english 1 discussion homework
After reading all assigned materials for this week – especially the essay 2 prompt, TPRW chapter 5 (連結到外部網站。) (working thesis essay) and the sample essay
– respond with at least one thorough paragraph (7+ sentences) here with your answers to the below questions:
- Are you clear on what a working thesis essay is and what the essay 2 prompt is asking you to do? How is this different than other essays you have written?
- How would you describe the strengths and weaknesses of the sample essay assigned (not the sample given in chapter 5 ; that one is weak)?
After you post, respond to at least two classmates: you can look for those you agree with and share your common points, or look for those with different views and offer your differing perspective. Your peer responses should also be at least one paragraph (5-6 sentences or more).
http://www.stevendkrause.com/tprw/chapter5.html (link for reading)
Essay 2 Assignment Instructions (Working Thesis Essay) ( just have to read this, no need to work for this!!!)
Final Draft Due: week 4 (see Canvas for due dates) Worth: 20% of your total grade
Rough Draft Due: week 3 (see Canvas for due dates)
PURPOSE
- To demonstrate critical reading and thinking skills
- To illustrate the ability to formulate a strong and compelling thesis statement
- To understand how to utilize pre-writing and revising techniques
- To prepare an MLA-formatted essay to serve as a plan for a research essay
- To illustrate how to take feedback on previous essay to improve in a subsequent essay
For essay #3, you will be writing a “Working Thesis Essay,” as described in chapter 5 of TPRW (連結到外部網站。) . After reviewing this prompt, the research essay prompt, and the sample essay(s), write your own MLA-formatted working thesis essay, following the instructions below:
WRITING PROMPT
Write a brief narrative essay where you discuss the topic you have decided to research and write about. Tell your audience, your fellow classmates and your instructor how you arrived at this topic, some of the other ideas you considered in your brainstorming activities, and the working thesis you have settled on for the start of your project. Also, be sure to let us know about some of the initial library [or other online/credible] research you have found so far.
Even though this is a short essay (approx. 750 words), it should be very detailed, show evidence of significant thought and consideration, as also illustrate that you have started your research by including several credible sources you have found. In addition, attention to the feedback you received on essay 2 peer reviews should be obvious with evidence of revision and editing on this essay.
*This essay is required to move onto essay 3 (the research essay). Students who change their topics for the research essay after writing this essay must first complete a new working thesis essay based on the new topic
respond 1
Yes, I am clear on what a working thesis essay is and what the essay prompt 2 is asking me to do. I are supposed to write about a debatable topic I decide to research, the process that leads to an initial stance on that topic, other topics I consider, the initial working thesis I decide on, and the initial resources I find while researching. This is different than most other essays in that this will be a narrative essay, written in first person. Also, it’s not an actual essay per se but an essay about the thesis of the essay to come that will evolve and change as we do more research.
The sample essay is a great example of a working thesis essay, and clarifies what is expected for this assignment. It gives background information about the topic and why the student chose that topic. Stu went further to explain how a more general topic, through brainstorming and research, the working thesis was derived, and why it’s important. He also gave several resources he found to progress in the research process. A possible weakness I can think of is, I’m not sure if the thesis is debatable. It sounds like it may be more of an informative essay. Also, if the student was given the same prompt, he didn’t include other topics that were considered.
respond 2
Before reading chapter 5 I have never ever heard about a working thesis, I have always thought that a thesis was constant. While reading the chapter I understood that a working thesis is supposed to evolve while writing an essay and not stay as a final thesis. While a regular thesis is stated and keeps its statement throughout the essay a working thesis essay will not stay the same since it is evolving during the course of the writing of the essay. The working thesis is evolving because while writing, researching and gaining more knowledge about the topic the thesis will evolve too in the same way the person that is writing the essay will evolve its own thoughts while gaining more information about facts about the subject.
For the sample essay I would say that one of the strengths would be that it has a good structure, probably a structure that I will get inspired of and try to copy it a little myself but still make it my own. To be completely honest, I do not see a weakness in the sample essay, I am not sure if it is because English is not my first language or about something else. I would love to for someone to answer my discussion post with answers about the weakness of the sample essay for me to understand and to be able to see it from another point of view. The only thing that I would want to add would be to at least add the links for from the info, just because if I would write this kind of draft, I would like to have the links to the research I have made available.
