For this assignment, you will write an argumentative essay on some topic related to education without doing outside research. To get this work done, please go through the following steps:
1. The first step in writing this argumentative essay is to pick a topic that interests you and about which you have something to say without doing outside research. At this point in the semester, I want you to write only from your own knowledge base and experience. Possible topics could include standardized tests, school uniforms, charter schools, SUNO, and higher education in New Orleans. If you get stuck, I would suggest that you brainstorm a list of 4-5 possible topics and try to choose one from your list.
2. The second step is to come up with a thesis statement, or a particular claim, about your topic. For example, if you are interested in school uniforms, you may want to draft a thesis like this one: “All K-12 students should be required to wear school uniforms.” Your thesis should be clear and concise, it should be relatively short, it should be debatable (in other words, you should be able to imagine a counter argument), and it should be written in the form of a declarative sentence–not a question. In a sense, your whole paper will be organized around this thesis.
3. The third step is to come up with three logical reasons that support your thesis. These reasons will become the topic sentences for your body paragraphs. So, for example, if your thesis is “All K-12 students should be required to wear school uniforms,” your first reason could be “All K-12 students should be required to wear school uniforms because uniforms help teachers and administrators recognize individuals as students and not as outsiders.” Do you see how the reason logically connects to and supports the thesis? You can kind of visualize the format like this: “thesis BECAUSE reason.”
A second reason could be “All K-12 students should be required to wear school uniforms because uniforms help students to concentrate on their work and not on what their classmates are wearing.” A third reason could be “All K-12 students should be required to wear school uniforms because uniforms help to promote a sense of cohesion and community in the school.” Like the thesis statement, your reasons should be clear and concise, and they should be written in the form of a declarative sentence–not a question. Your reasons should also be distinct and clearly different. You shouldn’t just be saying the same thing in three different ways.
4. The fourth step is to draft the whole paper. Think especially about the major parts of an essay: the introduction which provides a sense of a beginning, the body which provides a sense of a middle, and a conclusion which provides a sense of an ending. Here’s a bit more advice on these major parts of an essay:
Introduction: The first sentence should catch your readers’ attention and draw them into your paper. You may want to provide some background information here so that your readers can understand your argument or to know why your topic is important. I would not suggest having your thesis statement be your first sentence. You should instead draw your reader into your argument before being blunt about your main claim. I would suggest that your thesis statement be the final sentence of your introductory paragraph.
Body: Begin your first body paragraph with your first reason that clearly connects to and supports your thesis, and go from there. Remember, your reason will serve as a topic sentence for the whole paragraph. It should provide the direction for all of the other sentences that come after it in the paragraph.
Conclusion: Use your conclusion to bring everything together and to provide a sense of closure or completion in your reader. This is easier said than done, so good luck!
