Review and Reflection on Argument Essays

Read the 3 student essays then answer the following questions:

A. A thesis statement is a 1-2 sentence statement that expresses the main idea of an essay. It should be analytical, specific, concise (short and to the point), and thought-provoking. Also, it should reflect the content of the essay. It is typically written at the end of the introduction.

Underline and evaluate the thesis statement in each introduction. From a scale of 1-3, 3 being the highest, how would you rate each thesis statement and why?

1. Essay 1: _____/3
2. Essay 2: _____/3
3. Essay 3: _____/3

B. Evaluate each introduction and give a score from 1-3. What type of lead does each writer begin the introduction with? What is strong about it? What needs revision, if anything?

1. Essay 1: _____/3
2. Essay 2: _____/3
3. Essay 3: _____/3

What conclusions can you make about writing effective introductions?

C. Evaluate each conclusion and give a score from 1-3. What is strong about it? What needs revision, if anything? 

1. Essay 1: _____/3
2. Essay 2: _____/3
3. Essay 3: _____/3

What conclusions can you make about writing effective conclusions?

D. Focus now on elaboration. Based on these essays, list guidelines (do's and don'ts) for:

1. Stating convincing, logical arguments:
2. Choosing and incorporating evidence effectively:
3. Word choice and voice/tone:

E. After you have received your graded essay, reflect on your own writing, and answer these questions:

1. Which characteristics on the rubric did you do well on?
2. Which ones need improvement? How could you have improved your essay?
3. Choose 2 sentences or sections to revise, ones that are incorrect or unclear. Make sure to correct run-on sentences, in-text citations, and/or wordy or choppy sentences. 

F. Now you are going to do the 2nd Performance Assessment of the year. Similar to the first one on censorship, you will be reading a variety of texts, both visual and print media, on the issue of sports in schools then constructing an argument essay. Review your notes/handouts and synthesize all you have learned about writing this type of essay. 

The skills you should review are:

1. Introduction to Visual Media
2. Checklist of what to include in the argument essay
3. The 3-parts of responding to to nonfiction: summary, evaluating evidence, and making conclusions. This was also on the handout on which you took notes on the child soldiers articles.
4. Overview of argument essay and how to write outlines
5. Notes on how to write a thesis statement