Assignment Paper

ENGLISH 101: ESSAY 1 PROMPT AND GUIDELINES
Essay 1 at Overview
• PURPOSE: For this essay, we will engage texts in order to develop your position on one of the prompts below.
• LENGTH: Essay 1 requires a well-organized three to four-page essay with an introduction, 4 body paragraphs, a conclusion, and a works cited on the prompt using two sources.
• DRAFTING: You will complete outline, rough draft, peer review, and final draft for this essay.
Main Goals for Essay 1
• Develop a thesis that unifies the ideas through different topics sentences and quotes in your essay.
• Smoothly integrate quotes from multiple sources into your essay
Sources for Essay 1
TWO Sources Below: You can download from the Week 2 Content page or download your Kami assignments.
1. “How Important is Grit in Student Achievement?” by Emily Hanford from KQED
2. “Covid-19 Has Worsened the Student Mental-Health Crisis. Can Resilience Training Fix It?” by Sarah Brown and Alexander C. Kafka from the newspaper/ website The Chronicle of Higher Education
Essay 1: Select ONE of the following prompts to answer.

OPTION 1:
Does focusing on a character (growth mindset/ grit/resilience) as the key factor for academic success acknowledge the social, economic realities students face?
INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH
1. First body paragraph: Define and explain what character (grit/ growth mindset / resilience) is and why it is important for academic success.
2. Second body paragraph: Explain what are some of social, economic realities faced by students, specifically BIPOC, and how can they act as barriers to education.
3. Third body paragraph: Defend and support with evidence your argument on if focusing on a character as the key factor for academic success acknowledges a student’s social or economic struggles.
4. Fourth body paragraph: Share and explain a personal experience that supports your thesis.
CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
OPTION 2:
Is an individual’s mindset as well as a support network (student services, community, friends/family) necessary for sustained academic success?
INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH
1. First body paragraph: Define and explain grit, growth mindset, and/or resilience and why are they important for sustained academic success.
2. Second body paragraph: Define and explain what are support networks and why are they important for academic success and/or it is important to reach out to these support networks.
3. Third body paragraph: Defend and support with evidence your argument on if sustainable academic success requires a support network (family, friends, school, community, etc.) as well as a resilient mindset.
4. Fourth body paragraph: Share a personal experience where you needed a support network and resilient mindset to succeed in school. Explain how your experience supports your thesis.
CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
ASSIGNMENTS GUIDELINES
1. LENGTH: Write a three to four-page essay that provides an original answer to the prompt that you must argue/prove through the use of your sources and analysis.
2. THESIS: Have a clearly defined main argument (thesis) that connects to your entire essay. Prove your position and rationale on the prompt and return to that main argument throughout your analysis of your sources.
3. QUOTES: Include a minimum of four quotes from your TWO sources. Use these quotes to help extend and deepen your thesis. Use quote sandwiches to integrate your sources into your writing. Avoid block quotes.
4. TONE: Use an academic tone and vocabulary in your writing to give it power and authority. You will include a personal connection so you may use first person pronouns (I, me, we, us, our, etc.) in your last body paragraph that connects to your thesis.
5. MLA: Follow MLA format/conventions including in- text citations and work cited page. Use 12 pt. Times New Roman or 11pt. Calibri font, double space, and have one-inch margins all the way around.
6. LENGTH: Your paper should be a minimum of three complete pages to a maximum of four pages typed.
7. TITLE: Have an original, creative title.
8. GROWTH MINDSET: Put in effort and time! Use your resources! Challenges and struggle help you grow and improve. YOU CAN DO IT!!
DUE DATE FOR ESSAY 1
1. Sunday, March 8: Submit Essay 1 with works cited final draft
GENERAL ESSAY STRUCTURE
Introduction (first paragraph):
_______ 1. Introduce your topic by using a “hook”.
_______ 2. Introduce the topics to be discussed in the essay.
_______ 3. Provide a brief (1-2 sentence) summary of your key source as it relates to the essay’s topics.
_______ 4. Offer a thesis statement on your essay topic that answers the prompt (last sentence of your introduction).

Body Paragraphs (make up the majority of your essay):
_______ 1. Begin with a topic sentence that will lead to the support and development of your thesis.
_______ 2. Explain/ analyze the idea in your topic sentence.
_______ 3. Provide author, title, and context before presenting a quote.
_______ 4. For each quote, include a signal phrase, the quote itself, and cite it with a page number in parenthesis.
_______ 5. Follow each quote with an analysis/opinion of how it helps answer the prompt and support thesis.
_______ 6. End each body paragraph with a concluding sentence.

Conclusion (last paragraph):
_______ 1. Reinforce your essay’s thesis in the topic sentence.
_______ 2. Review your own main positions and ideas from your body paragraphs.
_______ 3. Reconnect your key sources main ideas as expressed in the body paragraphs
_______ 4. Provide a lasting thought or new insight on your topic.

Works Cited Page