WR115 Evaluative Essay
“Title IX Is Necessary to Reduce Sexual Discrimination in Sports”
“Title IX Undermines Sports Programs”
Summary (Evaluation): 100 points
Annotated Opposing Viewpoint Article: 25 points
Evaluative Essay: 100 points
Assignments & Due Dates Associated with this Essay
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Due Wednesday, Mar. 6th: Read “Title IX Is Necessary to Reduce Sexual Discrimination in
Sports” and “Title IX Undermines Sports Programs.” Select which article you want to evaluate
then heavily annotate it.
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Due Monday, Mar. 11th: Summarize the article you selected and annotate the other article.
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Due Monday, Mar. 11th: Outline/blueprint and first draft of your evaluative essay is due.
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Due Wednesday, Mar. 13th: Second draft due
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Due Monday, Mar. 18th: Final draft—No class, so deliver to Mary’s office, AC2383
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Wednesday, Mar. 20th: 4:00 p.m. Extended time deadline, Evaluative Essay. Essay must be
submitted with all required materials. You must have previously secured an extension from me.
All extension requests must be in writing.
Guidelines for your Summary
You will formally summarize the article you choose to evaluate. You will select one of the above
articles. This summary will be submitted with your essay and scored using the summary evaluation
standards (rubric), so it should be prepared with care. Using the summary rubric, self-score your
summary. In addition, you may work with a tutor or a person from this class to review and revise your
summary, but take care to present the summary rubric when you do.
Guidelines for Annotation and Documentation of the Second Article
You will fully annotate the second article, which may be from Opposing Viewpoints or from
another source. Please provide a clear citation indicating where this second article was published, and if
you found it on a website other than the Opposing Viewpoints database, please submit the ABCs
(Authority, Bias, Currency) of the site.
Essay Directions
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You will evaluate your summarized article and you will use the other essay to inform
yourself about principle opposing arguments. Your evaluative essay will analyze the
summarized article to see if, overall, it effectively makes its point.
Mt Hood Community College, Mary Kelly-Klein, Instructor, WR115
Rev 03-04-13
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You will introduce your essay with a short summary (½to ¾ page) of your selected article,
followed by a 1-3 sentence transition to a thesis of your own.
Your thesis will be a clear statement about the overall effectiveness of the discussion
presented in the article.
You will evaluate the article in terms of its intended audience and purpose,
The support provided by the author (facts and opinions),
The strength of the logical framework presented by the author, with an eye beaded on
possible overgeneralization and confirmation bias,
And whether or not the author acknowledged other points of view.
In an optional paragraph, you may use examples and experiences from your own
knowledge and life, illustrative scenarios, and direct references to the original article in
making your points.
Essay Length & Formatting
Your evaluative essay will be composed of an introductory paragraph, 4-5 body paragraphs, and
a concluding paragraph, or around 6 to 7 paragraphs altogether. Your essay will be around 3 -4 pages in
length, double-spaced, with margins of 1.25 inches on both sides, and use 10 to 12 point standard
fonts. You will title your essay with a descriptive title, and you use MLA page formatting. This means
that your name and a page number will be present on each page in the upper right-hand corner. If you
need help in formatting your paper, please do consult your textbook (final chapter) or one of the online
style guides, such as OWL (Purdue University). You will also find an MLA template conveniently posted
on our class website under Readings and Writing Work, Essay 3, Evaluative Essay. If you need more
guidance, please ask your kind and understanding instructor for assistance, or use the tutors in the
Tutoring Center.
You will cite the sources of all material that you either paraphrase or quote, and you will name
the person or organization that you are quoting or paraphrasing. You will include your citations in the
body of your essay by placing each in parentheses after the sentence in which the direct quote or
paraphrase occurs. You will use quotations marks when you do directly quote an author or a source.
Doing less will amount to plagiarism and result in a failing grade on the paper. Your rule of thumb
should be: if in doubt, cite your source!
Recommendations
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As you write your summary, closely adhere to the summary blueprint. Make sure that you
use strong verbs to express the author’s thesis. Do not put minor details and facts into the
summary. Use appositives when possible to make your summary as economical as possible.
Make sure that you check every sentence in your summary against the article itself to insure
that you are accurately summarizing points in the original article.
Use the summary evaluation standards to revise your summary.
Use the evaluative essay blueprint to organize your essay.
Use the evaluative essay rubric (evaluation standards) to review your paper.
Put your essay through at least three drafts (including the blueprint, which can serve as your
first draft). Review each draft carefully, and if possible, have another student or a tutor
review your work using the evaluative essay standards.
Proofread with care, and do use the grammar checker on your computer.
If you use a tutor, make sure that you bring these directions with you, as well as your
summary and evaluative essay blueprints.
Mt. Hood Community College
Mary Kelly-Klein, Instructor, WR115
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Essay Submission
Unless you have made prior arrangements with me, you will need to submit a paper copy of
your essay, summaries, and all required attachments (see above) on Monday, Mar. 18th. Bring your
essay and all required materials in your pocket folder to your final exam. If you need encouragement,
some last-minute guidance, or if you need to negotiate a late paper, please do call or text (503-7841498) or email me at mary.kellyklein.mhcc@gmail.com. Reminder: all requests for extensions must be
in writing.
Checklist: What Must Accompany Your Essay
Submit the following items together, and make sure that each item and page is labeled with your name
in the upper right-hand corner. You may write your name on each page in longhand.
In the left pocket (summary materials):
1. _____This checklist
2. _____Annotated (Cornell Notes) of both articles
3. _____Summary of the article used for the evaluation essay
In the right pocket (essay materials):
4. _____Blueprint/ outline
5. _____Draft one with peer review notes
6. _____Draft two with peer review notes
7. _____Final draft
8. _____Short reflection on what you learned about thinking, writing, and yourself in the process
of writing this essay (around ½ page).
And as usual, remember, your kind and understanding (mostly) instructor would be
happy to help you—and the only silly question is the one not asked!
Mt. Hood Community College
Mary Kelly-Klein, Instructor, WR115