In each essay unit, you will read one or two sample student essays and respond to them. The goal of the
sample essays is to provide you an example after which to model your own essays and to help you
visualize a finished assignment. The response questions, then, encourage you to look closely at the
samples, paying careful attention to significant components. Though you may choose not to follow the
model exactly, the sample student essay assignments should help you better understand the
expectations for each major writing assignment.
Instructions
Carefully look at the sample student essay titled “Technology Has Taken Over Society: Let’s Embrace It
but Also Get Back to Basics,” paying close attention to organization, tone, and source integration. Once
you’ve read the sample essay, answer the following questions, save them as a Word document, and
submit them to the appropriate MyHills drop box.
1. What is the student’s thesis statement? Why is it at the end of the summary paragraph?
2. Going paragraph by paragraph in the body, describe what type of evidence is used to support
the student’s response point in each paragraph (i.e., personal experience, observations,
hypotheticals, general logic, etc.). Then discuss what makes that method of response effective
or ineffective in that instance.
3. What points does he concede that Turkle made well, and how does he respond to these?
4. Do you agree with the student’s position in this essay? Why or why not?
5. How do you feel the student’s essay could have been improved?