Are You a Giver or a Taker

This is for my english composition class its a critical response essay based off an artical.
Detailed Instructions:

Assignment Specifications
Length: 3-4 pages (Works Cited/References does not count toward this total)
Format: Times New Roman, 12 point font, double spaced, 1” margins, Works Cited/References page
Style: MLA or APA (guidelines for both may be accessed here)

Use the video below:
“Are You a Giver or a Taker?” by Adam Grant

Purpose and Audience
Learning how to both read and respond to another person’s arguments responsibly and effectively are the preliminary components of argument development. In this essay, your purpose is to demonstrate your competence in expressing and organizing a personal response to a source text. You should assume your audience is educated and has read the essay or seen the video to which you are responding, even though you will still begin by providing a brief summary of the work.

Structure
Introducing the Topic
Your introduction should introduce the topic of your paper. To do so, you will need to contextualize the argument you are making in terms of the work to which you are responding. Even though your audience has already read/seen the work to which you are responding, the introduction should still provide an objective summary of the work you have chosen, utilizing the skills you have learned throughout the unit. The purpose of this summary is two-fold: (1) to make sure your audience knows you understood the argument, and (2) to set up the ideas to which you will be responding.

For this paper, the introduction should be primarily your words; only use particularly important quotes if they are necessary for contextualizing your argument. While you are using your words to describe the argument, the summary should not include your personal thoughts on the issue–save that for the essay. The summary (and thus, the introduction, minus the thesis) should be objective.

Your thesis statement should appear at the end of your introduction. This is where you set up your response to the ideas presented in the work.
Responding to the Work
The response is subjective and presents your ideas on and responses to the ideas in the work you have chosen. Your response should be thoughtful and demonstrate to your reader that you have engaged deeply with the text. As you read, re-read, and reflect on the article or video you have chosen, select one of the following stances with which to approach your paper:

1. Ally and Re-Apply: You agree with the author’s primary argument or a portion of the argument. To make the argument your own, then, you must take the author’s ideas and apply them in a new way, adding your own experiences or ideas to expand upon the original argument.

2. Distance and Differentiate: You disagree with the author’s primary argument or a portion of the argument. You will need to explain exactly on which terms you disagree with the author, and then you will need to explain the reasons why you disagree.

3. Ride the Fence: You agree with some parts of the article but disagree with others. In my experience, this is the most difficult response to pull off effectively; I would recommend talking with me if you are leaning toward this option.

The most important thing about your response is that you move beyond what is obviously stated and discussed by the author in the text itself. You will incorporate direct quotes (snippets–no need for full length sentences or longer) as appropriate, but you will use those quotes to support the argument. You will need to resist the urge to continue summarizing throughout the essay.

Your response is your opportunity to put your oar into the conversation; remember that you are altering the direction of the discussion and not merely repeating the author’s ideas. What do you want to contribute to this conversation? This will comprise the body of your essay.

Wrapping it Up
Conclusions are often the most difficult part of essay writing. In your conclusion, you want to answer the question, “So what?” You’ve provided a summary and response to a chosen work–now you need to explain to your audience why it matters. Avoid merely repeating the information you’ve already presented in the essay–your audience has not forgotten that, as this is a relatively short assignment. Instead, explain how or why your response matters. How do your thoughts help people understand the work you’ve chosen, themselves as individuals, or the world in which they live? You can make whatever connections you want, so long as they are grounded in the work you’ve done in your essay.

Works Cited
On a separate page that is not included in the page count, please create an MLA or APA citation of your chosen work.

Rubric
Organization 20 points
Each paragraph begins with a clear topic sentence that relates back to the thesis.
Each point made within a paragraph supports the topic sentence of the paragraph.
Essay includes transitions between and within paragraphs.
Paragraphs are structured in a logical manner.
Introduction engages the reader’s interest and properly introduces the topic.
Conclusion reemphasizes the thesis, but does not use the same words.
Conclusion establishes the significance of the essay (answers “so what?”).

Reponse 40 points
Response reflects careful and thoughtful reading of source essay, clearly engaging with it throughout.
Response to the work is clear, persuasive, and thorough
Response uses specific details from the source text as support from an argument, avoiding delving into mere summary
The essay is not repetitive and does not make generalized statements.
Summary 20 points
Summary identifies author/title of essay being responded to.
Summary briefly and accurately summarizes the work’s main argument.
Summary effectively traces development of the speaker’s/writer’s argument
Thesis Statement 10 points
Focused, arguable thesis appears at end of the introduction
Thesis provides the reader with a clear sense of the writer’s response and the structure of the essay.
Thesis is supported and referenced throughout the essay.

Grammar, Style, and Formatting 10 points
Writing is smooth, skillful, and coherent.
Sentences are strong and expressive with varied structure.
Diction is consistent and words well chosen.
MLA/APA formatting employed properly.
Works Cited page (including only the selected article/video) is included and properly formatted
Grammatical errors do not impede understanding

Last Completed Projects