English 101—Dr. Koch (Bob)

PAPER #3

Please employ all that you know about composition to write an essay in which you compare and contrast the items in one of the following pairs. Please remember that you need a reason for making the comparison and that you should state or imply the reason in your thesis. Remember that you need to have bases of comparison, which you must discuss for each item you are comparing. Don’t forget to provide a title. The paper should be at least 500 words.

You should go through the writing process from discovery through first draft before you come to class on Wednesday, October 1. That day you will bring your draft to class for peer review. Anyone who does not attend class that day and bring a complete draft will lose a full letter grade on this essay. With the comments of your fellow students in mind, you will revise your draft and turn in the final version on Wednesday, October 8. Here are the topics from which you should choose:

1. Two careers.

2. Two sports teams.

3. The communication skills of men and women.

4. College and high school.

5. Two styles of clothing.

6. Having a college education and not having a college education.

7. Apple computers and personal computers (PC’s).

8. Yourself and another person.

Your paper will be graded as follows:

30% on development.

Have you written a clear thesis that you can develop well?

Have you discussed all the points your audience will expect you to discuss?

Have you elaborated on your main points by providing adequate details?

Have you used appropriate methods of development for each paragraph?

Are you sure that everything in the essay supports the thesis?

Have you reasoned well?

Does one idea lead naturally to the next?

10% on interest and depth.

Have you provided your audience new information?

Have you improved your audience’s understanding of your subject matter?

Have you discussed your topic with some depth, going beyond the obvious or superficial?

10% on organization.

Do you have a good introduction, containing your claim statement, and a satisfying conclusion?

Have you divided your materials logically into paragraphs?

Have you written unified paragraphs?

Have you made the topic of each paragraph clear by writing a topic sentence or by other means?

50% on grammar and style.

Have you written any sentence fragments or comma splices?

Does your paper contain any subject-verb agreement errors?

Have you achieved variety in vocabulary and sentence structure?

Have you selected the words that best express your thoughts?

Have you avoided verbosity and redundancy?

The questions above cover the main points but not everything that might affect your grade.

Late papers will receive reduced grades, as described in the syllabus.