• Include evidence from at least one credible source in addition to any other personal examples or opinions you provide.

All deadlines are noted on your assignment schedule.

Other things to consider (but you do not necessarily need to address all of  these points in your essay):

• What has caused you to take your position?

• What do opponents think and why?

• Why is this topic significant (i.e. why should your reader care about it)? 

• What conclusions can you draw from the points you have made in your essay?

Sample topics:

• College athletics (e.g. Should athletes be paid? Do schools overemphasize athletics?)

• Steroid use by athletes (penalties? how to reduce usage?)

• Youth sports (e.g. “out of control” parents/coaches, pressure on youth to excel, benefits)

• College requirements (e.g. Should students be required to take general education courses?  Should students have to pass a writing exam in order to graduate?)

• Mandatory service (e.g. military or community service for all citizens?)

• Warning labels on books, tapes, CD's, or video games (e.g. Should they be there? Does the current system need to be revised?)

• Student cheating (e.g. penalties?  how to reduce?)

• Student clothing rules (e.g. should elementary or junior high/middle school or high school students be required to wear uniforms?  Should schools ban the wearing of “offensive” clothing?)

Again, you are welcome to select your own subject, provided it’s not one of the ones listed below.

“Off limits” subjects (only because I can’t handle reading another essay about these topics):

• Legalization of marijuana

• Death penalty

• Gun control

• Abortion

• Euthanasia

• Raising/lowering legal age to purchase/consume alcohol

• Violence and the media, video games, music

How to complete this assignment:

Step 1: Complete a prewriting activity

Use any prewriting method (freewriting, brainstorming, clustering, journaling etc.) to prewrite about the topic. 

Step 2: Create an essay proposal, working thesis, and outline

Using your prewriting, determine what your main ideas are.  Then, create a written proposal of your essay.  This proposal will consist of one paragraph that is at least 125 words (1/2 page) in which you identify your topic, note the main ideas you’d like to address, describe your writing process, and note the things you need to do to complete this essay.  Then, compose and provide at least 5 questions that you plan to answer in your essay. 

With this proposal in mind, construct a working thesis.  Then, create a topic sentence for each of your main ideas, and briefly note what points or details you will provide to support each topic sentence.  The 5 questions you asked in your proposal should be turned into statements and should be included in your outline either as topic sentences or as supporting points.  As in the past, your outline should look like this:

Working thesis:

Topic sentence 1:

Supporting point 1:

Supporting point 2:

Add any additional supporting points

 

Topic sentence 2:

Supporting point 1:

Supporting point 2:

Add any additional supporting points

Continue this work with additional topic sentences.

Step 3: Compose your rough draft

Using your working thesis and outline, compose your rough draft.  Review the methods we have discussed in class, and consider what type of introduction would be most effective for what you present in your body paragraphs.  Make sure your topic sentences clearly communicates the focus of each paragraph and how the ideas connect to your thesis.  Make sure all of your sentences in your paragraph support your topic sentence.  Be sure to include specific details and examples so that we can clearly understand your views and ideas.  Consider what type of conclusion would most be most appropriate and effective for your essay.

Step 4: Workshop your rough draft

Step 5: Revise, revise, revise! 

Final step: Edit and proofread your essay. 

Once you’ve completed your essay, you will need to compile the materials for your portfolio and place these items in a folder.  These materials need to be placed in this order:

• Self evaluation cover letter
• Your 2 “best” journals from 11/15-11/22 (label these “BEST”)
• Any other journals
• Grammar/Writing Logs
• Prewriting activities (including essay proposal, working thesis, and outline)
• Hard copies of rough drafts
• Workshop activity
• hard copy of revision with handwritten revision/editing/proofreading notes
• Final draft

Essay 4: Tuesdays with Morrie

Write an essay that presents an argument related to the book Tuesdays with Morrie.  Support your discussion with solid examples and evidence from the book and your own opinions.  Some sample topics are noted below in case you’re having trouble coming up with your own topic.

Length: 3-5 pages (750-1250 words)

Your rough and final drafts must:

• Be typed and double-spaced

• Have 1” margins

• Use 10-12 point of an easy-to-read font

• Be spell-checked and proofread 

• Include evidence from at least one credible source in addition to any other personal examples or opinions you provide.

All deadlines are noted on your assignment schedule.

Sample topics (borrowed and tweaked from Random House’s reader’s guide):

• Who do you think got more out of the Tuesday meetings, Mitch or Morrie?  How have you come to this conclusion?
• Select one of Morrie’s aphorisms (“statement of principle”).  How true is this aphorism?  How can the aphorism be followed?  How does Morrie support his idea and how do you support your position about his idea?
  • Example: Morrie believed, “You have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.  Create your own” (Albom 35-36). Is this possible?  How does Morrie support this idea?
• What is this book’s main lesson?  How does it apply to your own life?

How to complete this assignment:

Step 1: Complete a prewriting activity

Use any prewriting method (freewriting, brainstorming, clustering, journaling etc.) to prewrite about the topic. 

Step 2: Create an essay proposal, working thesis, and outline

Using your prewriting, determine what your main ideas are.  Then, create a written proposal of your essay.  This proposal will consist of one paragraph that is at least 125 words (1/2 page) in which you identify your topic, note the main ideas you’d like to address, describe your writing process, and note the things you need to do to complete this essay.  Then, compose and provide at least 5 questions that you plan to answer in your essay.   

With this proposal in mind, construct a working thesis.  Then, create a topic sentence for each of your main ideas, and briefly note what points or details you will provide to support each topic sentence.  The 5 questions you asked in your proposal should be turned into statements and should be included in your outline either as topic sentences or as supporting points.  As in the past, your outline should look like this:

Working thesis:

Topic sentence 1:

Supporting point 1:

Supporting point 2:

Add any additional supporting points

Continue this work with additional topic sentences.

Step 3: Compose your rough draft

Using your working thesis and outline, compose your rough draft.  Review the methods we have discussed in class, and consider what type of introduction would be most effective for what you present in your body paragraphs.  Make sure your topic sentences clearly communicates the focus of each paragraph and how the ideas connect to your thesis.  Make sure all of your sentences in your paragraph support your topic sentence.  Be sure to include specific details and examples so that we can clearly understand your views and ideas.  Consider what type of conclusion would most be most appropriate and effective for your essay.  Make sure you have properly cited all ideas from the book and compose a work cited page.

Step 4: Workshop your rough draft

Step 5: Revise, revise, revise! 

Final step: Edit and proofread your essay. 

Once you’ve completed your essay, you will need to compile the materials for your portfolio and place these items in a folder.  These materials need to be placed in this order:

• Self evaluation cover letter
• Your 2 “best” journals from 11/29-12/6  J11, 12, 13 (label these “BEST”)
• Any other journals
• Grammar/Writing Logs 11, 12, 13, 14
• Prewriting activities (including essay proposal, working thesis, and outline)
• Hard copies of rough drafts
• Workshop activity
• hard copy of revision with handwritten revision/editing/proofreading notes
• Final draft + work cited

• Have an idea you'd like to share with me?  Email me at [email protected]