Last opportunity for this touchstone, please refer to sample essay before writing. Must include thesis and topic sentences. Will be checked for plagiarism.
Complete a a 3-5 page (approximately 800-1300 words) informative essay. As a part of your completed draft, complete the color coding activity described below. In addition, answer the “Think About Your Writing” questions on a separate sheet of paper and include it with your draft submission.
All essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any recycled work will be sent back with a 0, and you will be given one attempt to redo the touchstone.
PART A
EXTENDED DEFINITION ESSAY PROMPT: DEFINE OR REDEFINE THE WORD *FAMILY*
In your draft, briefly explain how society, or the dictionary, defines the word you’ve selected, and then explain your unique or extended definition of the word. Provide examples and explanations to support your definition. Your thesis must inform your readers of your new definition and, because you are writing in the informative mode, you must use objective language.
Draft an extended definition essay that defines or redefines a word or concept. Read the article by Dan Richards titled for ideas about how to write an extended definition essay.
B. Think About Your Writing
As a part of your completed draft, complete the color coding activity and include answers to all of the questions below your draft.
PART 1: Color Coding Activity:
Using the color codes provided, evaluate your draft as follows:
- Use red text to indicate your thesis statement.
- Use green text to indicate the topic sentence of each body paragraph.
Part 2: Questions
1. What is the significance of your essay? Why should readers care about what you have written? (2-3 sentences) Sophia says: Think about why you decided to analyze this particular image, or why you picked the word you chose to define. Your interest in in your subject matter should be clear to readers.
2. Which areas of your draft do you think will benefit most from revision? (2-3 sentences) Sophia says: Consider the organization, style, focus, development, and conventions of your draft. Which areas did you struggle to complete?
3. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of your writing. How can you capitalize on your strengths and improve on your weaknesses in future essays? (3-4 sentences) Sophia says: Think about what was easy about writing the draft, and what was more difficult. For example, if you write paragraphs with strong topic sentences, but repeatedly use the same type of sentence to provide supporting details, you can improve your paragraphs by varying sentence structure.
C. Informative Draft Guidelines
DIRECTIONS: Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until your draft meets all of the guidelines.
Essay Prompt: Extended Definition
If you chose the extended definition prompt, did you indicate how society defines the word you selected, and then explain your definition (or an extended definition) of it?
Have you included examples and explanations to support your definition?
Did you complete the color-coding activity?
Is your draft 800-1300 words long?
Working Thesis
Have you included a clear, focused, and detailed thesis statement?
Does your thesis state the topic and purpose of your essay?
Is your thesis a single sentence, and is it located in the introductory paragraph?
Focus and Organization
Is there an adequate number of body paragraphs, each with a clear topic sentence?
Is there a conclusion paragraph that makes a concluding statement?
Are your draft paragraphs sequenced properly?
Have you used transitions to connect ideas between sentences and paragraphs?
Can your draft be described as having a good flow?
Does your draft have a clear focus?
Are all supporting details relevant?
Style and Tone
Is the tone of your draft unbiased and informative?
Is it clear that the purpose of your essay is to inform readers about your topic?
Have you carefully considered your word choices?
Conventions
Have you checked your draft for grammatical errors?
Have you used Spell-Check or another method to check spelling?
Have you punctuated your draft correctly?
Before You Submit
Have you included your name, date, and course at the top left of the page?
Have you completed the Think About Your Writing questions and color coding activity?
Is your draft between three and five pages long (approximately 800-1300 words)
D. Scoring
Your draft will be scored according to the Touchstone 3 Rubric, which considers required elements for either the analysis essay OR the definition essay, the thesis statement, organization, style and tone, focus, conventions, completion of the color-coding activity and answers to the Think About your Writing questions above.
