The purpose of the Informative Essay assignment is to choose a job or task that you know how to do and then write 1-2 full page Informative Essay teaching the reader how to do that job or task. It must be written in paras, not bullet points or as a list. You will follow the organization techniques explained in Unit 6.
To be perfectly honest, the informative essay is not all that commonly assigned and since it also comes before our most difficult assignment, which is where your focus should should be , I am very liberal on the requirements for this.
Here are the things I am going to grade you on: Is it clear and easy to follow? Do you list the materials needed? Does it have a thesis? Is it in MLA format? You can use second person in this one (you) and if you like, you can try to be interesting or funny and write creatively. I’ve had some cute ones on how to change a roll of toilet paper: a guide for teenagers, how to procrastinate on anything, how to get fired, how to tank a job interview, etc. The easiest (and most common) way to write this is to pick a simple task you know how to do (changing tires, baking something, and how to do laundry are always popular). Your thesis is going to be some version of: Planting an herb garden is a fun way to save money and it’s easy to do by following these steps OR The perfect grilled cheese sandwich takes just minutes and is an affordable and satisfying meal. Your thesis needs to say why anyone would want to learn how to do the thing you are teaching them to do. It’s the easiest of all of our assignments, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t turn in something decent.
Here are the details:
1. Read the Lecture Notes in Unit 6. You may also find the information in Chapter 10.5 in our text on Process Analysis helpful. The lecture notes will really be the most important to read in writing this assignment. However, here is a link to that chapter that you may look at in addition to the lecture notes:
2. Choose your topic, that is, the job or task you want to teach. As the notes explain, this should be a job or task that you already know how to do, and it should be something you can do well. You may ask your instructor for advice if you have a difficult time finding a job or task to write on. Also, think at this point about your audience (reader). Will your reader need any knowledge or experience to do this job or task, or will you write these instructions for a general reader where no experience is required to perform the job.
3. Plan your outline to organize this essay. Unit 6 notes offer advice on this organization process. Be sure to include an introductory paragraph that has the four main points presented in the lecture notes (again, while your introduction has those main points, they don’t have to be in the order given in the lecture notes).
4. Write the essay. It will need to be at least 1 full page long and not more than 2. You will use the MLA formatting that you used in previous essays from Units 3, 4, and 5
5. Be sure to include a title for your essay.
6. After writing the essay, be sure to take the time to read it several times for revision and editing. It would be helpful to have at least one other person proofread it as well before submitting the assignment.
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