ESSAY #2 – REFLECTIVE INFORMATIVE ESSAY
Purpose: The purpose of writing a reflective informative essay is to give your audience
interesting and relevant information about a topic (informative) and to discuss your personal experiences with and understanding of that information (reflective).
Topic: You will write about your experience as a writer in this class and what you have learned about writing, reading, and researching a topic at the academic level.
This will be a single-draft essay; the goal for this essay is to act a bit like a final exam in which you will do your best to complete the essay based on what you have learned about essay writing.
Word count 1000 – 1800 words (final draft)
In order to inform the reader about your topic, you must draw not only from your own knowledge, but from sources that helped you to learn about this topic during the quarter.
You will need at least the following number of sources to help write your essay:
You must include three subtopics:
The major sections of the academic essay –
How to do research that is trustworthy and accurate –
What you think about your ability to research, read, and write at the academic level
after taking this class.
Introduction
Hook – Share your thoughts before you took this class; what did you expect? What were you hoping to learn? What was your confidence level before the class and why?
Basic background on the main topic – You are the main topic, so share your educational background. What was your education in research and writing like? Where were you educated?
How much did you know about research writing in the North American cultural style before you entered class, and when and where did you learn what you knew?
Review of introduction and body – Remind the reader of your main topic, controlling idea, subtopics, and at least three or four specific important points that you made or information that you shared in those parts of your essay.
Final thoughts on the topic – Share your own tips for taking this class. What would you tell a student about to take this class for the first time? What tips related to research and writing would you offer?
