Developmental English Essay Packets
Objective One of the Developmental English Curriculum indicates that students
who master both content and skills sufficiently to pass the course will be able to write
well-developed, unified, and coherent topic sentence paragraphs and essays
demonstrating application of writing process. This essentially means that the use of
process must be demonstrated in written form; i.e., essay packets.
Essay Packets include some combination of the following items:
I. Planning Elements
1. Inventions: Listing, Freewriting, Questions and Answers, Mapping
2. Outline
II. First Draft – Students will show revision on the first draft.
III. Second Draft –(Revision draft) Students will show editing on the second draft.
IV. Third Draft – (Final Copy) – In correct manuscript form.
All documents except the final copy should be labeled and submitted in the order given
above. It is not necessary to staple, paper clip, crimp, or otherwise attach the sheets.
Placing them in the proper order is sufficient. Folders or binders for essay packets are
not necessary. Incomplete packets do not receive grades. They are returned to the
student for completion. Incomplete packets are graded the same as late packets. Late
packets receive a ten-point penalty off the top of the final grade. Manuscript Form:
While all other documents in the packet will and should show extensive marking and
correction, the final copy of the essay must conform to standard manuscript form.
Word Processing for out of class papers: Essay should be double-spaced throughout
using 12 point font size in Times New Roman font style. Observe one-inch margins at
top, bottom, and sides. (If you use a Microsoft Word Processing program, it will
automatically set the margins for you. No margin changes are necessary.) Name: first
line at left margin; Date; second line at left margin; Title; third line centered; essay text is
indented and begins on the fourth line. For second and additional pages, put writer’s
initials with page number on the first line at the right margin (cap letters, no spaces or
periods). Example; John Smith on page two would be—JS2.
Handwritten Papers (In Class Midterm and Final Essay):
First and last name go inside the 1st space against the left margin
Date goes in the 2nd space against the left margin; then skip one space;
Title is centered in the 4th space; cap 1st letters; no underlining or quotation marks.
Skip one space: Essay text is indented and begins in the 6th space.
Leave two full spaces at the bottom for bottom margin. 2nd and additional pages have
writer’s initials and page number above the first line inside the right margin. Essay text
for 2nd and additional pages begins inside the 1st space.
NOTE: Final Copies with CROSSED-OUT WORDS, handwritten corrections, or messy
corrections (use of white-out) are not acceptable. They will be returned to the student
without grade for correction. Late final copies also receive the ten point late penalty.