CAUTION: It is critical that you read all of the instructions below (word for word); the week five lessons; and the MLA Review and Sample Essay 2 (under Resources) before submitting this essay. If you do not follow ALL of the instructions, your essay will be returned to you for revisions or awarded a grade of zero. You don’t have to be perfect, but do read carefully and try your best.

This week, you will write your third essay. Use the three-part thesis and five-paragraph essay format you learned during week two. Write in third person only. (See the Grammar Review under Resources for help with third person.)

Under Week 5 Lessons, we learned about different types of essays. For your final essay, you may choose from any of these types of essays. Also, to make things easier on you, you may also write about one of the topics you researched in the MLA/Library Practice forums (weeks four and six).

Here is a thesis example for a “descriptive” essay, in which I will describe a decade: The 1960s was a greatly controversial decade due to its fashion, political unrest, and social norms.

You must incorporate research exclusively from the APUS library into your essay. Use two or three sources—no more, no less. Remember that your essay should be mostly your own writing (~80%) and approximately 20% source material. This is short essay, so use short quotes only. I suggest only a line or two of quoted material in each of your body paragraphs. Don’t forget your Works Cited page. Include the APUS library URL (https) after each Works Cited entry so that I can click on it and double-check your article. You can just copy and paste it from your web browser. Extensive MLA help is provided under week four (Lessons and Resources).

Please do not let anyone else write or revise your writing. My job is to help you improve YOUR writing. I can only do that if you let me see your mistakes. I am not interested in how well someone else writes. I want to help YOU!

(Hint: if you are struggling, there are tutoring opportunities listed on our Syllabus. This is an appropriate route for acquiring help with your writing. You may contact me for help anytime too!)

Download the template and save it as your last name and Essay 3. (Example: Smith_Essay3). The MLA formatting is done for you (e.g., Times New Roman size 12, double-spaced, header, etc.). Update your name, your professor’s name, and date. Don’t forget to put your last name in the header. (Let me know if you don’t know how to get into the header section or type a question into your Word help section.)

Your essay should be between 500 and 750 words. Please do not go under the word count at all. Do not go over the word count by more than 50 words. Following instructions is an important part of any writing assignment, and often you will be asked to adhere to word count guidelines, so this is good practice!

Be sure that all paragraphs are well developed. I suggest 5-8 sentences per paragraph and no less than 100 words per paragraph, including your introduction and conclusion.

(Points saver: as you proof your essay in Word, hit the control [ctrl] key and the “F” key at the same time. This will bring up the search feature. Type in what you wish to find, such as the word you, to be sure you have avoided second person. This works in finding contractions too. Type in an apostrophe and hit enter!)

When you “submit” your paper, it will be uploaded into Turnitin (a plagiarism-detection website) automatically. You do not have to create a Turnitin account yourself. Both you and your instructor will receive the results. (The Turnitin report will be under Assignments and will have a percentage on it, like 22%. Click on the percentage to view your report. Certain parts of your essay will be highlighted. This shows where you have used information from a library source or material that appears in another student’s essay.)

A “Sample Essay 2” is under Resources. Take a look before you begin!

GOOD LUCK!

The grading rubric used to score this essay is attached. Your instructor will use the iRubric to evaluate this essay. Please read the rubric categories and your instructor’s comments carefully.