Posted: July 1st, 2015

Education Reform

ENGL 107 Paper #3 – Draft Due 6/30/15                             Final Due Date 7/7/15

(10% Emailed Thesis Statement Draft, Refutation and Concession list Worksheet; 5% Annotated Bib., 7% Full Draft; 20% Final Paper)

Education Reform

ASSIGNMENT: Write an argumentative essay in response to the following question:   What three key factors need to be in place for every student (no matter the race, income, neighborhood, etc.) in America to have equal access to high quality public education?   This is your ideal education reform, but each point needs to be backed up with support from an outside source that is cited.

 

Part I – Brainstorm on your education reform plan and narrow it down to 3 key ideas you will want to discuss and argue for in your paper. Draft a working Thesis Statement and complete the Refutation and Concession Worksheet on your topic and email to me.

 

Part II – Choose Sources and Complete an Annotated Bibliography: At least 3 different sources for this paper must be used (yes, you can include more). You are free to choose the sources for this paper, but the 3 required ones MUST come from the list posted to Moodle; however, you can go beyond this list for the fourth, fifth, etc., source.

• Once you have chosen at least 3 sources, you MUST complete one Annotated Bibliography form. The form is uploaded on Moodle.

Email Part I & II to me by Friday, June 26 at 10pm.

 

Part III – Complete at least a 5-paragraph paper. Parameters to follow:

• Your AUDIENCE: Education Policy Makers
• Purpose: Persuade and Inform
• Paper Length: At least 5 Paragraphs (you can have more) = Introduction, 3-4 Body Paragraphs, and a Conclusion.

 

• Argumentative Essay Paragraph-by-Paragraph:

Introduction – approx. 5-6 sentences

• You need a well-developed Introduction with Thesis Statement.

 

• Begin with an attention-grabbing hook; Offer some background on your topic.

 

• End with a clear thesis statement that includes 3 distinct points of reform.

You can just turn the question into a thesis statement; for example:

 

Providers of public education should have state and federal

aid – not property taxes – pay for schools, equal focus on all academic subjects, and increased support for teachers to achieve equal access to a quality education.

 

• Underline or Bold your one sentence thesis statement.

 

Body Paragraphs (at least 3) – approx. 6-8 sentences per body paragraph

• Go back and review Chapter 18 and Sample Outline for what you need to include in the body of your argumentative essay and how to do it.

 

• Each well-developed body paragraph MUST present and argue for 1 specific idea/point.

 

• Each body paragraph MUST include a topic sentence, supporting details, and a conclusion/transition sentence.

 

• Each sentence MUST be thought through carefully and used to advance your paragraph. The strongest sentences will come from multiple revisions. Choose the words you use to construct your sentences very carefully. Do not attempt to cram excessive amounts of information into each sentence.

 

• At least 1 Refutation and 1 Concession: You MUST write about, and then respond to what opposing views may be.

 

• You can structure each paragraph by introducing, discussing, and offering support for your idea, then close the paragraph by writing about what the opposition would say to this particular point and offering a refutation for it.

 

• Your concession can appear in any of the body paragraphs. Use concession vocab – “admittedly”, “although”, “even though”

 

• You can also combine the refutation and concession into their own body paragraph right before the conclusion.

 

• PLEASE DO SEE Sample Outline on Moodle for how this should look.

 

Conclusion – approx. 5-6 sentences

A well-developed conclusion paragraph should:

• Review the significant points of your argument.

 

• Sum up your overall position (reaffirm your thesis statement, but it has to be in new wording) and remind the reader why this argument matters.

 

• Conclusions may also offer further suggestions for consideration. (For example, Jeffrey Sachs has suggested in his conclusion that “extreme poverty” must be eliminated in the world to also achieve national security.)

 

• DO NOT use the phrase “In conclusion”. It is obvious from its placement that this is the concluding paragraph.

 

 

 

PARAMETERS THAT MUST BE MET IN THIS PAPER:

• Direct Quotations: You MUST directly quote from at least 3 of the sources listed on Moodle. See Quotation handout on Moodle.

In-Text Citations: You MUST include full APA in-text citations.

Please see your APA citation book and the class APA Quotation and Works Cited handout for details on how to do.

 

You must use a parenthetical citation for anything that you borrow from a source including direct quotations, statistics and other specific facts. Please read the style manual for full details of when you should have an in-text citation. Not citing information is a major violation. See “Plagiarism” section in syllabus for details. You do not need to cite common knowledge – World War II ended in 1945. If someone would ask you where you got that support or information from then it needs to be cited.

 

• Works Cited: You must include a Works Cited page and entries for each source used. For this paper that would be at least 3 entries. Use the Works Cited handout for help.
• Write in THIRD PERSON VOICE ONLY! See Proofreading Checklist for details.
• Give your paper a title
• See Syllabus for full details of “Assignment Submission Policy”
• You MUST read through the entire Proofreading Checklist and follow the parameters listed. DO NOT FORGET TO USE: Quotation, Works Cited, Peer Review and Sentence Correction Handouts.
• Double-space all paragraph lines. The heading can be single-spaced (see below).

Paper Heading – In the upper left-hand corner of the page, you must include:

Your Full Name

ENGL 107-1

Date

[Assignment Name – Education Reform]

[Title]

 

Indent 5 spaces and begin your paragraph here…

ANY final paper that is not in proper format will not be accepted!

 

Friday, June 26 by 10pm

Email me your 1 completed Annotated Bibliography, draft thesis statement and Refutation and Concession list.

 

Tuesday, June 30:

Bring Full Draft – Either printed or on a laptop. It must be typed for peer review.

 

Tuesday, July 7:

Final Paper Due