Order 775190: Informative Essay (Billy Joel-We Didn′t Start the Fire)

· WEEK 5 Lesson

· Class,

Last week you had a mountain of information to read, so for this lesson, I am going to give you a little break and do something fun.

This week we will write an informative essay, which is sometimes called an expository essay. You will pick a topic (described below), research your topic, and educate your reader about it. This essay will not be argumentative and should not include your personal opinions.

There are many other types of essays as well (just FYI). Some are listed here. Take a look at this page: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/3/ 

Now back to the fun part. Click on the following link and watch this video by Billy Joel (“We Didn’t Start the Fire”).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g

If you do not wish to watch the video, you may simply read the lyrics. https://goo.gl/QZGsd8

Please pick ONE topic listed in this song. This will be your topic for essay two. Now visit the library and begin your research! Find at least two sources. Then go to this week’s Forums and Assignments areas for more work on essay two. Good luck and please have some fun!

Assignment Instructions

This week, you will write your second essay. Topic choices are described in this week’s Lessons (i.e., see the song lyrics provided). Use the three-part thesis and five-paragraph essay format you learned during week two.

Please do not make reference to Billy Joel or the song itself. Just discuss the topic you chose. For your essay title, use whatever topic you chose, like Children of Thalidomide.

(Three-part thesis example from our topic choices: Though Woodstock is one of the most widely known music festivals of all time, many are unaware of the problems the event posed regarding finding a location, caring for such a large crowd, and cleaning up after the event.)

You must incorporate research from the APUS library into your essay. https://www.apus.edu/apus-library/index.html Use two or three sources—no more, no less. Remember that your essay should be mostly your own writing (~80%) and approximately 20% source material. This is short essay, so use short quotes only. I suggest only a line or two of quoted material in each of your body paragraphs. Don’t forget your Works Cited page.Extensive MLA help is provided under week four (Lessons and Resources).

Please do not let anyone else write or revise your writing. My job is to help you improve YOUR writing. I can only do that if you let me see your mistakes. I am not interested in how well someone else writes. I want to help YOU!

(Hint: if you are struggling, there are tutoring opportunities listed on our Syllabus. This is an appropriate route for acquiring help with your writing. You may contact me for help anytime too!)

Download the template and save it as your last name and Essay 2. (Example: Smith_Essay2). The MLA formatting is done for you (e.g., Times New Roman size 12, double-spaced, header, etc.). Update your name, your professor’s name, and date. Don’t forget to put your last name in the header. (Let me know if you don’t know how to get into the header section or type a question into your Word help section.)

Your essay should be between 500 and 750 words. Please do not go under the word count at all. Do not go over the word count by more than 50 words. Following instructions is an important part of any writing assignment, and often you will be asked to adhere to word count guidelines, so this is good practice!

Be sure that all paragraphs are well developed. I suggest 5-8 sentences per paragraph and no less than 100 words per paragraph, including your introduction and conclusion.

(Points saver: as you proof your essay in Word, hit the control [ctrl] key and the "F" key at the same time. This will bring up the search feature. Type in what you wish to find, such as the word you, to be sure you have avoided second person. This works in finding contractions too. Type in an apostrophe and hit enter!)

When you “submit” your paper, it will be uploaded into Turnitin (a plagiarism-detection website) automatically. You do not have to create a Turnitin account yourself. Both you and your instructor will receive the results. (The Turnitin report will be under Assignments and will have a percentage on it, like 22%. Click on the percentage to view your report. Certain parts of your essay will be highlighted. This shows where you have used information from an outside source or material that appears in another student’s essay.)

A sample essay (“Jolly”) is under Resources. Take a look before you begin!