This is my topic”Though these soft addictions feel like a solution to a problem, they can get in the way of leading a more fulfilling life.”(pg.138, Leah McLaughlin)
Homework
Essay 2: Draft
In Week 5, you read and wrote about an article by summarizing the writer’s perspective on a topic and then responded with your own ideas that either agreed, disagreed, or both.
The paper you will begin this week and finish in Week 7 will require you to take a stand on the same issue that you summarized and responded to in Week 5. However, Essay 2 will focus on your ideas on this topic. You will state the point that you want to make regarding the topic and direct your ideas to a larger audience; this means you will need some evidence from a reliable source—the author of your article! The following questions will help you to form the overall point that you want to make in your paper.
If you read Ted Sawchuck’s article “Relationships 2.0: Dating and Relating in the Internet Age,” use the following question to help you focus your paper on the topic of social networking:
Does communicating via social networking sites, such as Facebook, negatively affect the ability of young people to socialize and to develop and maintain healthy relationships?
If you read Leah McLaughlin’s article “Are You Hooked?” use the following question to help you focus your paper on the topic of soft addictions:
Do soft addictions “get in the way of leading a more fulfilling life”?
You will use prewriting and planning strategies in the first stage of this essay process. Then, you will draft your essay to submit this week. One of the requirements of this assignment is that at some point in your essay, you must use at least one direct quote from the article or a paraphrase of one of the author’s ideas to help support one of your own points. Whether it is a point that you agree with or a point of disagreement that you want to point out, please make sure that you include a relevant point that you explain fairly and smoothly within your paragraph, whether in a body paragraph, in the introduction, or in the conclusion. (Note: You should review the article before writing, and you can also review your summary to remind yourself of the argument.)
Rough Draft Requirements
After reviewing the Lecture and writing a rough draft of this paper, use this checklist to make sure you have completed the requirements.
A successful essay draft will include the following.
A thesis statement that states your position on the topic of soft addictions or the effects of social networking on our social lives.
At least the beginning of two body paragraphs, according to the following instructions:
Have clear Points/topic sentences that show your opinion and that directly support your thesis.
Include a specific Illustration in each body paragraph that supports your point. You may make a general observation. (For example, write: “Most people talk about dieting or counting calories on a regular basis with their friends.” Then follow that with a specific example to support that point. You may decide to add another illustration/example in each paragraph when you expand and revise your essay in Week 7.
In one paragraph, include a quote from the article that helps to illustrate your Point. In other words, it will show support or make a point with which you disagree. You will introduce the quote and the author, as well as provide a parenthetical citation in APA format.
Your draft may include attempts to Explain the Illustration and tie ideas together for your reader, but the Points and Illustrations are the only true requirements for these paragraphs in Week 6.
At least 150 words of content (thesis, Points, Illustrations, and optional Explanations)
Includes your source on a page entitled Reference. Center the word Reference on the first line. Then, type the reference entry using double spacing and indent the second line (called a hanging indent): McWhorter, K. T. (2013). In concert: Reading and writing. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Basic APA formatting, as described below
Note: In the final draft, you will continue to develop these paragraphs and refine your writing in order to reach a specific audience. In the first draft, simply work to get your ideas out and onto paper.
