Skip to Main Content

ESL 400 Son-Chan

Essay 2: Addressing an Educational Issue

Essay 2: Addressing an Educational Issue 

Choose one topic from one of the course readings below and relate it to an issue in education today using at least one article from the library database or other outside sources. 


Readings

Mother Tongue, Amy Tan
  • Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” The McGraw-Hill Reader: Issues Across the Disciplines, edited by Gilbert Muller, McGraw-Hill, pp. 76-81.

Disability is Diversity, Courtney Wai  

Blue-Collar Brilliance, Mike Rose   

Alarmed by A.I...., Kalley Huang


Thesis statement: Your thesis should identify a main idea from the class reading and state how that idea is relevant to an issue today. 

 

Evidence: Summarize, paraphrase, and quote from one class reading and at least one outside source about the issue you chose. Since this is not a personal essay, do not use “I” in this essay.

 

Outside sources can be from the library database, news/magazine websites, government websites ending in .gov, and non-profit organization websites.

 

**Can I cite Wikipedia? 

No, information in Wikipedia is not peer-reviewed. It can be written or edited by anyone. Therefore, Wikipedia is not a reliable source.

 

Consider these Questions:

  1. What are the core ideas or principal messages of the class reading you chose?

  2. How does the reading relate to a current educational issue?

  3. What are the core ideas or principal messages of the outside reading you chose?

  4. How can the readings help us understand or solve the educational issue?

 

Requirements: MLA compliance. See below and check off when done:

3-4 pages

 

12 point font Times New Roman. 

1 inch margins on all sides. 

 

Full name, professor, class, and date in left hand corner

 

Page number and last name in right hand corner

 

Title Centered, unbolded, first letter of each content word capitalized

 

Double space entire essay (NO space between paragraphs) 

 

Use the tab button to indent before each paragraph. Do not add a line space.

 

Works Cited list and in-text citations correctly formatted

 
 

ESSAY 2: Addressing an Educational Issue

Category

Description of an excellent paper*

Points

Title

The title is unique, centered, capitalized, and uses
regular 12 point font (not bolded or italicized).

                /6                           

Introduction

The introduction has a hook, is compelling, and presents general background information.

              /8

Thesis Statement

The thesis is one complete sentence identifying a main idea from the class reading and stating how that idea is relevant to an issue today. 

The thesis reflects the essay organization.

              /8

Organization

The organization follows the thesis statement.

Each paragraph has well-formed topic sentences with relevant support and details. 

Paragraphs are organized logically.

              /8

Body Content 

The body content is thoughtful and well developed. 

Ideas are supported well with clear, relevant details.

              /8

Quotation

The writer summarizes, paraphrases, and quotes from one class reading and from at least one outside source. 

 

The writer integrates quotes into text with proper “quote sandwich.”

            /8

Conclusion

The conclusion provides an articulate summary of the main idea and current issue and offers a final comment.

              /8

Grammar & Mechanics

There are few distracting errors. The student has incorporated feedback from the professor on their draft and demonstrated improvements.

              /8

Format

Paper follows MLA formatting instructions. 

                /8

TOTAL

 

            /70                                  

*If significant portions of work are plagiarized, this scoring is not applied, and the paper will likely earn an F.