In constructing your essay, you must develop:
an introduction that
defines and describes the problem (the lack of motivation and effort among students in the United States), referring to the Moodie video and/or using statistics (from your research);
briefly summarizes Schusters main argument about the problem, her main ideas, and the five traits (without listing them);
explains why this problem is serious/important; and
ends with your thesis statement
a thesis statement answering a question: Are you a successful, motivated student or are you learning to become a more motivated student? Your thesis statement should be clear, concise, specific, arguable and appropriately placed (the last sentence of your introduction)
three paragraph topics organized from strongest to third strongest trait or weakest to third weakest trait, depending on your answer to the question (your thesis statement).
three well-developed and -organized body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should focus on one Schuster trait and should support your thesis statement. Each body paragraph should include the following aspects:
A topic sentence that
covers one topic/trait per body paragraph and
states a specific message about how that trait has enabled you to succeed in school
Information
defines the traits (Schuster) and
describes two examples, one personal example (ME) and one text-based example (Edwards or Westover) (THEM), in each body paragraph. Your examples should show details (the Ws)
Explanation that answers the questions So what? and Why good or bad? Your explanation/elaboration should tell how and why your information proves your topic sentence and should make connections between your experience and that of the authors.
a conclusion which does the following:
restates your thesis statement and list your three main traits and
states and explains advice to yourself about how you can become a more successful, motivated student
use of coordinating and subordinating conjunctions to join ideas in your sentences.
You must also carefully proofread and format your essay correctly following MLA guidelines (i.e., heading, 12-point font, Times New Romans, one-inch margins, double-spaced, running heading, no extra spacing between paragraphs).
In addition, you must include a Works Cited page (MLA formatted), which should be placed on a separate page on the last page of your essay. You will need cite the Schuster article, the assigned readings, and the text(s) you retrieved from a CCSF database correctly
Finally, be sure to write a specific title. The title of your essay should not be Essay #1 or Student Motivation. Your title needs to communicate a message, like your thesis statement, to your audience.