English

Directions:

 YOU ARE REVISING YOUR ESSAY ON THIS TOPIC:   Do you support a tax on single-use plastic shopping bags, such as the 5-cent tax that Fairfax Country just approved? Why or why not?

 If you don't follow basic MLA guidelines, I'll return your essay to you and you'll have to fix formatting before I'll read it.

GUIDELINES FOR REVISING ORGANIZATION AND CONTENT:

1) Before you revise:  (1) check your feedback; (2) review the essay guidelines from the Draft 1 assignment; (3) look at the sample Summary-Response essay again:  (4) and look at the tips from TSIS Chapter 11 ("Revising Substantially").

If you submit your paper for additional feedback, make sure your reviewer has these directions:

TOPIC: Do you support a tax on single-use plastic shopping bags, such as the 5-cent tax that Fairfax Country just approved? Why or why not?

LENGTH: When you format correctly in MLA style, the length should be about 2 pages double spaced.

STRUCTURE:  This is a 5-paragraph academic essay with an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a brief concluding paragraph.   This is a short personal opinion essay, not a research paper; you can use either (or both) of the two articles we read for class as your "they say" material.  When you quote or paraphrase, make sure you identify the source clearly. 

Intro (1 paragraph):  hook + background information about the topic (summary - the "they say") + your thesis statement (the "I say").  Please use a general thesis statement as the last sentence of your intro; no preview of supporting points. Make sure your thesis is responding to the prompt question. Use of first person "I" is fine.

Body (3 paragraphs): each body paragraph should have a clear and complete topic sentence at the beginning which supports your thesis.  (Starting with a "they say" hook is also fine and encouraged, but optional. If you use a hook, it should be short). Explain your point; illustrate with examples and details; conclude by restating your point in different words and connecting to your thesis. 

Conclusion (1 paragraph):  DON'T simply repeat your body points here.  Restate your thesis (using different words) and leave your reader something to think about. What's your message? Why is this important? Is there a call to action?