Essay 1 Guidelines
Six Things You Should Know
This is a descriiptive/narrative essay, an essay that tells a story. For this essay, you are to pick a topic about which you are both passionate and knowledgeable, one that is unique to you. It could be anything–from a sport to another culture to working at a fast food restaurant to meditation to owning dogs to making money stretch to being a parent, and on and on… The only topic that is off-limits is gaming/virtual reality, for that will be the focus of Essay 2.
Essay 1 Topic: Write 6 things everyone should know about your topic.
Think of this essay as of writing a manual for people who are new to this topic and who would like to know firsthand details that are beyond the expected and predictable.
Do NOT write about YOU in this activity; do NOT use use “I.”
Essay Requirements:
Paper format: 2.0 spacing; 1″ margins; page numbers; name/title/date in MLA format
Person: This paper should be written in the third person (Do NOT use “I.”)
Length: 8 paragraphs (introduction, six body paragraphs, & conclusion); 750-1000 words
Sources: NO outside sources
I attached a student example.
But I brief bio about me. My name is Beyana I am 20 years old I do hair, love traveling, I am Haitian. If you need any information from me you can let me know
Directions:
You should have a title that mimics the sample provided — “Six Things You Should Know About Visiting Alaska in the Dead of Winter,” or “Six Things You Should Know About Training Your Puppy.”
The introduction should begin with an engaging hook and should present your thesis in the last sentence. Your thesis is ONE clear, focused sentence that offers the reader the main idea controlling your essay.
Here is an example of a bad thesis because it is too broad and vague: Teaching online English Composition can be challenging. Here is a much better thesis that is much more specific but will still allow me (the writer) to identify six specific things in the body that will develop the ideas of how the class can be challenging but also enjoyable: Teaching online English Composition revolves around various techniques of engaging students and then enjoying seeing all the ways they grow as writers.
Your essay will be a total of six supporting paragraphs. Each supporting paragraph will begin with a bolded topic sentence that creatively introduces the topic of the following paragraph.
The essay should finish with a conclusion that (1) restates your thesis in the first sentence, and (2) explains a larger significance of the topic — how is this essay important to your readers, and what can they learn from your experience?
Each body paragraph must be developed with a minimum of five sentences. Use personal anecdotes, descriiption, analogies, figurative language, and questions/answers to expand your essay. Be creative! This is how you demonstrate your passion for the topic and knowledge of the subject.
Be mindful of how you organize your “Six Things.” You can choose the order — most to least important, or save the best for last? Use transitional phrases between paragraphs where necessary.
