Expository Essay
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1302_ExpositoryEssay.docxResearch-Based Expository Essay
Assignment Description
For this essay, you should choose one Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) from the list of SDGs posted online by the United Nations http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/peace-justice/ to write about in an expository essay. Expository essays help to explain a topic in detail, so their main purpose is to inform a reader about a topic, your chosen SDG. Usually, expository essays refrain from using personal opinion and rely more on facts. These facts may come from your own knowledge about the topic and from careful research to find reliable information.
Due Dates
September 8: Annotated Bibliography Due
September 15: Peer Review (Bring two printed copies to earn credit)
September 22: Revision Day (Bring an electronic copy to the computer lab)
September 29: Final Essay Due
Minimum Requirements
Your essays should
· Consist of 4-5 pages
· Adhere to MLA page formatting
· Cite at least six (6) reliable and appropriate sources. As part of these sources, you must use at least one book and one journal article. When possible, all six of your sources should be academic (such as books and journal articles). If this is not possible because your topic is too current, then you may use web, news, or other types of sources, but you should find the most reliable information possible even if you use web sources.
· Include a works cited page in correct MLA format.
· Contain an interesting title, an introduction with a thesis statement, several body paragraphs with topic sentences, evidence, and analysis, and a conclusion.
· Integrate research in the forms of quotes and paraphrases seamlessly into your essay.
Learning Objectives and Purpose
Your purpose in writing this essay is to explain your chosen SDG to an educated audience.
My purpose in assigning this essay is to develop your skills in using source information in your essays and to give you practice writing a structured academic essay. You should spend a great deal of time considering which source information you use and contemplating how you use the sources in your essay.
Process for Completion
Here are a few steps that might help you develop your essay:
1. Once you’ve chosen an SDG, determine if it needs to be narrowed or if a particular focus might help the argument.
2. After narrowing your topic if needed, you should make a list of everything you know about the topic and everything you want to know. This list will guide your research.
3. Now, you’re ready to start researching. Be sure to only include reliable sources in your research and to take careful notes to avoid accidentally plagiarizing your sources (see chapter 13 of our book).
4. Be sure to allow a few days to draft your essay. You may also want to outline before drafting.
5. Always allow several days to revise the essay. You will get comments during peer review, and you should consider those comments carefully. Each draft that you bring to class should be revised so that it contains the newest and best information.
6. Be sure to edit your essay for mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and proofreading.
Plagiarism
Please refer to the plagiarism policy in the syllabus and to this statement, written by Justine White, the English Corner Coordinator:
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Plagiarism includes failing to cite a direct quote with quotation marks and an in-text citation, borrowing someone else's work without a correct citation, bad paraphrasing…, purchasing a paper, having someone else write your essay, or turning in the same paper to two different classes. Any paper with plagiarism, even accidental (I forgot to cite that!), will receive a zero as a final grade. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to cite correctly. See…Purdue OWL for more help https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Rubric
The rubric below will be used to grade the final draft of your essays. To earn full credit, you must use at least six sources. You will lose five points from your final grade for each source not included.
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0-4 |
5-8 |
9-10 |
Your Score |
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Rhetorical Situation |
Essay demonstrates barely any understanding of purpose and audience. |
Essay demonstrates moderate understanding of purpose and audience. |
Essay meets the expectations of the audience and demonstrates a clear purpose for writing. |
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Thesis Statement/Topic Idea |
Essay lacks a topic idea. |
Essay has a topic idea but it isn’t written in a clear thesis statement. |
Essay has a clear topic idea that is written in a concise thesis statement. |
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Paragraph Development |
Generally, paragraphs lack development and focus. |
Most paragraphs are developed, but some may lack development or focus. |
Each paragraph is well developed and focused. All body paragraphs contain a topic sentence, evidence supporting the thesis statement, and clear analysis. |
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Organization |
Essay lacks essential paragraphs, and/or the body paragraphs are confusingly organized. |
Essay has an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, but some paragraphs may be misplaced or lack logical order. |
Essay follows a logical organization, usually with an introduction, several body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The body paragraphs flow well. |
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Introduction and Conclusion |
The introductory and concluding paragraphs need significant development. |
Essay has introductory and concluding paragraphs, but they do not provide enough essential information about context or relevance. |
Essay has interesting and informative introductory and concluding paragraphs that show the relevance of the topic idea. |
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Mechanics |
Mistakes in grammar and punctuation often make the essay difficult to understand. |
Essay has several mistakes in grammar and punctuation that sometimes hinder meaning. |
Essay shows firm grasp of grammar and punctuation. |
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Language/Word Choices |
Inappropriate word choices often make the essay difficult to understand. |
Essay occasionally has the wrong word or form of the word but is generally understandable. |
Essay uses appropriate word choices. |
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Overall Effectiveness of Explanation |
The explanation is not clear or is not logical. |
The explanation is usually but not always logical and clear. |
The explanation is logical and clear. |
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Integration of Evidence |
Evidence from outside sources does not seem to fit with the rest of the essay. There are several quotations not integrated into sentences. |
Evidence from outside sources is not carefully integrated into the essay. Quotes are incorporated into sentences, but they are sometime awkwardly integrated. |
Evidence from outside sources fits seamlessly into the essay. All quotes are integrated into sentences. |
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MLA Format |
The essay has more than three mistakes in MLA format. |
The essay has one or two small mistakes in MLA format. |
The essay, including the works cited page, is written in correct MLA format. |
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Grade Deduction for Missing Sources
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-5 for each source not included |
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Total Score |
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