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Timed Essay #5 You may use only these tools:
The computer and one open
document.
Your own, original one-page outline
You must save and upload your
essay to the assignment.
You must make the essay available
to yourself.
You must turn in your outline before
you leave!
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The Essay Question
Prompt: Write an essay presenting to your reader
a well-defined problem in education today. Describe
in detail the causes and consequences, and
convince your audience that this is a problem worth
solving. Address your presentation of your problem
to your audience: one or more members of the
education board, its leadership, or to outsiders who
may be able to contribute to solving the problem.
Note: you should not (yet) propose a solution to this
problem (that’s for Essay #6).
Make sure to save a copy of your essay for
reference.
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Remember
Informative or Interesting Title
Introduction
How will you introduce your problem?
How will you make it seem important?
Your thesis statement:
State the problem: causes and consequences.
Body paragraphs: likely between 3 and 5
Cause(s)
Consequence(s)
Conclusion
Briefly restate problem
Who should care and why?
Do NOT include a solution.
Your Works Cited should be on your outline.
Turn your outline in with your essay!
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Don’t Forget: Essay #5 Research Requirement
While you can discuss your own personal experience, limit this to a
single example, and be careful not to turn this into a narrative essay
about your personal challenges in school. Rather than relying heavily
on personal experience, you should use facts, statistics, or data
relevant to the larger population affected by this problem.
To this end, quote (and cite) at least one outside source.
Harry Potter does not fulfill this requirement.
Your source should be a book or an article from a popular magazine or
newspaper.
You should locate this article using the library databases.
You should include your quote(s) and citation info from this article on
your outline.
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Read: SMG: 323-330 and 339-346
Patrick O Malley, “More Testing, More Learning”
(annotated student essay)
Matt Miller, “A New Deal for Teachers”
Discussion #29: Discuss the basic features (A
Well-Defined Problem, A Well-Argued Solution,
and an Effective Counterargument) as they
appear in each essay. Pick at least one feature
from each essay.
Bring or have access to the St. Martin’s Guide.
Homework
