This document provides instructions for Timed Essay #3. Students must write an essay presenting an education problem to an education board. They should describe the causes and consequences of the problem and convince the board it is worth solving, without proposing a solution. Students can use a one-page outline and blue book for the essay. They must take a photo of their essay for the next assignment. The essay should have an introduction, thesis stating the problem and causes/consequences, and 3-5 body paragraphs on causes and consequences. It should conclude by restating the problem and who should care. Students must cite at least two outside sources and include their works cited.

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Timed Essay #3
Class 13
You may use only these tools:
Your own, original one-page
outline
A blue book
You must turn in your outline with
your paper!
Take a picture of your essay
before you leave so you can type
it into your introduction to essay
4.

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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 #4).
 Make sure to take a photo 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 printed.
 Turn it in with your essay and your outline.
Turn your outline in with your essay!

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Don’t Forget: Essay #3 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 two outside sources.
 Harry Potter does not fulfill this requirement.
 Your sources should be from a popular magazine or scholarly
journal.
 You should have included 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”
Matt Miller, “A New Deal for Teachers”
 HW Discussion #17: Do O’Malley and Miller have
well-defined problems? Justify your opinion; in other
words, why or why not? Think about your own well-
defined problem to compare. Then identify the basic
features (A Well-Defined Problem, A Well-Argued
Solution, an Effective Counterargument, and an
Evaluation of an alternative solution) as they appear in
Matt Miller’s essay. Make sure to mark each part as you
post.
 Read: Sample Problem/Solution Essay 4
Homework