Essay #2: Evaluative Essay
Peer Review Draft Due: 9/27 (in-class peer reviews 9/29)
Final and Initial Drafts Due: 10/6
Write a 5-6 page (1200-1500 words) essay in which you evaluate a topic in the vein of “Global Climate Change”. Your essay should demonstrate thorough understanding and analysis of your topic, a clear argument for or against that topic, and sound reasoning and evidence. Choose a topic from the list provided here, or you may choose your own topic and get it approved by me.
- Global Warming – Myth or reality?
- Greenhouse Gases – What’s their responsibility in all of this?
- Melting Glaciers – What’s responsible? Exaggerated problem or very real problem?
- Polar Bears – What’s responsible? Exaggerated problem or very real problem?
- Hurricane intensity/frequency – What’s responsible? Exaggerated problem or very real problem?
- Rising sea levels – What’s responsible? Exaggerated problem or very real problem?
- Changing temperatures – What’s responsible? Exaggerated problem or very real problem?
- The Caitlin Expedition – Are its findings accurate?
- The Coral Reef Scare – What’s responsible? Exaggerated problem or very real problem?
- Going “Green”- How much of an impact will it have?
Evaluation Essay Structure and Format Tips[1]
Evaluation essays set out to create criteria and then judge or evaluate the subject based on these criteria. Writing an evaluation essay requires you to fully analyze both sides and determine an arguable judgment. You must fully explore the subject and then provide views and evidence to support that judgment.
Your writing starts with gathering necessary and relevant materials. Then you formulate a thesis—your judgment upon the topic—, create an essay outline, argue your judgment with evidence and smoothly come to the conclusions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Find something to evaluate. Choose a topic from the list above or choose your own topic and get it approved by me, then determine your position on that topic.
- Draft a thesis statement. The thesis details the overall purpose of the evaluation essay and sets up the angle for your judgment. In evaluation essays, the thesis should argue the value or lack of value of your particular topic based on the criteria you will later establish.
- Define your subject. Provide background information about your topic or subject before you begin evaluating. For example, when evaluating a book, provide a brief summary of the plot and its characters to set up the context of the evaluation for the reader.
- Choose the appropriate criteria. In order to evaluate a topic or attempt to pass judgment, writers need to detail criteria in which the topic will be evaluated. For example, if you are evaluating a movie, the criteria might be national cinematography affiliation, plot, action, realistic characters or visual effects.
- Critique the criteria. When drafting evaluation essays, the body of your essay should address the effectiveness or ineffective qualities of each set of criteria. Provide examples to support your judgment of each criteria and argue in accordance with your thesis
