Essays

Essays – An Essay is a small academic composition. An essay usually focuses on one topic.

Types – Explain each type of essay and state its purpose Persuasive (Argumentative) - Supposed to convince the reader to do or not to do something. Expository (Informative) - Uncovers things in detail to make it easier for the reader to comprehend. Definition or Description - Defines different things ideas, perspectives and describes something to the reader so they can try and use their senses to feel what they read Process (How-to) - Explains how to do something. Compare and Contrast - Interprets similarities and differences between two things. Cause and Effect - Reveals the causes of things to the reader and justifies their effects. Analytical/Critical - Analyzes a piece of literature from different viewpoints and evaluates the literary piece on their strong points and weak points. Evaluative - Analyzes the text. Interpretive - Compares the text. Narrative (Tells a story) - A short story that is written in essay format Personal Statement/Anecdote - Explains a story and gives opinions Research - Revolves around a research question that is supposed to answer a specific question. Timed - An essay that is written under a certain amount of time. Document Based Question (DBQ) - An essay written after using documents to provide information. Synthesis - Gathers information from a variety of sources to create a new idea.

Strategies/Planning Tips/Steps – Explain how to plan and organize essays and how to analyze and break down prompts. Pre-writing/Prompt Analysis/Outlining - Write notes and brainstorm your ideas or what you are going to write for each paragraph of your essay.

Researching/Evaluating of Sources - Take notes of the sources and cite your sources.

Work Cited Page – Explain and give an example of how to set up a works cited entry in both MLA and APA formats - there are subtle differences between each format, so be sure to identify them clearly. MLA Format: Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." The New York Times, 22 May 2007, www.nytimes.com/2007/05/22/science/earth/22ander.html?_r=0. Accessed 29 May 2019. APA Format: The title page should contain the title of the paper, the author's name, and the institutional affiliation. A professional paper should also include the author note. A student paper should also include the course number and name, instructor name, and assignment due date.