English 1A: Essay Exam #1
On Wednesday 10/17 or Thursday 10/18 (depending on which day your section of English 1A is scheduled to meet), you will have the entire class period to write an essay in response to a question at issue that comes up during our class discussion of the following articles:
"At Two-Year Colleges, Students Eager but Unready"
"At Least They Have High Self Esteem"
"What Our Education System Needs Is More F's"
Very Important Notes about How this will Work
On Monday, 10/15 and Tuesday, 10/16, we will discuss in class the questions at issue and arguments the articles linked above raise. The question at issue you will write your essay exam in response to will come from our class discussions on that day. It is, therefore, vitally important that you be present and prepared to discuss the articles.
On the day of your exam (either 10/17 or 10/18), you will be given an exam prompt that offers you a choice of questions at issue to address in your essay. YOU MUST ADDRESS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS AT ISSUE ON THE EXAM PROMPT.
On the day of the day of the exam, our class will meet in the ASC (i.e. computer lab) not our regular classroom.
You may type your exam on a computer or hand write it legibly. Keep in mind that a computer allows you to spell check.
On the day of the exam, you may bring scratch paper, annotated copies of the articles linked above, pens/pencils, white out, and dictionaries. However, you will not allowed to access the internet or insert floppy disks or cd's into the computer.
If you have DSPS accommodations, you need to give me written documentation of your accommodations by 3/19.
The essay you write will be an argument and should demonstrate that you have thought carefully about the issue. Use the features of arguments we've been discussing to help you communicate your ideas:
An introduction that orients readers to the specific problem/question at issue;
A clearly worded, focused thesis statement that expresses a judgment in response to the question at issue;
Supporting body paragraphs that define key terms and offer reasons and evidence that support the thesis;
Quotes from the articles (properly integrated);
Paragraphs that acknowledge, accommodate, and refute opposing points of view;
A conclusion that ends the essay.
You will have only the 2 hour 5 minute class period to write the essay. I will not accept essays after the allotted time has passed.
You can prepare to write this essay in any way you choose. Talk with classmates, tutors, your instructor, friends, and family members about your ideas, and write practice essays.
Consult your course syllabus for make-up exam policies.