Essay Final Checklist

WRITING: Domains 1 & 2 on the RubricCritical Reading and Organization

Framed Introductory ParagraphCircle the title of the piece.

1. Is it interesting/original? Is it tied into your frame?

Put a box around your introduction. 1. Is it creatively framed? What is the

framing device? Single Word Singe Image Allusion Anecdotal

Framed Intro cont’d…TAG/background/context

1. Is the title of the text properly punctuated?2. Is their sufficient and important information

on the background of the plot or issue to ground our understanding of your thesis?

3. Is there a transition sentence from an objective summary to your claim?

Thesis:1. Is it stated clearly in one sentence? Does it

answer the question thoroughly with nuance?

Topic Sentences Highlight each topic sentence given to

support the thesis in yellow. 1. This must be the FIRST SENTENCE of the

paragraph!2. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence

that supports the thesis and states the main idea of that paragraph. There should be at least THREE paragraphs to support your thesis.

3. Does the ORDER of the main points LOGICALLY develop and support your thesis?

EvidenceHighlight in blue the quotations from the

text.1. You should have a minimum of THREE since

you must have at least two paragraphs.2. Evaluate each quote. Does it support or

exemplify the topic sentence?

Signal PhraseHighlight the SIGNAL PHRASE in pink.

1. Each quote must have a signal phrase that introduces it.

2. If you don’t have a signal phrase add one now.3. Did you provide briefly essential context of

the quote?

• 

Commentary Number the remaining sentences of

commentary. You should have at least two sentences/quote.

1. Does your commentary explain your reasoning or interpretation of the quote and WHY it is strong evidence to support your TS/thesis?

ClosingDo you provide “closure” in your last

paragraph to the question or issue at hand?

Is your conclusion Framed?1. Remember: DO NOT use the words “In

conclusion”

Domain 3 on the RubricVoice

Sentence BeginningsLook at your sentence starters. Do each

of your sentences start in a new way? If yes, hurray! 1. If you see repetition of words or phrases---

Revise them! Use Ms. Mo’s mini-lesson today to vary your sentence beginnings.

Point of ViewDid you use the word “you”? GET RID OF

IT. Did you use the word “I”? GET RID OF IT

unless it is part of an anecdotal opening or closing for your frame up.

 Did you write in PRESENT TENSE?

Miscellaneous• “Talks About”

▫ The writer is not “talking about” anything. The writer “writes” “asserts” “claims” “explains” “proposes” “introduces” “describes” “argues”… but never “talks.”

• Calling the author by his/her first name▫ Examples: ▫ Incorrect: Willie wrote that Romeo is “…..”▫ Correct: Shakespeare describes Romeo as “…..”

• Read the essay slowly, sentence by sentence…word by word… and determine if each sentence makes grammatical sense. ▫ Is it a sentence? ▫ Are there and words that need to be changed?

•Diction▫Use the Academic Word List (AWL)

available on Sharepoint

MLA Mini LessonCiting Verse& Formatting the PaperPoetry, Lyrics, Shakespeare and More

And

How do I make a Header?

What is MLA?

•Modern Language Association▫A method of citing references in research

papers

What does MLA regulate?

MLA regulates:

Document Format

In-text citations

Works Cited

(a list of all sources

used in the paper)

Your Instructor Knows Best

#1 Rule for any formatting style:

AlwaysFollow your instructor’s

guidelines

Shakespeare in MLA Format• Habitually italicize the names of plays (or

underline them -- it means the same thing). This is especially important with Shakespeare since one usually needs to distinguish the names of the main characters from the names of the plays to avoid occasional confusion.

• In writing about Shakespeare, as with any literature or film, use present tense to convey the ongoing life of the work: Hamlet stabs Polonius (vs. stabbed); Shakespeare portrays Romeo as an emotional dreamer (vs. Shakespeare portrayed).

Shakespeare in MLA Format• When quoting four or more lines from Shakespeare,

normally you should use block quotation: Richard III tells his troops,

Remember whom you are to cope withal: A sort of vagabonds, rascals, and runaways, A scum of Britains and base lackey peasants, Whom their o'ercloyed country vomits forth To desperate adventures and assur'd destruction. (V.iii.315-319)

• In your manuscript, indent block quotations twice -- they are distinct from normal paragraph indentations.

Shakespeare in MLA format

•In quoting shorter passages in linear form, you still need to indicate line breaks when Shakespeare is writing in verse: Othello recalls, "Upon this hint I spake: / She lov'd me for the dangers I had pass'd, / And I lov'd her that she did pity them" (I.iii.166-168).

•Note the withholding of final punctuation in this case until after the parenthetical citation. The slash marks indicate line breaks in the verse.

Formatting Short Verse Quotations

To indicate short quotations (fewer than four typed lines of prose or three lines of verse) in your text

1. Enclose the quotation within double quotation marks

2. Question marks and exclamation points should appear within the quotation marks if they are a part of the quoted passage but after the parenthetical citation if they are a part of your text

• According to some, dreams express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184), though others disagree.

• According to Foulkes's study, dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (184).

• Is it possible that dreams may express "profound aspects of personality" (Foulkes 184)?

Mark breaks in short quotations of verse with a slash, /, at the end of each line of verse: (a space should precede and follow the slash)

• Cullen concludes, "Of all the things that happened there / That's all I remember" (11-12).

Formatting Short Verse Quotations

Long QuotationsFor quotations that extend to more than four lines of verse or

prose: 1. Place quotations in a free-standing block of text and omit

quotation marks.2. Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote

indented one inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing.

3. Only indent the first line of the quotation by a half inch if you are citing multiple paragraphs.

4. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.

5. When quoting verse, maintain original line breaks.6. You should maintain double-spacing throughout your essay.

Citing Single Words from Verse

•When Heaney uses a simile to compare his pen to a  "gun," he creates a startling image (2). •For one word, put the line number at the end.

Citing Single Words from Verse

•Roethke uses a variety of words in "My Papa's Waltz" that indicate physical violence, words such as "death" (3), "battered" (9), "scraped" (12), "beat" (13), and "hard" (14). •Put line numbers after citing

several single words.

Format: General Guidelines Reminder Type on white 8.5” x 11” paper

Double-space everything

Use 12 pt. Times New Roman, Ariel font (or

similar font)

Leave only one space after punctuation

Set all margins to 1 inch on all sides

Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch

Header with page numbers in the upper right

corner

Use italics for titles of long texts (novels)

Use quotes for short texts (poems, plays, songs)

Sample 1st Page