Graded Project: Essay: Cause and Effect

topic : The causes and effects of a major decision or change in life,such asbuying a home or returning to school

1,800- to 2,000-word research paper with are required to use four to six reputable secondary sources APA

Be sure to keep a backup copy of any files you submit to the school!

Cause-and-Effect Essay

A cause-and-effect essay (or causal analysis) fully explains the causes or effects that are the focus of the essay's thesis and presents them in a logical order.

Assignment

For your cause-and-effect essay, you will write a 1,800- to 2,000-word research paper using the cause-and-effect pattern of development. You'll choose one of the assigned topics below and begin your research. Four to six secondary sources are required. You are required to use the APA citation and documentation format for parenthetical (in-text) citations and your list of references.

Review Cause and Effect, Chapter 18, in your textbook and complete exercises 18.1 and 18.2. These exercises will help you identify and distinguish between causes and effects. Also, refer to Graphic Organizers 18.1, 18.2, and 18.3 to see the structure of different types of cause-and-effect essays. You'll choose one of these methods to organize your topic.

Please note that there is no graded prewriting for the cause-and-effect essay, but you should still follow the steps in the writing process to plan, organize, draft, and revise your essay before you submit it for evaluation.

Topic

• The causes and effects of a major decision or change in life,such asbuying a home or returning to school

You may write in first-person or third-person point of view. You're writing for an audience unfamiliar with your topic, so your goal is to use language your readers are familiar with and can relate to; be sure to define any technical terms you use.

Research

You are required to use four to six reputable secondary sources for your cause-and-effect essay. Evaluate your sources to ensure that the information you are using and passing on to your readers is accurate and reliable.

Incorporate evidence from your secondary sources into your outline or graphic organizer to plan your essay. You'll need to use parenthetical citations and include a list of references on the last page of your exam. Refer to the APA style section in your text and the APA Style Guide in The Writer's Block.

Process

Follow the steps in the guided writing assignment to prewrite, organize, draft, revise, edit, and proofread your essay.

Choose one of the cause-and-effect graphic organizers in your textbook to develop your plan; include the information from your secondary sources in your outline or graphic organizer.

Study the cause-and-effect essays "Why the Police Are Rarely Indicted for Misconduct" by Alex S. Vitale and "Why Ban Single-Use Plastics?" by Thai Luong to see how each writer organizes and develops his analysis of each situation.

Exam Format

Format your prewriting and essay exams according to the following instructions. Refer to the sample APA-style essay in your text.

1. Start with a title page that includes your
   • Title
   • Name
   • Student ID
   • Address
   • Email address
2. Use the header function to insert your page number in the top right margin of your document.
   • You do not need to include your essay title in the header.
3. Begin your document on page 2 after the title page.
   • Start page 2 with your title
     • Do not include abstracts in your essays.
   • Use transitional words, phrases, and sentences to guide your reader through your essay.
     • Do not use headings in your essay.
4. Include your references list on the last page of your document.
   • Do not submit it separately.

Grading Rubric

Advanced-score of 100%	The essay effectively addresses the purpose of the assignment and the requirements of the prompt. The essay provides a clear thesis statement that effectively introduces the topic, states a debatable claim, and previews the main points of the essay. The essay provides assertions, evidence, and analytic explanation to illustrate ideas and support the thesis in ways that are fresh, insightful, and engaging. The essay effectively includes an introduction paragraph with a thesis statement that engages the reader, uses topic sentences to clearly define paragraphs, uses evidence that supports the thesis statement and topic sentences, and includes a conclusion that reinforces the thesis. The essay includes four to six required sources. These sources are used logically and effectively to support the writer's own claims. Ideas that cannot be considered common knowledge are cited and documented using the APA citation format. The essay uses signal phrases, parenthetical citations, and a works-cited page. The essay effectively addresses the audience through an appropriate tone and point of view. The essay is mostly free of errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice while meeting the length requirement (1,800-2,000 words) and formatting requirements using the correct font, spacing, and margins.
Proficient-score of 85%	The essay adequately addresses the purpose of the assignment and the requirements of the prompt. The essay provides a thesis statement that introduces the topic and states a debatable claim, but the main points are not outlined explicitly. The essay provides assertions, evidence, and analytic explanation to illustrate ideas and support the thesis, though much of the information is obvious. The essay includes an introduction with a thesis statement, but the introduction may not engage the reader. Most evidence provided is relevant to the body paragraphs, thesis statement, and topic sentences. The conclusion restates the thesis but may lack a satisfactory ending. The essay includes four to six required sources. These sources are used logically and effectively to support the writer's own claims. The writer has attempted to use APA format to indicate borrowed content, but formatting requires revision. The essay adequately addresses the audience through an appropriate tone and point of view. The essay is reasonably free of errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice and may just fall short of or exceed the length requirements; however, the essay is formatted using the correct header, font, and margins, though some errors may be present.
Developing-score of 70%	The essay partially addresses the purpose of the assignment and the requirements of the prompt. The essay provides a thesis statement that offers an unclear or only somewhat debatable claim. The thesis provides direction for the essay but does not explicitly outline the main points. The essay offers some assertions, evidence, and analytic explanation to illustrate ideas, though much of the information is obvious or lacks consistency. The essay includes an introduction that is underdeveloped, body paragraphs with weak topic sentences that may lack focus, logical development, or evidence relevant to the thesis, and a conclusion that is underdeveloped. Some secondary sources are present, but they are inconsistently used to support the writer's own claims. The writer has attempted to use a citation and documentation format but does not adequately credit secondary sources. The essay illustrates some awareness of the audience but employs colloquial or idiomatic language, lacking an appropriate tone. The essay includes errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice, some of which may interfere with meaning and may fall short of or exceed the length requirements due to repetitive and unengaging content, while not fully addressing the topic and purpose. The essay may not employ the correct formatting.
Emerging-score of 60%	The essay minimally addresses the purpose of the assignment and the requirements of the prompt. The essay attempts a thesis statement, but it is factual and/or not related to the topic. The essay offers general evidence, but it does not address the topic or purpose. The essay has an introduction that does not engage the reader, includes minimally defined main ideas, isn't organized into paragraphs, lacks topic sentences, lacks evidence that relates to the thesis, lacks transitions, and/or lacks a conclusion. Few secondary sources are present, and they are inconsistently used or do not support the writer's own claims. The writer has attempted to use a citation and documentation format but does not adequately credit secondary sources. The essay addresses the appropriate audience but does not use an appropriate tone. The essay contains some errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice, making it difficult for the reader to follow and comprehend. The essay also does not meet or significantly exceeds the length requirement and does not apply the correct formatting.
Not Developed-score of 50%	The essay does not address the purpose of the assignment and the requirements of the prompt. The essay does not offer a thesis statement. The essay does not provide specific, relevant evidence to illustrate ideas and support the thesis. The essay has an introduction that does not engage the reader, lacks clearly defined main ideas, isn't organized into paragraphs, lacks evidence that relates to the thesis, lacks transitions, and/or lacks a conclusion. The essay lacks secondary sources and/or secondary sources do not support the writer's claim. Sources are not cited and documented correctly. The essay does not address the appropriate audience and does not use an appropriate tone. The essay contains numerous errors in sentence structure, grammar, punctuation, and word choice, making it difficult for the reader to follow and comprehend, while also not meeting the length and/or formatting requirements.