Definition Essay Assignment Sheet
Our first major assignment in Composition 1 will be a definition essay. This project will involve creating a main thesis, or central idea, that answers these questions:
Remember, your thesis in a college essay should appear at the end of your introduction and can be more than one sentence in length.
In the body of your Definition Essay, you will defend and develop your thesis statement using evidence from the articles entitled “Save the Planet: Stop Eating Meat,” “Eating Meat for the Environment,” and/or ““Can Eating Meat and Dairy Products be Sustainable?”. In addition, you may use evidence from the articles “A World Without Chickens” and “What’s the Beef with Meat?”
Assignment Overview:
Purpose: To persuade readers that your definition of an “Earth-Friendly Diet” is valid.
Audience: Member of this classroom, including Kelly.
Tone: Professional; neither too casual nor overly-highbrow.
Length: 2 pages (not counting the Works Cited page).
Sources: The articles entitled “Save the Planet: Stop Eating Meat,” “Eating Meat for the Environment,” and/or ““Can Eating Meat and Dairy Products be Sustainable?”. “A World Without Chickens” and “What’s the Beef with Meat?” are also approved sources.
Format: Your definition essay should have an original title, be double-spaced, be typed in Times New Roman/12-point font, and have 1″ margins on all four sides.
Documentation: Your definition essay should use proper MLA documentation style, including in-text citations for any idea or information taken from your sources and a complete and correct Works Cited page.
Assignment Timeline:
Grading Criteria: A successful Definition Essay will:
have a creative title that sparks reader interest and reflects some aspect of your thesis.
have an interesting introduction that brings readers into your topic and funnels down smoothly to a presentation of your main thesis.
be organized around a central argument or thesis that makes a clear definition of the phrase “Earth-Friendly Diet” as you think people should understand and apply it in the U.S. today. This definition should clarify what types of foods we should either eat or avoid and what types of farming practices we should support to help stop global warming.
develop its thesis with logical claims that are stated in the topic sentences of the essay’s body paragraphs.
support all claims (topic sentences) with ample evidence from at least two of the three specified articles.
introduce evidence—especially direct quotations—smoothly and logically.
clearly explain how the evidence used supports the argument.
document all evidence with appropriate in-text citations.
end with a conclusion that harmonizes with the introduction and leaves readers with an interesting point to ponder.
have smooth transitions between paragraphs.
include well-made paragraphs.
be built of sentences that are clear and correct.
be written in a professional tone.
be two to two-and-a-half pages in length (not counting the Works Cited page).
be formatted correctly in MLA documentation style and include a complete and correct Works Cited page.
