Essays

Essays – A piece of writing that is written to convince someone of something or to simply inform

the reader about a particular topic

Types – Explain each type of essay and state its purpose

Function: Establish a stance or position on an issue by providing reasons and supporting

evidence

Function: Investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an

argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner

Persuasive (Argumentative)

Expository (Informative)

Analytical/Critical

Narrative (Tells a story)

Research

Timed

a. Process (How-to)

Function: Explains the process or actions someone needs to take to complete a task

b. Compare and Contrast

Function: Examines two or more topics (objects, people, or ideas, for example), comparing

their similarities and contrasting their differences

c. Cause and Effect

Function: Use analysis to examine the reasons for and the outcomes of situations

a. Evaluative

Function: Composition that offers value judgments about a particular subject according to

a set of criteria

b. Interpretive

Function: Provides an analysis of another piece of writing

a. Personal Statement/Anecdote

Function: An account of achievements, talents, interests and goals often included in job or

university applications or on resumes

Function: Expanded essay that presents their own interpretation or evaluation or argument

a. Document Based Question (DBQ)

Function: Essay or series of short-answer questions that is constructed by students using

one's own knowledge combined with support from several provided sources

b. Synthesis

Function: Written discussion incorporating support from several sources of differing views

ESSAYS CONTINUED...

Strategies/Planning Tips/Steps – Explain how to plan and organize essays and how to analyze

and break down prompts.

Function: Preparation process that can be completed before writing paper, essay or

summary (Helps to organize thoughts, plan research or writing, and clarify the thesis)

Function: Identify directive words in the prompt (E.g. analyze, describe, argue) and underline

what are asked to do

Function: Map of essay (Shows what information each section or paragraph will contain, and

in what order)

Function: Physical process of gathering information and the mental process of deriving the

answer to question from the information gathered

Function: Recognizing whether the information read and include in research is credible

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.

Function: Specified guidelines for formatting manuscripts and citing research in writing

created by the Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)

Function: Format and style used for writing academic documents such as scholarly books &

journal articles created by the American Psychological Association (APA)

Pre-writing

Prompt Analysis

Outlining

Researching

Evaluating of Sources

MLA Format

APA Format