1
College Writing
Textbook: Write for College, Houghton Mifflin Company
Objective: to help you improve your writing skills through various essay assignments
Course Structure: Class time will incorporate group instruction, in-class writing, peer
evaluation, and one-on-one assistance from your teacher. In an effort to promote continual
improvement, you will also be required to revise your writing assignments.
******************************************************************************
Job Shadowing—During the weeks of October 5-8 and November 9-12 you will have the
opportunity to observe two different jobs that you are interested in pursuing. You need to
arrange to spend a six-hour day during each of those weeks with someone who is willing
to let you observe him/her working at a job or career that is of interest to you. You cannot
stay at MLPS, job shadow at your current place of employment, or job shadow a relative.
Guidelines for all writing projects:
• Place heading on the left side; see page 353 for proper format and information to include.
• Use Times or Times New Roman font in 12-point size.
• Center your title and use 12-point size.
• Use 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Double space the text.
• Have at least two people proofread and sign your rough draft.
• Hand in the proofread copy and a final draft of each project.
• Revise and hand in a new final draft of each project by the next day to earn the grade that is
indicated. (If you do not hand in a revised version, you will receive a D- on that project.)
Project 1—Analogy Paragraph
Due Date_________
For this assignment you need to explain a complex or unfamiliar topic by comparing it to
a familiar topic. Pages 75-79 give guidelines on how to develop an effective paragraph with a
strong topic sentence, and page 84 includes a sample analogy paragraph. Use the Paragraph
Writing Strategy form to organize your information before you begin your essay.
Personal Writing (Write for College, pages 143-144)
Project 2—Personal Reminiscence
Due Date__________
You probably have already experienced some defining moments, either positive or
negative, in your life that help determine who you are. Taking time to reflect on these
experiences will reveal what you have learned from them. Read pages 146-150 to see two
examples of a personal reminiscence.
Notice that both sample writings focus on detailed descriptions of the places, people, and
events of the experiences. Your goal in this two-page essay is to make the experience come
alive for your reader so that he/she feels as if he/she was there with you.
2
Project 3—The College-Entrance Essay
Due Date__________
Pages 156-159 explain the process of writing an effective college-entrance essay by
breaking it into steps and providing you an effective sample essay. Using the information on
these pages as your guide, write a one- to two- page essay in response to one of the following
suggestions:
A. Describe a significant experience OR person and the impact it or s/he has had on you.
B. What do you plan to do with your college degree?
C. What is a specific attribute, quality, or skill that distinguishes you from everyone else?
How have you developed this attribute?
D. Identify a book that has impacted you and explain why it had such an impact on you.
**(If you need to write a college-entrance essay on another topic, you may use that topic instead
as long as you clear it with me first.)**
Report Writing (pages 161-162)
Project 4—Summary Report
Due Date__________
Being able to summarize information accurately is a valuable skill in both life and a job
situation. Read pages 163-164 to discover what a summary report should include and to read a
sample one. To begin this report, you need to select and read a journal article and highlight or
underline the main points. Then write a two-page summary report of the selection using your
own words as much as possible but do include at least one direct quote from the article. You
must also attach the highlighted or underlined copy of the article to your summary report.
Project 5—Observation Report
Due Date__________
You all probably have a vivid memory of a specific place, such as your grandparents’
house, an athletic field, or a quiet place you go to get away from it all. Whatever the place, you
can probably picture it even now, recalling the sights, sounds, and smells.
Read pages 176-181 to learn more about an observation report and see two different
examples. Then, select a place from your memory and make it come alive by describing your
sensory impressions in a two-page observation report.
Persuasive Writing (pages 229-232)
Project 6—Editorial
Due Date__________
We all have strong feelings about certain issues and know we have the right opinion on
those subjects. Now you have the opportunity to share your viewpoints on one of your favorite
topics with the Mt. Lake community! Feel free to select a topic that may ignite some heated
debate, but also make sure that you defend your stand on the issue without personally attacking
anyone. See pages 229-235 to help you get started and to read two samples with differing
opinions on the same topic. Also, pages 251-253 explain appropriate methods of persuasion and
provide examples of illogical methods of argument. Because this two-page essay will be printed
in the Student Voice section of the Observer/ Advocate, you may need to revise it several times
to get it print ready.
3
Thank-you letter
Write a thank-you letter to the person you job shadowed using the Full Block format
shown on page 301. Also, see the sample letter on page 309 to see how to divide your
letter into three paragraphs:
1.
Thank him/her for the opportunity.
2.
Explain what you liked and gained from the experience.
3.
Indicate how you believe this experience will impact your future.
Analytical Writing (pages 187-188; 226-227)
Project 7—Essay of Evaluation
Due Date__________
We all evaluate or critique things on a daily basis. In your future job/career you may
need to evaluate a decision, product, trend, project, or event. Pages 219-225 explain the purpose
of this type of essay, the steps to take to write one, and provide two sample essays of evaluation.
Also, refer to page 227 to see a graphic organizer that may help you prepare for this report.
In a two-page essay of evaluation, analyze the good and bad points of your first job
shadowing experience, focusing on the job itself, the person you observed, the job setting, or
any combination of these.
Project 8—Essay of Definition
Due Date__________
Within an area of personal interest, there is probably a term or concept that might be
difficult for others to comprehend or might have a different meaning for you because of your
experiences with it. Read pages 203-206 to learn how to write an essay of definition and to see
two sample essays.
Select a term or concept that can have many meanings beyond a dictionary definition.
Also, include your own interpretation of the word and some ideas or feelings about it in your
one- to two-page essay. Refer to page 227 to see a graphic organizer that may help you
organize your thoughts about your selected word.
Project 9—Cause/Effect Essay
Due Date__________
The choices you make lead to certain consequences that affect you and others around
you. A cause/effect essay reveals these connections by focusing on a current issue and its
probable causes and effects.
Pages 207-211 provide guidelines and models of this type of essay. Read these to
discover ways to select an appropriate topic and methods for writing an effective cause/effect
essay. Notice that the first sample essay on these pages includes references to other sources while
the second reveals the author’s own feelings and ideas about the topic. You may choose either
method for your three-page essay. Page 227 also provides a graphic organizer you may choose
to imitate in preparation of your essay. You will need to consult other sources for facts, figures,
and other information, so make sure you give credit to your sources within your essay (see pages
334-337) and avoid plagiarism (see pages 328-329).
4
Thank-you letter
Write a thank-you letter to the person you job shadowed using the Full Block format
shown on page 301. Also, see the sample letter on page 309 to see how to divide your
letter into three paragraphs:
1. Thank him/her for the opportunity.
2. Explain what you liked and gained from the experience.
3. Indicate how you believe this experience will impact your future.
Project 10—Essay of Comparison
Due Date__________
An essay of comparison focuses on the similarities and differences of two subjects that
are related in some important way. Read pages 193 and 196-197 to learn what steps to take to
write an effective essay of comparison and to see a sample essay that focuses on specific points
of comparison about two subjects. You may also want to imitate one of the two graphic
organizers given for this type of essay on page 226.
In your three-page essay of comparison, you need to compare/contrast specific areas of
your two job shadowing experiences, which could include the people you observed, the work
involved in each job, and/or the atmosphere of each work place.
Project 11—Problem/Solution Essay
Due Date__________
Even with all the technological, medical, and social advances, we are still able to see
many problems in our world that need to be addressed. Refer to pages 212-218 to gain an
understanding of how to write a problem/solution essay and to read two sample essays.
Following the guidelines and samples given, you need to select a significant problem and
offer possible solutions in a four to five-page essay. You may want to begin by constructing a
graphic organizer like the one given on page 227. You must cite at least 3 sources within your
essay (see pages 334-337), and be sure to avoid plagiarism (see pages 328-329).
******************************************************************************
Project 12—Research Paper (MLA Style—pages 317-360)
Step 1: Choose a topic
Read pages 319-321 to get ideas on how to select and limit a topic and create a strong thesis
statement for your paper. School databases and online Encyclopedia Britannica are also
excellent sources for topic ideas.
Step 2: Research your topic
1. Use at least 7 sources and 3 different types of sources in your research.
• Some possible sources are dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, literary magazines,
almanacs, biographical dictionaries, directories, and bibliographies.
2. Print or copy relevant information from your sources.
• Highlight the most important information (be conservative).
• Use different colored highlighters for different ideas or main points.
• Add notes to yourself in the margins or on the back of the paper to identify key points
and/or features.
5
Step 3: Write the paper
1. Create a working outline of your main points (see sample on p. 352).
• To divide something into sub-points, you must have at least two parts (A&B, 1&2).
• Use proper outline format (Roman numerals, capital letters, numbers).
• Write one complete sentence for each line of information.
2. Use one of the following ideas to write an interesting introduction.
• Use startling facts or statistics.
• Describe a compelling condition or situation.
• Use a story or conversation.
• Explain a conflict or an inconsistency in a situation.
• Ask a question.
• Use a quotation, adage, or proverb.
3. Follow these requirements when writing your paper:
• Basic requirements: Times New Roman font, 12-pt. size, 1-inch margins, 6-8 pages of
text, MLA format
• Focus on supporting and proving your thesis statement.
• Incorporate information from at least 7 sources and identify sources frequently (about
once per paragraph).
• Include at least 1 direct quote from a source (does not have to be a spoken quotation).
• Keep directly quoted material to 10% or less of the text (1/2 page).
• Avoid plagiarism (see pages 328-329) by giving proper credit to your sources (see pages
334-337).
• Tie the important points together in your conclusion.
• Submit your paper to Turn It In and adjust as necessary before handing it in.
4. Create a works cited page that includes bibliographic information for each source that
you plan to use for your research (see pages 339-350 for proper format for each type of
document).
• Enter pertinent information about each source at www.citationmachine.net or
www.easybib.com.
• Transfer correct format for each source onto a Works Cited document.
• Format the page correctly (include “Works Cited” at top of page, alphabetize entries, and
indent properly—see page 338 for instructions and page 360 for a sample).
5. Put your paper (including title page, outline, and works cited page), copies of
information from your sources, and notes in a manila envelope; put your name on the
outside of the envelope and hand it in.
Your final paper is worth 200 points.