2. AGENDA
• Review: Essay #5 Assignment
• The Thesis Statement
• Writing Strategies for Defining the Problem
• The Conclusion
• Annotating Sample Essay #5
• Outlining Essay #5
• Homework
3. Review: Essay #5 Assignment
In-class essay that you will
write in class.
Can use an outline that
you will prepare
At least 750 words.
MLA-style format and
citations.
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).
4. Review: Essay #5 Potential Topics
Common Core State Standards
Student Learning
Technology
Social Media
Politics
High Stakes Testing
School Leadership
Instructors
Curriculum
Funding and Resources
Inequity
Classroom size
Poverty
Family factors
Bullying
Student attitudes and behaviors
No Child Left Behind
Parent involvement
Student health
Which of these did you narrow for your own topic?
5. Review: 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.
What source did you find for your homework?
6. Review: Causes and Consequences
Causes
What is the cause of
this problem? Are
there multiple
causes?
How did this problem
come into being or
how was it created?
Ex.: A cause of school
traffic congestion
might be the lack of
public transportation
options near that
school.
Consequences
What effects does
this problem have--
on students,
educators, and/or
society at large?
Ex.: School traffic
may cause students
to be late to class,
which may cause
them to do less well
in school.
7. Now that you’ve chosen your problem
and narrowed it, what do you do?
8. The Thesis Statement
In a full proposal (essay #6), your thesis
statement will be the solution that you
are offering.
HOWEVER, Essay #5 is not a full proposal.
You are only describing a problem.
So your thesis statement for this
essay (an explanation of the problem)
should be a statement of the problem
and its causes and consequences.
9. Defining the Problem:
Writing Strategies
As you are describing the problem and discussing the
causes and consequences, you can make use of the
following strategies (from SMG, p. 324).
10. The Conclusion
You should finish your essay by:
briefly summarizing the problem.
reminding readers of its
importance.
calling readers to action by noting
the consequences of inaction.
Note: In this essay, you are not (yet)
proposing a solution!
11. Sample Essay #5
Keep in mind, this is an “out of class” response to this
assignment.
It is more polished than I am expecting from you.
12. Read and Annotate Sample Essay #5
Bracket/underline and then label the following components or
strategies:
1. The MLA-style heading
2. The informative title.
3. The thesis statement.
4. The causes of the problem.
5. The consequences of the problem.
6. A specific example of the problem.
7. Personal experience or observation (anecdote).
8. Testimony of those affected by the problem.
9. Statistics.
10. Vivid description.
11. A conclusion.
13. Where is the thesis statement?
What is the problem?
What is the cause?
What are the consequences?
19. Conclusion
Briefly restates the problem and why it is a problem.
Suggests who should care and why.
Calls us to take action.
But does not specify the action! (That’s for Essay #6)
20. Write Your Outline: Start It Now!
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.
As part of your outline, include:
A brief reminder (one sentence)
of your personal observation or
experience (anecdote).
The quotation(s) from your
outside article, including
accurate MLA citation.
Any statistics or examples with
accurate MLA citations.
Works Cited. Prepare accurately
in advance; include it on your
outline.
21. Homework
Write your complete
outline (no more than
one page).
Post your outline for
Discussion #28. Make
sure you have included
your quotes and have
your source(s) cited on
the outline.
Bring your outline to our
next meeting.
