Essay One--Draft Introduction and Informal Outline (Lady Bird)

Criterion

Submission: Was a copy of the essay properly submitted? Is the essay double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman font? Does the essay include an MLA heading, title, staple, and page numbers? Is the essay properly formatted? Is it proper length?

Introduction and Thesis: Does the essay begin with an effective introduction? Does the introduction begin by establishing the essay’s topic broadly? Does the introduction narrow by further defining the essay’s topics and preparing the reader for the thesis statement?

Does the intro conclude with a statement of thesis (a point)? Is the thesis arguable interpretation that is not a question or a statement of fact? In other words, the thesis must accomplish two goals: first, it must identify a feature of set of features through which is expresses meaning; second, it must make a claim as to how those features create a meaning that reflects upon our world.

Organization: Do topic sentences clearly define a topic for the paragraph? Do paragraphs relate the topic to the thesis and introduction? Are topics ordered in a logic aimed at proving the thesis? That is, each paragraph should build upon the analysis of preceding paragraphs.

· Writers should avoid artificial transitions such as “the first reason” or “another symbol.” These transitions often result from a lack of organizational logic.

· Does the essay avoid organizing with narrative chronology? That is, when the body begins with “at the beginning of the story,” the essay often becomes summary rather than analysis.

· Do paragraphs stay on topic and avoid topic shifts? Are relationships between sentences clear and logical?

Claims, Evidence, and Explanations (Development): Does the body meaningfully engage source material to support a stated thesis? Do body paragraphs make claims, support claims with evidence, and explain the evidence? Do paragraphs support the thesis through examples, explanation, and analysis? Does the essay rely on relevant detail?

No paragraphs should be very short since each topic requires a full analytical process. Are required sources used? Does the essay avoid summary?

Style: Does the essay use an academic tone and avoid casual phrasing? Does the essay argue and analyze in the present tense and reserve the past tense only for actual history? Does the prose use a variety of active sentence structures, avoiding reliance on “to be” verb forms? Does the essay set up use of quotations? Does the essay avoid use of personal pronouns (“I,” “you”) and imprecise terms (“things,” “stuff”)?

Correctness: Is the essay nearly free of typographical errors? Does the essay contain fewer than 3 major grammatical errors? Does the essay use words correctly? Does the essay correctly use underlining, quotation marks, italics, and other forms of punctuation and emphasis? Does the essay incorporate quoted material grammatically? Does the essay correctly employ MLA format and citation? Does the essay contain factual errors?

Synthesis: Does the author combine competency in the above criteria to generate an effective essay? Is one or more of the above criteria prohibitive to the overall effectiveness of the essay? Does the essay fulfill assigned requirements? Does the essay avoid “filler”?