ENG4C Unit 1 Summative Assignment:
Argumentative Essay
TASK: Write an essay to present a researched argument on
an important issue you're interested in. You will use this essay
to learn and demonstrate important writing skills including
researching, organizing, writing, and revising, as well as the
various parts of an essay. You will have time in class to write,
conference with me, and revise.
An argumentative essay is persuasive, using research to
create arguments and support a thesis.
You must have a minimum of two reliable sources (MLA
cited with in-text citations and Works Cited) to support your
thesis. You are expected to write 600-900 words.
Here are the steps you must complete in this
assignment (they're described in more detail starting
on page 2):
1. Choose a topic.
2. Determine your main idea and argument
(thesis).
3. Conduct research (2+ sources).
4. Create an outline of your argument.
5. Create a draft of your assignment, then
revise and edit.
6. Submit your final draft. Step 1: Choose a Topic
Choose a topic. Come up with something that is
interesting to you or that you already know something
about. See this list of 200 Prompts for Argumentative
Writing by the New York Times for ideas.
Step 2: Main Ideas and Thesis
Once you have a topic, you need to start thinking about
your main idea and thesis. It helps to turn your topic into
a question that you can answer - not just a simple yes or
no answer, but one that outlines an argument that you
can prove. This answer can be your "working thesis."
Calling it a working thesis recognizes that your thesis
might change or evolve as you continue the process. If
you would like to see some examples, check out this
article.
Step 3: Research & Annotated Bibliography
Complete research about your topic. Ensure you know
what you are talking about. I encourage you to organize
information in a graphic organizer and synthesize it by
creating an annotated bibliography. Remember to record
all resources you use to avoid plagiarism, and use MLA
formatting to cite your sources (TIP: Do not leave MLA
formatting until the end - it's always best to keep record
of the information you need and apply it along the way).
Step 4: Outline
Create an outline for your essay. Use the one in this
Essay Checklist or create your own. An outline helps you
organize your information to keep your argument
effective. For students planning to prepare a podcast or
video, please include storyboarding ideas (order of
information you're sharing, intro/outro music, any clips
you may integrate to reinforce your argument, etc.).
NOTE: Any clips you use that were not created by you
also need to be included in your final Works Cited page
(a.k.a. bibliography). Step 4: Outline
Create an outline for your essay. Use the one in this
Essay Checklist or create your own. An outline helps you
organize your information to keep your argument
effective. For students planning to prepare a podcast or
video, please include storyboarding ideas (order of
information you're sharing, intro/outro music, any clips
you may integrate to reinforce your argument, etc.).
NOTE: Any clips you use that were not created by you
also need to be included in your final Works Cited page
(a.k.a. bibliography).
Step 5: Draft
Begin writing your rough copy. As you write, remember
that this is an argument. It needs all of the elements of an
essay, including a dynamite thesis, great support, and all
the other required elements. Don't forget to keep track of
MLA citations while you draft.
For students planning to submit a video or podcast, your
draft may look more like a script, with notes on where you
are adding other content.
Remember that drafting is a multi-step process. Leave
yourself enough time to revise and edit your work.
Drafting will also include feedback and conferencing with
me.
Step 6: Submit Completed Assignment
Length of final task: from 600-900 words.
Before you submit, ensure that you have followed the
MLA style formatting guidelines by applying proper in-text
citations and a Works Cited page.
If you are choosing to submit a video or podcast, you're
aiming for 5-10 minutes of content, PLUS a separate
Works Cited page. I want my Argumentative
Essay To Be On "How Should
Schools address bullying"?
