Prompt：

“Majors for High School Students?”

Write a short (~600 words) essay on the topic below. Make sure to save your work as you go.

– Read the topic carefully. Your essay must be on the subject and fulfill the requirements set out in the task. You should choose a position and argue in support of it.

– Organize your ideas logically and develop your claims using at least some of the evidence provided below, as well as with your own explanation and analysis. You don’t need to use quotation marks unless the information is already in quotation marks.

Note: You’re also welcome to draw on your own knowledge and experiences to support your generalizations. Do not make up facts.

The following essays will not receive a passing score:

‐Those that simply list, summarize, or restate the given information.

‐Those that do not contain your own explanation or analysis of the information.

‐Those that basically tell a story rather than make and support a point.

Note: While I’ll be evaluating your grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, I’m more concerned with how you organize and present your argument (do youhave a thesis? Do you have clear topic sentences? Are the ideas within each paragraph related to the topic sentence? Is your argument coherent?)

You do not need to do outside research for this assignment. Use the following information to support your position:

The Problem: Greendale High School District is deciding whether or not to implement a “career academy” for all students. This academy would help prepare students for potential careers. All freshmen would have to declare a major, or area of interest, when entering high school. They would take 4 out of 8 electives in this major.

The Task: Write a thoughtful essay in which you take a stance on whether or not the career academy model should be adopted by Greendale High School District. In your essay, argue in support of your position, and incorporate any of the facts and information below that seem relevant, supporting your ideas with specifics and clear explanations. You do not need to include all the facts, but you should include some.

Facts and Information:

‐ Majors could be in traditional subjects, such as English, or specific job areas, such as auto mechanics, accounting, or computer repair.

‐ Students who declare majors early are more likely to stay in school.

‐ Most high school freshmen are fourteen years old.

‐ All students must complete three years of English, two years of math, and two years of social studies.

‐ Different schools in the district will have different career specialties.

‐ Students are not necessarily tied permanently to their major.

‐ A poll found that 65% of students said they work harder in classes that seem relevant to their future.

‐ Employers want workers who have good communication and analytical thinking skills, not just technical skills.

‐ Students often pick majors that require the least amount of work.

‐ Students in career majors have more opportunities for internships.

‐ In recent years, 90% of high school dropouts had passing grades. They said they dropped out because classes were “boring.”

‐ Many teachers are not qualified to teach in the career majors.

‐ The District estimates it will cost $3 million to implement the career academies. The state government has agreed to reimburse part of that cost.Majors for High School Students?”

Write a short (~600 words) essay on the topic below. Make sure to save your work as you go.

– Read the topic carefully. Your essay must be on the subject and fulfill the requirements set out in the task. You should choose a position and argue in support of it.

– Organize your ideas logically and develop your claims using at least some of the evidence provided below, as well as with your own explanation and analysis. You don’t need to use quotation marks unless the information is already in quotation marks.

Note: You’re also welcome to draw on your own knowledge and experiences to support your generalizations. Do not make up facts.

The following essays will not receive a passing score:

‐Those that simply list, summarize, or restate the given information.

‐Those that do not contain your own explanation or analysis of the information.

‐Those that basically tell a story rather than make and support a point.

Note: While I’ll be evaluating your grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, I’m more concerned with how you organize and present your argument (do youhave a thesis? Do you have clear topic sentences? Are the ideas within each paragraph related to the topic sentence? Is your argument coherent?)

You do not need to do outside research for this assignment. Use the following information to support your position:

The Problem: Greendale High School District is deciding whether or not to implement a “career academy” for all students. This academy would help prepare students for potential careers. All freshmen would have to declare a major, or area of interest, when entering high school. They would take 4 out of 8 electives in this major.

The Task: Write a thoughtful essay in which you take a stance on whether or not the career academy model should be adopted by Greendale High School District. In your essay, argue in support of your position, and incorporate any of the facts and information below that seem relevant, supporting your ideas with specifics and clear explanations. You do not need to include all the facts, but you should include some.

Facts and Information:

‐ Majors could be in traditional subjects, such as English, or specific job areas, such as auto mechanics, accounting, or computer repair.

‐ Students who declare majors early are more likely to stay in school.

‐ Most high school freshmen are fourteen years old.

‐ All students must complete three years of English, two years of math, and two years of social studies.

‐ Different schools in the district will have different career specialties.

‐ Students are not necessarily tied permanently to their major.

‐ A poll found that 65% of students said they work harder in classes that seem relevant to their future.

‐ Employers want workers who have good communication and analytical thinking skills, not just technical skills.

‐ Students often pick majors that require the least amount of work.

‐ Students in career majors have more opportunities for internships.

‐ In recent years, 90% of high school dropouts had passing grades. They said they dropped out because classes were “boring.”

‐ Many teachers are not qualified to teach in the career majors.

‐ The District estimates it will cost $3 million to implement the career academies. The state government has agreed to reimburse part of that cost“Majors for High School Students?”

Write a short (~600 words) essay on the topic below. Make sure to save your work as you go.

– Read the topic carefully. Your essay must be on the subject and fulfill the requirements set out in the task. You should choose a position and argue in support of it.

– Organize your ideas logically and develop your claims using at least some of the evidence provided below, as well as with your own explanation and analysis. You don’t need to use quotation marks unless the information is already in quotation marks.

Note: You’re also welcome to draw on your own knowledge and experiences to support your generalizations. Do not make up facts.

The following essays will not receive a passing score:

‐Those that simply list, summarize, or restate the given information.

‐Those that do not contain your own explanation or analysis of the information.

‐Those that basically tell a story rather than make and support a point.

Note: While I’ll be evaluating your grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, I’m more concerned with how you organize and present your argument (do youhave a thesis? Do you have clear topic sentences? Are the ideas within each paragraph related to the topic sentence? Is your argument coherent?)

You do not need to do outside research for this assignment. Use the following information to support your position:

The Problem: Greendale High School District is deciding whether or not to implement a “career academy” for all students. This academy would help prepare students for potential careers. All freshmen would have to declare a major, or area of interest, when entering high school. They would take 4 out of 8 electives in this major.

The Task: Write a thoughtful essay in which you take a stance on whether or not the career academy model should be adopted by Greendale High School District. In your essay, argue in support of your position, and incorporate any of the facts and information below that seem relevant, supporting your ideas with specifics and clear explanations. You do not need to include all the facts, but you should include some.

Facts and Information:

‐ Majors could be in traditional subjects, such as English, or specific job areas, such as auto mechanics, accounting, or computer repair.

‐ Students who declare majors early are more likely to stay in school.

‐ Most high school freshmen are fourteen years old.

‐ All students must complete three years of English, two years of math, and two years of social studies.

‐ Different schools in the district will have different career specialties.

‐ Students are not necessarily tied permanently to their major.

‐ A poll found that 65% of students said they work harder in classes that seem relevant to their future.

‐ Employers want workers who have good communication and analytical thinking skills, not just technical skills.

‐ Students often pick majors that require the least amount of work.

‐ Students in career majors have more opportunities for internships.

‐ In recent years, 90% of high school dropouts had passing grades. They said they dropped out because classes were “boring.”

‐ Many teachers are not qualified to teach in the career majors.

‐ The District estimates it will cost $3 million to implement the career academies. The state government has agreed to reimburse part of that cost.

“Majors for High School Students?”

Write a short (~600 words) essay on the topic below. Make sure to save your work as you go.

– Read the topic carefully. Your essay must be on the subject and fulfill the requirements set out in the task. You should choose a position and argue in support of it.

– Organize your ideas logically and develop your claims using at least some of the evidence provided below, as well as with your own explanation and analysis. You don’t need to use quotation marks unless the information is already in quotation marks.

Note: You’re also welcome to draw on your own knowledge and experiences to support your generalizations. Do not make up facts.

The following essays will not receive a passing score:

‐Those that simply list, summarize, or restate the given information.

‐Those that do not contain your own explanation or analysis of the information.

‐Those that basically tell a story rather than make and support a point.

Note: While I’ll be evaluating your grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure, I’m more concerned with how you organize and present your argument (do youhave a thesis? Do you have clear topic sentences? Are the ideas within each paragraph related to the topic sentence? Is your argument coherent?)

You do not need to do outside research for this assignment. Use the following information to support your position:

The Problem: Greendale High School District is deciding whether or not to implement a “career academy” for all students. This academy would help prepare students for potential careers. All freshmen would have to declare a major, or area of interest, when entering high school. They would take 4 out of 8 electives in this major.

The Task: Write a thoughtful essay in which you take a stance on whether or not the career academy model should be adopted by Greendale High School District. In your essay, argue in support of your position, and incorporate any of the facts and information below that seem relevant, supporting your ideas with specifics and clear explanations. You do not need to include all the facts, but you should include some.

Facts and Information:

‐ Majors could be in traditional subjects, such as English, or specific job areas, such as auto mechanics, accounting, or computer repair.

‐ Students who declare majors early are more likely to stay in school.

‐ Most high school freshmen are fourteen years old.

‐ All students must complete three years of English, two years of math, and two years of social studies.

‐ Different schools in the district will have different career specialties.

‐ Students are not necessarily tied permanently to their major.

‐ A poll found that 65% of students said they work harder in classes that seem relevant to their future.

‐ Employers want workers who have good communication and analytical thinking skills, not just technical skills.

‐ Students often pick majors that require the least amount of work.

‐ Students in career majors have more opportunities for internships.

‐ In recent years, 90% of high school dropouts had passing grades. They said they dropped out because classes were “boring.”

‐ Many teachers are not qualified to teach in the career majors.

‐ The District estimates it will cost $3 million to implement the career academies. The state government has agreed to reimburse part of that cost.

Notes on Essay ：

Think of this as a puzzle. The issue and the facts are your pieces, so it’s your job to arrange them in a way that makes sense. You can create one or two additional pieces based on personal experience, but for the most part you should work with the facts presented in the prompt (no outside research, no invented facts).

This is a prompt from an English proficiency test given out at SF State. I used to grade these for a bit of extra money on the weekends. I’d sit in a room full of English professors and grade them at a rate of about five per hour. Two readers graded each test on a 1-4 scale, with 3 as a pass and 4 as a “high pass.” If the two readers differed on whether a student passed (i.e. one gave the essay a 2 and one a 3), a third “team leader” would then read the essay and make a final decision. We read for the basics, so generally about one in five essays needed to be re-read by the team leader.

It’s a highly formulaic approach to writing, but it’s also a good way for each of you to demonstrate your ability to use the techniques we’ve studied in this class to structure an argument and quickly produce a brief persuasive essay.

Give yourself 30 minutes to write an outline, and 60 minutes to turn that outline into an essay. You don’t need to submit your outline, but it should look something like this:

Intro – One or two sentences leading to a

Thesis Statement with a clear stance on the issue.

P1 – Clear “point” or topic sentence – A general statement that supports your thesis.

I1 – A fact from the list

I2 – Another fact from the list or a personal anecdote

E – Why these I’s support your P for this paragraph.

P2 – Same as P1 but with different facts or a “Some people will no doubt argue that [insert counterargument here], but ___ .

I1 – A fact from the list

I2 – Another fact or a personal anecdote

E – Why these I’s support your P for this paragraph.

Conclusion – Restate thesis and add a twist or bit of food for thought.

Examples of essay are on the below!⏬ ⏬