English

Refresh on the two mindset articles: Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn" Download Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn"and Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic."Download Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic.                                                       

Choose one of the essay prompt options to narrow your learning experience focus from 5.1 Essay Prompt and Specific Paragraph Requirements.

Write your essay's introductory paragraph to include a hook, bridge, summary, and thesis statement using 5.1.2 Lesson: Writing an Introductory Paragraph. 

Write your essay's Body 1 paragraph to include a topic sentence, evidence, transitions as needed, and a summary statement to meet the prompt and body requirements using 5.1.4 Lesson: Writing a Body Paragraph.

Format your document using 5.1.1 Lesson: How to Format Your Essay's Layout.

Submit your essay's introduction and body 1 for feedback. 

5.1 Essay 1 Prompt and Specific Paragraph Requirements Essay Prompt

Think about your learning experiences over the years and how hard you have worked to get better at something. This could be a specific job skill, talent, hobby, or class subject.  It should be something that was important to you that required a lot of effort and hard work for you to learn how to do it or get really good at it.  Plan and write a 4-paragraph essay that explains how you developed your specific abilities through hard work and dedication for ONE of the following learning situations: a specific job skill, talent, hobby, OR class subject. Select the prompt option where you can best explain your effort and determination to improve at something important to you that a general audience would understand and that would best meet the essay requirements and demonstrate the writing skills taught in the lessons. Requirements

Your final essay submission must include an introductory paragraph, body 1, body 2, concluding paragraph, and Works Cited page, demonstrating the skills taught in the course lessons to meet the rubric's grading criteria.

Your final essay must be 2.5-3.0 pages in length when MLA formatted before your MLA Work Cited page.

Important: Using unapproved sources or Artificial Intelligence in this essay would result in an F (a zero) on the essay.  Essay's Paragraph Structure and Requirements

Introduction – Write an introductory paragraph that introduces your essay: Your paragraph needs to begin with a hook on the broader subject (something about learning and hard work or determination to succeed that your audience would understand and find relatable). Bridge into the essay's topic (learning to get better at something important) and provide some summary/context (introduction to your specific learning situation and what a growth mindset is).  End on a thesis statement (states the essay’s main idea, which identifies the specific learning experience and why in this area improving mattered so much to you). The writing must be natural and organized to create cohesion among these elements for an effective introduction.  Refer to Lesson: Writing an Introductory Paragraph. Remember, your essay is about one specific learning experience based on the prompt option you selected, so you need to think about what Body 1 will explain and show early on in your learning and then what Body 2 will explain and show later on in your learning.

Body 1 – Early On: Write your first body paragraph to explain the first way you worked hard to develop and improve your abilities in the chosen learning situation. To do this, start with a topic sentence that identifies what specifically you were learning to do/improve in the situation you selected as your focus and why it was important. Develop support by weaving in explanation, example, and a specific illustration to show how you developed your abilities through your hard work and determination. Connect to the assigned Dweck or Richard article by integrating one quote from either articles that explains an attribute of having a growth mindset (like how they see effort, how they develop their abilities, how they react to a setback, depending on what your paragraph shows. Integrate, cite, and explicate quote. Relate the idea in your quote and quote explication back to your experience. End on a summary statement. Use transitions as appropriate. Writing should be clear, organized, and authentic, helping your audience understand your unique experience when learning.  Refer to Lesson: Writing Body Paragraphs.

Body 2 – Later On: Write your second body paragraph to explain the second way you worked hard and continued to develop and improve your abilities in the same chosen learning situation.  To do this, start with a transition and new topic sentence that identifies what specifically you were

learning to do/improve in the situation you selected as your focus and why it was important. Develop support by weaving in explanation, example, and a specific illustration to show how you further developed your abilities through your hard work and determination. Connect to the assigned Dweck or Richard article by integrating one quote from either articles that explains another attribute of having a growth mindset (like how they see effort, how they develop their abilities, how they react to a setback, challenge, use criticism to learn, etc. depending on what your paragraph shows. Integrate, cite, and explicate quote. Relate the idea in your quote and quote explication back to your experience. End on a summary statement. Use transitions as appropriate. Writing should be clear, organized, and authentic, helping your audience understand your unique experience when learning.  Refer to Lesson: Writing Body Paragraphs.

Conclusion – Write a concluding paragraph that summarizes what was proven and reflects on the significance the experience has had for you. Your paragraph needs to create a cohesive conclusion that begins with a restated thesis to reinforce what was proven, synthesizes the main ideas, offering a reflection on its overall impact on you, and ends with closing remarks directed at the audience, offering them a unique takeaway. (Conclusions do not include evidence since they focus on what the essay already explained and proved.) Refer to Lesson: Writing a Concluding Paragraph.

Works Cited – Create an MLA Work Cited page that documents your essay’s required sources: Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn" and Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic."  Be sure to have used both at least once in your essay. Refer to Lesson: Creating a Works Cited to create your Works Cited, using the lesson to document and and format your entries. Make sure you used both articles in your essay as required above.

Point of View –  Write using 1st person (I, me, my) for your personal details and 3rd person when directing something towards the audience or in general about growth mindset (people, everyone, etc.). Do not write in 2nd person (you, your).

Style and Mechanics – Edit your writing for punctuation and mechanics.  Refer to Lesson: Varying Sentence Structures in Your Writing.

5.1.2 Lesson: Writing an Introductory Paragraph

Requirements for an Introductory Paragraph  This lesson walks you through the 4 elements of an introduction:

hook, bridge, summary, and thesis statement. Make sure you have read the instructions and chosen a prompt from

Essay 1 Prompt and Specific Requirements page before you begin writing

your essay's introductory paragraph.  Hook: Begin your introduction with a 1-2 sentence hook that gains

your audience's interest on a broader but relatable topic. In the case of this essay, the broader subject is learning. Your opening sentence should establish common ground with your readers before jumping into your specific learning experience or what a growth mindset is, so write your hook about learning and hard work or determination to succeed that your audience would understand and find relatable.

Bridge to Essay Topic  >  Begin Summary: Once you have written a hook, you need to bridge from that hook's idea into your essay's topic, which is learning to get better at something important. Then, provide the necessary relevant context by explaining what a growth mindset is (integrate, cite, explicate a quote that defines this) AND introducing your specific learning situation. BOTH of these prepare your audience for your thesis. (Use either Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn" Download Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn"or use Richard's "The Mindset Graphic" Download Richard's "The Mindset Graphic"for your introduction's one quote that explains what a growth mindset is.)

Thesis Statement: The last sentence of your introductory paragraph is your thesis, where you identify the specific learning experience AND state your main reason improving your abilities mattered to you.  AVOID announcements: Don't "announce" your thesis by saying something like "In this paper, I will prove..." or "This paper will show..."  Avoid  announcements of any kind please.

Point of View:  Write using 1st person (I, me, my) for your personal details and 3rd person when directing something towards the audience or in general about mindsets (people, everyone, etc.). Do not write in 2nd person (you, your).

Style: The writing must be natural and organized to create cohesion among these elements for an effective introduction and allow your voice to come through clearly. Example Introduction  Hook > Bridge and Introduce Topic > Summary (set up context for your situation) > Thesis Statement   Getting really good at something doesn't always come easy and can require a lot of hard work to learn the necessary skills. Having the right mindset can help. When people understand that they can develop, this is a growth mindset because they recognize that "quote something from assigned reading that defines what a growth mindset is for your audience" (cite using author's last name, page or par. #). Explain quote briefly in 1-2 sentences to establish context. Transition into your situation. When it comes to developing my abilities, I have shown a growth mindset, particularly as a dancer. Dance

requires determination and practice to become fluid in the movements, which is very true in ballet, where I was determined to succeed.  Therefore, to achieve my goal to become the company's principle ballerina, I pushed myself and practiced to develop my skills. This student example is for illustration only.

5.1.4 Lesson: Writing Body Paragraphs   Body Paragraph Structure Remember, your essay is about one specific learning experience based on the prompt option you selected, so you need to think about what Body 1 will explain and show early on in your learning and then what Body 2 will explain and show later on in your learning for the chosen prompt you selected in 5.1.

Body 1 – Early On: Write your first body paragraph to explain the first way you worked hard to develop and improve your abilities in the chosen learning situation. To do this, start with a topic sentence that identifies what specifically you were learning to do/improve in the situation you selected as your focus and why it was important. Develop support by weaving in explanation, example, and a specific illustration to show how you developed your abilities through your hard work and determination. Connect to the assigned Dweck or Richard article by integrating one quote from either articles that explains an attribute of having a growth mindset (like how they see effort, how they develop their abilities, how they react to a setback, depending on what your paragraph shows. Integrate, cite, and explicate quote. Relate the idea in your quote and quote explication back to your experience. End on a summary statement. Use transitions as appropriate. Writing should be clear, organized, and authentic, helping your audience understand your unique experience when learning. 

Body 2 – Later On: Write your second body paragraph to explain the second way you worked hard and continued to develop and improve your abilities in the same chosen learning situation.  To do this, start with a transition and new topic sentence that identifies what specifically you were learning to do/improve in the situation you selected as your focus and why it was important. Develop support by weaving in explanation, example, and a specific illustration to show how you further developed your abilities through your hard work and determination. Connect to the assigned Dweck or Richard article by integrating one quote from either articles that explains another attribute of having a growth mindset (like how they see effort, how they develop their abilities, how they react to a setback, challenge, use criticism to learn, etc. depending on what your paragraph shows. Integrate, cite, and explicate quote. Relate the idea in your quote and quote explication back to

your experience. End on a summary statement. Use transitions as appropriate. Writing should be clear, organized, and authentic, helping your audience understand your unique experience when learning Example Body 1 Paragraph Topic Sentence > Explanation and Example > Illustration > Integrated "quote" (cited). Quote Explication > Relate to you > Summary Statement As a ballet dancer, I had to work hard to improve the fluidity of my movements to become more proficient as a dancer. While I understood all of the positions and could perform them, my choreography was too rigid, and my movements weren't smooth at all. For example, I was finding it difficult to land each time I had to spin or whirl. I realized that my concentration was off, which was contributing to the rigidity, so I came up with a new strategy: practicing meditation while dancing. Every dance practice over the course of a few weeks, I used the breathing techniques that I learned to become more attuned to the sensations I experienced while dancing.  This helped me stay focused in the moment and trust my instincts.  I performed smoother drops and had less tension on my face. In particular, when I was executing a difficult turn, the Fouette, that requires the leg to move in a fast whipping motion, I had a soft landing and my feet were positioned perfectly. The new strategy really worked, but it took a loy of determination to stick with it, noticing the progress I was making.  What I realize now is that dedication and persistence is how a growth mindset sees effort. Understanding the path to getting better at something requires "select a quote from the assigned article to explain what a growth mindset understands" (cite using author's last name, page # or par. #).  Write 2-3 sentences of quote explication focusing on what the quote says and suggests before connecting back to you and your situation.  Connect the idea from your explication back to you by writing 1-2 sentences that make the connection between the quote's idea and your situation learning.  End the body paragraph on a summary statement to reinforce the significance of what you proved in the body paragraph, like this After weeks of incorporating meditation into my dance practices, I noticed improvement in my movements, which encouraged me to stick with the new strategy.

This example is for illustration only. Elements of Each Body Paragraph: Step by Step

Topic Sentence Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies

what you were learning to do in your chosen learning situation and why this skill was important to develop (that's your paragraph's main idea in the first sentence of EACH body paragraph).

Evidence

Organize your supporting details so that it flows naturally and logically in your writing of the paragraph.

Explanation: Explain your reason in greater detail to ensure your reader understands your thinking.

Example: Offer an example of what you did to develop the skills you needed in the chosen area.

Illustration: Transition from something in the the general example of what you did to improve into a more specific illustration or anecdote that will take readers into a specific moment or memory of your hard work, determination, or persistence in improving your abilities in the chosen area.

Integrated Quote from the reading: Helps readers understand how your experience relates to the assigned reading. Integrate a quote that explains an attribute of having a growth mindset that fits with your paragraph's purpose.

Quote needs to come from Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn" Download Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn"or Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic." Download Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic."Quote must be integrated, cited, and explicated showing use of the lesson below. Integrating a quote

To integrate a quote from the assigned reading, you need to introduce the IDEA that the quote will then explain for to establish context for the quote and structure it to let the quote complete the sentence's thought, like these examples show: Examples

Having a growth mindset means "understanding that intelligence can be developed through hard work"

Having a growth mindset means "quote the reading to show what it means"

To improve performance takes "quote the reading to show what it takes"

Everyone can develop their intelligence as long as they are willing to "quote the reading to show whta they have to do" AVOID using source attribution as the quote integration: Do NOT identify the name of the source, the author of the article, the location of the quote, or the type of source as your quote integration. That is source attribution, and that information is located either in the parenthetical citation or the Works Cited, so it has its place there already. Using  source attribution creates an "empty integration" because it does not create the necessary context for the quote or or cohesion in the writing.

Parenthetically cite after the quote

Cite your quote using a parenthetical citation that identifies the

source by last name and location of the quote by page or paragraph number. This allows your reader to check the accuracy of your quote and locate it in the article. Examples

Integrated "Quote" (Author's Last Name, Location). Explicate quote.

Having a growth mindset means "understanding that intelligence can be developed through hard work"  (Dweck, par. 3). Explicate quote.

Everyone can get smarter as long as they "understand that intelligence can be developed through hard work and persistence, and they are willing to try new strategies"  (Dweck, par. 17). Explicating the quote

After you quote and cite, you need to write quote explication, where you explain what the quote says and what it implies in your own words. To do this, write 2-3 sentences of focused quote explication after a quote, where you focus on an idea or ideas in the quote in order to explain and interpret the quote's meaning to your audience. Example:

Everyone can get smarter as long as they "understand that intelligence can be developed through hard work and persistence, and they are willing to try new strategies"  (Dweck, par. 17). It takes practice to get better at something, and people with a growth mindset understand that. It may include being open to trying a different approach in order to improve, but it works if a person sticks with it.

Connect/Relate Explain how the idea in your quote and quote explication relates

back to your experience using 1-2 sentence. This creates cohesion between your personal details and the quoted evidence from the reading. Summary Statement

End the paragraph with a summary statement sentence that reinforces the significance of what was proven about the main idea. Point of View, Style, and Editing

Point of View: Write using 1st person (I, me, my) for your personal details/experience. Write using 3rd person when explaining mindset in general or directing something towards the audience (people, everyone, etc.).  Do not write in 2nd person (you, your).

Style and Editing: Include a few transitional words or phrases within each body paragraph to create cohesion among the sentences, where needed, and to emphasize a specific point, but be careful to not overuse transitions because it can create formulaic writing. Writing should be natural and sound like you. Writing should be edited for grammar and punctuation and have varied sentence structures.

5.1.1 Lesson: How to Format Your Essay's Layout Instructions for MLA format

MLA formatting is required for your essays, and the format is explained below along with an example image.  

Here is an Example Essay Template Download Example Essay Template you can download, tweak, and use. Specific Requirements 

Font size and style: Calibri 12 or Times New Roman 12  Spacing: 2.0 Margins: 1-inch top, bottom, left, and right Pagination: Located in the upper right corner of each page. Need to

use the insert page numbers tool in MS-Word rather than a header. Add your last name. See example below.  

Identification: Located on the left side of the page. Type the necessary information on page 1 only using the first four lines to include the following: your name, professor's name, ENC 1101, and date

Title: Center only your essay's unique title Example Format Refresh on the two mindset articles: Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn" Download Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn"and Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic."Download Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic.                                                       

Choose one of the essay prompt options to narrow your learning experience focus from 5.1 Essay Prompt and Specific Paragraph Requirements.

Write your essay's introductory paragraph to include a hook, bridge, summary, and thesis statement using 5.1.2 Lesson: Writing an Introductory Paragraph. 

Write your essay's Body 1 paragraph to include a topic sentence, evidence, transitions as needed, and a summary statement to meet the prompt and body requirements using 5.1.4 Lesson: Writing a Body Paragraph.

Format your document using 5.1.1 Lesson: How to Format Your Essay's Layout.

Submit your essay's introduction and body 1 for feedback. 

5.1 Essay 1 Prompt and Specific Paragraph Requirements Essay Prompt

Think about your learning experiences over the years and how hard you have worked to get better at something. This could be a specific job skill, talent, hobby, or class subject.  It should be something that was important to you that required a lot of effort and hard work for you to learn how to do it or get really good at it.  Plan and write a 4-paragraph essay that explains how you developed your specific abilities through hard work and dedication for ONE of the following learning situations: a specific job skill, talent, hobby, OR class subject. Select the prompt option where you can best explain your effort and determination to improve at something important to you that a general audience would understand and that would best meet the essay requirements and demonstrate the writing skills taught in the lessons. Requirements

Your final essay submission must include an introductory paragraph, body 1, body 2, concluding paragraph, and Works Cited page, demonstrating the skills taught in the course lessons to meet the rubric's grading criteria.

Your final essay must be 2.5-3.0 pages in length when MLA formatted before your MLA Work Cited page.

Important: Using unapproved sources or Artificial Intelligence in this essay would result in an F (a zero) on the essay.  Essay's Paragraph Structure and Requirements

Introduction – Write an introductory paragraph that introduces your essay: Your paragraph needs to begin with a hook on the broader subject (something about learning and hard work or determination to succeed that your audience would understand and find relatable). Bridge into the essay's topic (learning to get better at something important) and provide some summary/context (introduction to your specific learning situation and what a growth mindset is).  End on a thesis statement (states the essay’s main idea, which identifies the specific learning experience and why in this area improving mattered so much to you). The writing must be natural and organized to create cohesion among these elements for an effective introduction.  Refer to Lesson: Writing an Introductory Paragraph. Remember, your essay is about one specific learning experience based on the prompt option you selected, so you need to think about what Body 1 will explain and show early on in your learning and then what Body 2 will explain and show later on in your learning.

Body 1 – Early On: Write your first body paragraph to explain the first way you worked hard to develop and improve your abilities in the chosen learning situation. To do this, start with a topic sentence that identifies what specifically you were learning to do/improve in the situation you selected as your focus and why it was important. Develop support by weaving in explanation, example, and a specific illustration to show how you developed

your abilities through your hard work and determination. Connect to the assigned Dweck or Richard article by integrating one quote from either articles that explains an attribute of having a growth mindset (like how they see effort, how they develop their abilities, how they react to a setback, depending on what your paragraph shows. Integrate, cite, and explicate quote. Relate the idea in your quote and quote explication back to your experience. End on a summary statement. Use transitions as appropriate. Writing should be clear, organized, and authentic, helping your audience understand your unique experience when learning.  Refer to Lesson: Writing Body Paragraphs.

Body 2 – Later On: Write your second body paragraph to explain the second way you worked hard and continued to develop and improve your abilities in the same chosen learning situation.  To do this, start with a transition and new topic sentence that identifies what specifically you were learning to do/improve in the situation you selected as your focus and why it was important. Develop support by weaving in explanation, example, and a specific illustration to show how you further developed your abilities through your hard work and determination. Connect to the assigned Dweck or Richard article by integrating one quote from either articles that explains another attribute of having a growth mindset (like how they see effort, how they develop their abilities, how they react to a setback, challenge, use criticism to learn, etc. depending on what your paragraph shows. Integrate, cite, and explicate quote. Relate the idea in your quote and quote explication back to your experience. End on a summary statement. Use transitions as appropriate. Writing should be clear, organized, and authentic, helping your audience understand your unique experience when learning.  Refer to Lesson: Writing Body Paragraphs.

Conclusion – Write a concluding paragraph that summarizes what was proven and reflects on the significance the experience has had for you. Your paragraph needs to create a cohesive conclusion that begins with a restated thesis to reinforce what was proven, synthesizes the main ideas, offering a reflection on its overall impact on you, and ends with closing remarks directed at the audience, offering them a unique takeaway. (Conclusions do not include evidence since they focus on what the essay already explained and proved.) Refer to Lesson: Writing a Concluding Paragraph.

Works Cited – Create an MLA Work Cited page that documents your essay’s required sources: Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn" and Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic."  Be sure to have used both at least once in your essay. Refer to Lesson: Creating a Works Cited to create your Works Cited, using the lesson to document and and format your entries. Make sure you used both articles in your essay as required above.

Point of View –  Write using 1st person (I, me, my) for your personal details and 3rd person when directing something towards the audience or in general about growth mindset (people, everyone, etc.). Do not write in 2nd person (you, your).

Style and Mechanics – Edit your writing for punctuation and mechanics.  Refer to Lesson: Varying Sentence Structures in Your Writing.

5.1.2 Lesson: Writing an Introductory Paragraph

Requirements for an Introductory Paragraph  This lesson walks you through the 4 elements of an introduction:

hook, bridge, summary, and thesis statement. Make sure you have read the instructions and chosen a prompt from

Essay 1 Prompt and Specific Requirements page before you begin writing your essay's introductory paragraph. 

Hook: Begin your introduction with a 1-2 sentence hook that gains your audience's interest on a broader but relatable topic. In the case of this essay, the broader subject is learning. Your opening sentence should establish common ground with your readers before jumping into your specific learning experience or what a growth mindset is, so write your hook about learning and hard work or determination to succeed that your audience would understand and find relatable.

Bridge to Essay Topic  >  Begin Summary: Once you have written a hook, you need to bridge from that hook's idea into your essay's topic, which is learning to get better at something important. Then, provide the necessary relevant context by explaining what a growth mindset is (integrate, cite, explicate a quote that defines this) AND introducing your specific learning situation. BOTH of these prepare your audience for your thesis. (Use either Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn" Download Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn"or use Richard's "The Mindset Graphic" Download Richard's "The Mindset Graphic"for your introduction's one quote that explains what a growth mindset is.)

Thesis Statement: The last sentence of your introductory paragraph is your thesis, where you identify the specific learning experience AND state your main reason improving your abilities mattered to you.  AVOID announcements: Don't "announce" your thesis by saying something like "In this paper, I will prove..." or "This paper will show..."  Avoid  announcements of any kind please.

Point of View:  Write using 1st person (I, me, my) for your personal details and 3rd person when directing something towards the audience or in

general about mindsets (people, everyone, etc.). Do not write in 2nd person (you, your).

Style: The writing must be natural and organized to create cohesion among these elements for an effective introduction and allow your voice to come through clearly. Example Introduction  Hook > Bridge and Introduce Topic > Summary (set up context for your situation) > Thesis Statement   Getting really good at something doesn't always come easy and can require a lot of hard work to learn the necessary skills. Having the right mindset can help. When people understand that they can develop, this is a growth mindset because they recognize that "quote something from assigned reading that defines what a growth mindset is for your audience" (cite using author's last name, page or par. #). Explain quote briefly in 1-2 sentences to establish context. Transition into your situation. When it comes to developing my abilities, I have shown a growth mindset, particularly as a dancer. Dance requires determination and practice to become fluid in the movements, which is very true in ballet, where I was determined to succeed.  Therefore, to achieve my goal to become the company's principle ballerina, I pushed myself and practiced to develop my skills. This student example is for illustration only.

5.1.4 Lesson: Writing Body Paragraphs   Body Paragraph Structure Remember, your essay is about one specific learning experience based on the prompt option you selected, so you need to think about what Body 1 will explain and show early on in your learning and then what Body 2 will explain and show later on in your learning for the chosen prompt you selected in 5.1.

Body 1 – Early On: Write your first body paragraph to explain the first way you worked hard to develop and improve your abilities in the chosen learning situation. To do this, start with a topic sentence that identifies what specifically you were learning to do/improve in the situation you selected as your focus and why it was important. Develop support by weaving in explanation, example, and a specific illustration to show how you developed your abilities through your hard work and determination. Connect to the assigned Dweck or Richard article by integrating one quote from either articles that explains an attribute of having a growth mindset (like how they see effort, how they develop their abilities, how they react to a setback, depending on what your paragraph shows. Integrate, cite, and explicate quote. Relate the idea in your quote and quote explication back to your experience. End on a summary statement. Use transitions as appropriate. Writing should be clear, organized, and authentic, helping your audience

understand your unique experience when learning. 

Body 2 – Later On: Write your second body paragraph to explain the second way you worked hard and continued to develop and improve your abilities in the same chosen learning situation.  To do this, start with a transition and new topic sentence that identifies what specifically you were learning to do/improve in the situation you selected as your focus and why it was important. Develop support by weaving in explanation, example, and a specific illustration to show how you further developed your abilities through your hard work and determination. Connect to the assigned Dweck or Richard article by integrating one quote from either articles that explains another attribute of having a growth mindset (like how they see effort, how they develop their abilities, how they react to a setback, challenge, use criticism to learn, etc. depending on what your paragraph shows. Integrate, cite, and explicate quote. Relate the idea in your quote and quote explication back to your experience. End on a summary statement. Use transitions as appropriate. Writing should be clear, organized, and authentic, helping your audience understand your unique experience when learning Example Body 1 Paragraph Topic Sentence > Explanation and Example > Illustration > Integrated "quote" (cited). Quote Explication > Relate to you > Summary Statement As a ballet dancer, I had to work hard to improve the fluidity of my movements to become more proficient as a dancer. While I understood all of the positions and could perform them, my choreography was too rigid, and my movements weren't smooth at all. For example, I was finding it difficult to land each time I had to spin or whirl. I realized that my concentration was off, which was contributing to the rigidity, so I came up with a new strategy: practicing meditation while dancing. Every dance practice over the course of a few weeks, I used the breathing techniques that I learned to become more attuned to the sensations I experienced while dancing.  This helped me stay focused in the moment and trust my instincts.  I performed smoother drops and had less tension on my face. In particular, when I was executing a difficult turn, the Fouette, that requires the leg to move in a fast whipping motion, I had a soft landing and my feet were positioned perfectly. The new strategy really worked, but it took a loy of determination to stick with it, noticing the progress I was making.  What I realize now is that dedication and persistence is how a growth mindset sees effort. Understanding the path to getting better at something requires "select a quote from the assigned article to explain what a growth mindset understands" (cite using author's last name, page # or par. #).  Write 2-3 sentences of quote explication focusing on what the quote says and suggests before connecting back to you and your situation.  Connect the idea from your explication back to you by writing 1-2 sentences that make the connection between the quote's idea and your situation

learning.  End the body paragraph on a summary statement to reinforce the significance of what you proved in the body paragraph, like this After weeks of incorporating meditation into my dance practices, I noticed improvement in my movements, which encouraged me to stick with the new strategy.

This example is for illustration only. Elements of Each Body Paragraph: Step by Step

Topic Sentence Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence that identifies

what you were learning to do in your chosen learning situation and why this skill was important to develop (that's your paragraph's main idea in the first sentence of EACH body paragraph).

Evidence Organize your supporting details so that it flows naturally and logically in your writing of the paragraph.

Explanation: Explain your reason in greater detail to ensure your reader understands your thinking.

Example: Offer an example of what you did to develop the skills you needed in the chosen area.

Illustration: Transition from something in the the general example of what you did to improve into a more specific illustration or anecdote that will take readers into a specific moment or memory of your hard work, determination, or persistence in improving your abilities in the chosen area.

Integrated Quote from the reading: Helps readers understand how your experience relates to the assigned reading. Integrate a quote that explains an attribute of having a growth mindset that fits with your paragraph's purpose.

Quote needs to come from Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn" Download Carol Dweck's "Transforming Students' Motivation to Learn"or Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic." Download Michael Richard's "The Mindset Graphic."Quote must be integrated, cited, and explicated showing use of the lesson below. Integrating a quote

To integrate a quote from the assigned reading, you need to introduce the IDEA that the quote will then explain for to establish context for the quote and structure it to let the quote complete the sentence's thought, like these examples show: Examples

Having a growth mindset means "understanding that intelligence can be developed through hard work"

Having a growth mindset means "quote the reading to show what it

means" To improve performance takes "quote the reading to show what it

takes" Everyone can develop their intelligence as long as they are willing to

"quote the reading to show whta they have to do" AVOID using source attribution as the quote integration: Do NOT identify the name of the source, the author of the article, the location of the quote, or the type of source as your quote integration. That is source attribution, and that information is located either in the parenthetical citation or the Works Cited, so it has its place there already. Using  source attribution creates an "empty integration" because it does not create the necessary context for the quote or or cohesion in the writing.

Parenthetically cite after the quote

Cite your quote using a parenthetical citation that identifies the source by last name and location of the quote by page or paragraph number. This allows your reader to check the accuracy of your quote and locate it in the article. Examples

Integrated "Quote" (Author's Last Name, Location). Explicate quote.

Having a growth mindset means "understanding that intelligence can be developed through hard work"  (Dweck, par. 3). Explicate quote.

Everyone can get smarter as long as they "understand that intelligence can be developed through hard work and persistence, and they are willing to try new strategies"  (Dweck, par. 17). Explicating the quote

After you quote and cite, you need to write quote explication, where you explain what the quote says and what it implies in your own words. To do this, write 2-3 sentences of focused quote explication after a quote, where you focus on an idea or ideas in the quote in order to explain and interpret the quote's meaning to your audience. Example:

Everyone can get smarter as long as they "understand that intelligence can be developed through hard work and persistence, and they are willing to try new strategies"  (Dweck, par. 17). It takes practice to get better at something, and people with a growth mindset understand that. It may include being open to trying a different approach in order to improve, but it works if a person sticks with it.

Connect/Relate Explain how the idea in your quote and quote explication relates

back to your experience using 1-2 sentence. This creates cohesion between your personal details and the quoted evidence from the reading. Summary Statement

End the paragraph with a summary statement sentence that reinforces the significance of what was proven about the main idea. Point of View, Style, and Editing

Point of View: Write using 1st person (I, me, my) for your personal details/experience. Write using 3rd person when explaining mindset in general or directing something towards the audience (people, everyone, etc.).  Do not write in 2nd person (you, your).

Style and Editing: Include a few transitional words or phrases within each body paragraph to create cohesion among the sentences, where needed, and to emphasize a specific point, but be careful to not overuse transitions because it can create formulaic writing. Writing should be natural and sound like you. Writing should be edited for grammar and punctuation and have varied sentence structures.

5.1.1 Lesson: How to Format Your Essay's Layout Instructions for MLA format

MLA formatting is required for your essays, and the format is explained below along with an example image.  

Here is an Example Essay Template Download Example Essay Template you can download, tweak, and use. Specific Requirements 

Font size and style: Calibri 12 or Times New Roman 12  Spacing: 2.0 Margins: 1-inch top, bottom, left, and right Pagination: Located in the upper right corner of each page. Need to

use the insert page numbers tool in MS-Word rather than a header. Add your last name. See example below.  

Identification: Located on the left side of the page. Type the necessary information on page 1 only using the first four lines to include the following: your name, professor's name, ENC 1101, and date

Title: Center only your essay's unique title Example Format