Cause and Effect Essay Instructions 1101
Note: The Due date for this essay is on your Daily Schedule because due dates are always subject to change.
Choose to write your essay with a focus-on-effects essay or a focus-on-causes essay.
It should be 500-900 words which is approximately 2-5 pages long. Do not write longer than that, please. I’ve provided topics to choose from, which are located below the instructions. Some of these are broad. Use these topics to find a topic you’d enjoy.
For this paper, you may use sources. The shorter your paper, the fewer sources you should use. Don’t fill your paper with source material. Use between one to four academic or trustworthy sources (1-4 academic or trustworthy sources). Use the GSU library online or go into the library and find sources.
There are two basic ways to organize a cause-effect essay: focus-on-effects or focus-on-causes.
If your assignment is to write a cause-effect essay on the topic of global warming, you could write two
Introduction paragraph 1 connecting information
thesis
Body Paragraph 2
Effect 1: dangerous
-swimming conditions
-sea ice platforms farther apart
Body Paragraph 3
Effect 2: scarcity of food
-fewer hunting opportunities
Body Paragraph 4
Effect 3: reduced population
-Females with less body weight have lower reproduction rates.
Conclusion Paragraph 5
suggestion/solution/prediction
types of essays:
• In a focus-on-effects essay, you would write about the threatened habitat of polar bears as a result of global warming and the melting of large parts of the Arctic Circle. Your essay might include five paragraphs and look like this:
• In a focus-on-causes essay, you would write about the causes of global warming, such as
excessive carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In this case, the organization for this essay could
have five paragraphs and look like this:
Introduction Paragraph 1
connecting information
thesis
Body Paragraph 2
Cause 1: human activities
• carbon dioxide from vehicles
• not recycling (requires creating more products from scratch)
Body Paragraph 3
Cause 2: increased industrial activity
• greater carbon dioxide from burning fuels to run factories
Body Paragraph 4
Cause 3: deforestation
• Increased human population requires more space, so trees are cut down.
• Fewer trees mean less oxygen, which causes a higher percentage of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Conclusion Paragraph 5
suggestion/solution/prediction
The Essay Formatting and Style:
MLA Style
12 point Font
Times New Roman Font
Double-spaced
1” margins
Click the box “don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style”
Running header should have your last name and page number and they must be 12 point font and Times New Roman, same as the rest of the paper. The running header will be ½” from the top of the page.
Break-down of grading points:
Note: this itemized list builds on itself one step at a time. With each day you’re in class, we will be working on them.
Thesis and outline: 5 points (this will be uploaded to icollege on the essay due date)
Rough draft: 5 points (I’ll see this during in-class work)
Peer review (the review YOU write for your peer’s paper): 5 points (I’ll see this during in-class work)
Upload in folder in icollege the day it’s due: 5 points (you’ll upload two documents: Thesis/ouline document and final paper document).
Final paper: 80 points (this will be uploaded to icollege on the essay due date)
Rubric: See your syllabus for the essay rubric.
Late Papers: Essays will lose 10pts per day after the due date/time.
Grading:
This assignment is worth 20% of your total grade. You will be graded holistically according to the essay rubric on your syllabus. Please review it to see what constitutes an “A,” “B,” “C,” etc.
Content: Your ability to make an argument and adequately support it.
Organization: Your ability to craft a well-organized academic essay using topic sentences and transitions.
Audience Awareness: Your ability to write for an academic audience.
Proper use of MLA format: Your ability to incorporate the primary source, follow formatting directions, and formulate a works cited page.
Grammar and Mechanics: Your ability to craft grammatically correct sentences, and edit your paper for mechanical errors.
Uploading in icollege instructions:
Go to icollege and click on ‘Assessments.’
Under the drop-down menu, select ‘Assignments.’
Then click the folder titled for the essay we are working on (Cause and Effect).
A box will pop-up.
It will say Submit Files.
Click ‘Add a File.”
Upload your word document. NOT A PDF, or Pages. It should be .doc or docx.
Then click ‘Submit.’
Choose a Topic Your first step is to choose a topic for your essay.
For a cause-effect essay, you want to choose a topic for which you can develop three causes of one effect or three effects from one cause.
As you consider possible topics, ask yourself, “What do I know about this topic? What do my readers know? What else do I need to know? Do I need to research this topic?”
Topics
The causes of an important historical event such as World War I
The effects of Socrates on modern thought
The causes of cancer
The effects of burning oil and gas
The causes of climate change
The effects of overcrowding in cities
The effects of poverty
The effects of the Internet on how businesses are run
or
We all face personal troubles in our lives. Think about a recent challenging
situation in your life at home, at work, at school, or with friends. What
were the causes of this situation? What were its effects? Although you will
discuss both causes and effects, remember to emphasize either the causes of
the situation or the effects of the situation.
Broad topics:
Health and nutrition
Sports
Media
Politics
History
In case you missed this above: Late Papers: Essays will lose 10pts per day after the due date/time. No exceptions.
