Students should write an essay on their perspective on guilt and sin, citing the reading. (Though it is their perspective, it must still be written in third person, academic.) The essay should be five paragraphs(Introduction, 3 body paragraphs with topic sentences, and a conclusion), There is no page or word count, but each paragraph should be at least 5 sentences or longer, and it will be graded on the quality of those five paragraphs. The best way to get an “A” on this assignment is to check off everything below before they turn it in.
Expectations:
- Essays must adhere to MLA formatting standards (signature block, 12-point, TimesNewRoman font, double-spaced, 1” margins, and works cited page). [Worth 5-points]
- The title should be creative. [Worth 1-point]
- The paper should have a strong thesis statement at the end of the introduction paragraph, with a topic sentence at the beginning of each additional paragraph that points back to the thesis. (Thesis should be arguable and must be able to stand alone.) [Worth 6-points for thesis; 3 points for each topic sentence=15-points]
- The essay must include citations from the textbook and two additional resources (not Wikipedia or Sparks Notes). Papers without citations in the paper will automatically be marked down 30%. Putting a reference on the Works Cited page is not “citation.” Direct quotes need to be worked into the paper from your reading. If you summarize an author, you still need to cite it [Worth 30-points]
Plagiarism will not be tolerated. There should be less than 25% citation. (Formula to consider: For every quoted sentence, students must write three sentences of their own.) All citations must adhere to MLA standards. [Plagiarism will result in a zero and be reported to the VP of Academics.]
- Essay should be written in third person, academic tone. Any use of personal pronouns will be marked down (except in the conclusion). [Worth 10-points]
- Essay should free of errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics. Avoid contractions and an overuse of adverbs. [Worth 20-points]
Note: Extra credit for taking your paper to the Writing Lab.
- Each paragraph must have a minimum of 5-quality sentences. [3-points for each paragraph that is 5 sentences or longer]
Rubric:
MLA Standards 5-points
Creative Title 1-point
Thesis/Topic Sentences 15-points
Citations 30-points
Third person 10-points
Grammar 24-points
Length 15-points
= 100-points
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