Research Based Essay Draft #2

Being Alone Together: Media’s Impact on Family Togetherness

OR

Social Networking Sites: Effects on Romantic Relationships

Instructions

Firstly, make sure you have read the instructions for Research Based Essay #2.

Secondly, make sure you have reviewed the Basic Essay Format document on how to format your ideas and organize your paper.

Thirdly, makes sure you reviewed any feedback you received on your first draft and incorporate any suggestions you have into this draft.

Lastly, write! Write for at least 30 minutes or more several times this week until you write a strong draft that feels good to submit. Make sure your draft follows the basic essay format. You are more than welcome to use this document as a template, deleting the suggestions, but keeping the headings.

Grading Rubric

  DISTINGUISHED PROFICIENT BASIC INCOMPLETE

CRITERION 1

Feedback from last draft incorporated

Student shows improvement from last draft.

5

Student shows improvement by incorporating any feedback from the last draft. If the student did not receive any specific areas of improvement, this draft concretely and thoughtfully builds upon the writing in the last draft by providing more details. 3

Student shows some improvement from last draft although more details either from the free writing or sources could have been included. 2

It doesn’t appear that much has changed in terms of content from the last draft. 0

Student submitted the same draft.

CRITERION 2

Basic essay format

Student makes strong attempt to follow the basic essay format for paper.

5

This draft follows and incorporates the six identified sections of the essay: Introduction, thesis statement, body (several paragraphs and the bulk of the paper that provides details about your topic), transitions, conclusion and references page. Any information that is not your own idea has an in-text citation. 4

This draft follows and incorporates the three main parts of the essay: introduction, body and conclusion but it may be missing elements from these additional parts to the essay, a thesis statement, details in the body, transitions, or references page. Information from articles may not be properly cited. 3

This draft mostly follows the three main parts of the essay but is missing significant details and information.0

Student did not follow the essay format.

See next pages on the template for your essay; provide your own details and delete the suggestions if you want to use this for your submission.

Title of Paper

Introduction (one paragraph)

Does your introduction have a hook that catches the reader’s attention?

Have you provided some general background information on the topic?

Have you provided a more specific thesis statement that provides a roadmap for the essay?

Body (at least four paragraphs)

How many points do you want to make?

Have you developed one or more paragraphs with supportive details for each point? (These details should come from the analysis of your quality sources. Make sure you cite any information that is not your own idea).

Are your body paragraphs organized in the order presented in your thesis statement?

Have you used transitions to help connect paragraphs to one another? (These are incredibly important for organization and flow!)

Conclusion (one paragraph)

Have you provided a way for your ideas to come together?

What are your final thoughts and have you resolved any ideas or questions that came up in your paper?

References (this should be your last page)

Have you included a references page that lists all of your cited articles? Make sure you do not include articles you did not use in the body of your paper. References should always be listed in alphabetical order by last name.