Time to write another essay

Wanna write an essay with me? What would you write about? (No, that's not me in the picture!) | Day 34 - Essay and Notes (Photo credit: Auntie P)

My Written Communication students are writing a booklet of essays that they will be turning in at the end of this semester, and I’m planning to write a booklet of my own along with them. This week we learned about the descriptive essay in class, so they must write a descriptive essay by our next meeting. The students have been planning their essays for several weeks, but I’m just now thinking of mine. I can’t decide what to write about. I know, I should have made my outline right along with them.

The final booklet of essays will contain essays using each of the following patterns of development:

Descriptive essay
Narrative essay
Definition essay
Process Analysis essay
Argumentation/Persuasion essay

All of the essays must cover one general topic. My students are writing essays on topics like Alzheimer’s disease, organic eating, preparing for a new baby, alcoholism, Wisconsin Dells, and buying a new car. The students will take their broad topics and write five essays on narrow subjects within that topic.

As we learn about each pattern of development in class, we will write an essay in that pattern, then bring our rough drafts to class to workshop in small groups. At the end of the semester, they will turn in their final booklet of essays as one of their final projects.

If you had to tackle such an assignment, what do you think you would write about? Please comment below.

~Mandy Webster