Classification Essay
CLASSIFICATION ESSAY: PREWRITING ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS
OVERVIEW
The first essay you will write in the course is a Classification Essay. You will use the skills that you have learned for paragraph writing and expand them into essay development. You are encouraged to complete the Quiz: Composition Practice: Classification Essay, Prepositions, Adjectives, Adverbs in Module 5: Week 5 before completing this assignment as it will prepare you with an understanding of Classification Essay writing.
INSTRUCTIONS
In Module 5: Week 5, you will complete the Classification Essay: Prewriting Template that has 4 steps that will take you through the prewriting steps of a Classification Essay. You must save the Classification Essay: Prewriting Template to your computer, complete the 4 steps (Prewriting, First Draft, Rewriting, and Honor Statement), save your work, and submit the completed assignment as a MS Word document (.docx) or PDF (.pdf).
Step 1: Classification Essay: Prewriting
Topic: You will choose 1 from the following topics for your Classification Essay:
Types of Pet Owners
Types of Drivers
College Students’ Attitudes Aboud Plagiarism
People’s Attitudes about Sports
Modern Forms of Education
Your 5 paragraph essay should be 400-450 words; it should include an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph.
Three categories: List the three categories of your topic that you will discuss.
Attitude/Point: This should be the point you want to demonstrate by breaking down your topic into parts. What significance does each part contribute to the whole?
Audience: Be specific in selecting your audience. Who might need to know about the point you are going to make?
Purpose: To inform? To entertain? To persuade? Choose one.
Topic Sentence: Combine your topic and your point into a complete sentence. Be sure not to imply that there are ONLY three categories for your topic if that is not the case.
Thesis Statement: Combine your topic, your categories, and your point into a complete sentence. Be sure to include the three categories of classification within your thesis statement. The thesis statement should be the last sentence of your introduction paragraph.
Brainstorm Characteristics: Brainstorm a short list of key characteristics for each of your three categories. In other word, you will have three short lists, one for each category.
Sentence Outline: Create a sentence outline to organize your essay. Follow these guidelines to create your outline:
Sentence Outline Guidelines
Use your three categories as the main points for the outline and use the Brainstorm Characteristics for the subpoints.
Your sentence outline MUST have five main points represented by Roman numerals. These main points will outline the paragraphs of your essay as follows:
I. Introduction Paragraph
II. Body Paragraph #1
III. Body Paragraph #2
IV. Body Paragraph #3
V. Conclusion Paragraph
There should be at least an A & a B under each main point. Below is a brief, topic outline that shows the main elements needed to develop the sentence outline:
I. Topic Sentence
A. Transition Sentence
B. Biblical Integration
C. Thesis Statement
II. Topic Sentence
A. Detail #1
B. Detail #2
C. Transition Sentence
III. Topic Sentence
A. Detail #1
B. Detail #2
C. Transition Sentence
IV. Topic Sentence
A. Detail #1
B. Detail #2
C. Transition Sentence
V. Review Sentence
A. Transition Sentence
B. Biblical Integration
C. Final Application
Finally, be sure that each point in your sentence outline is expressed using a complete sentence. A Classification Essay Sentence Outline sample is provided below in the section labeled: Classification Essay Planning Example.
Classification Essay: Planning Example
Topic: Liberty University’s different restaurant offerings and how they have changed over time.
Three categories: Doc’s Diner, Founder’s Café, and the Hangar
Attitude/Point: Liberty offers a variety of settings in which a person can enjoy food, but some of these offerings have changed over time.
Audience: Liberty Online students and those attending LU
Purpose: To inform
Topic Sentence: Liberty University offers a variety of different locations in which students can relax and enjoy some delicious food while taking in the interesting surroundings.
Thesis Statement: Over the years, Liberty has offered different places for their employees and students to eat, including Doc’s Diner, Founder’s Café, and The Hangar, but because of the ongoing updates and improvements to campus, these offerings have changed over time.
Brainstorm Characteristics:
Doc’s Diner: Vintage/Deco/50’s style, hamburgers, shakes, fries, pictures of Dr. Jerry Falwell
Founder’s Café: Murals of famous artwork, coffee shop, Chick Fil A, and subs are served there, recent changes
The Hangar: Aviation theme, food court, smoothies, aerial pictures of the campus, pictures of famous aviators, models of airplanes and more, recent changes.
Classification Sentence Outline Example
I. Liberty University offers a variety of different locations in which students can relax and enjoy some delicious food while taking in the interesting surroundings. (Topic Sentence)
A. Some of these offerings have changed over time, but just as expressed in Daniel, these changes benefit the students, Daniel 2:20-21, “Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning” (New International Version). (Transition Sentence and Biblical Integration)
B. Over the years, Liberty has offered different places for their employees and students to eat, including Doc’s Diner, Founder’s Café, and The Hangar, but most of the restaurant offerings have transformed because of the ongoing updates and improvements to campus. (Thesis Statement)
II. Overlooking Liberty’s main campus, Doc’s Diner sports a 50’s themed décor. (Topic Sentence)
A. Doc’s is named for the founder of Liberty University, Dr. Jerry Falwell; his friends called him “Doc.”
1. Vintage memorabilia and pictures of Dr. Falwell and his family cover the walls.
2. As a way of honoring the founder, Dr. Jerry’s favorite vehicle, his black Suburban, is frequently parked in a special parking space outside of Doc’s.
B. In the tradition of 50’s diners all across the USA, Doc’s currently serves up hamburgers, shakes, and fries to customers and students eager to step back in time.
III. The Founder’s Café is located in Green Hall, a building donated to Liberty University for $1 by David Green, the CEO and owner of the Hobby Lobby craft stores. (Topic Sentence)
A. Every wall in the Founder’s Café is covered with famous artwork, including “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh.
B. Previously, the café offered Chick Fil A, subs, coffee, and bakery items to students and employees of Liberty University.
C. Now, the café is used as a cafeteria for Liberty Christian Academy’s elementary school, and the LU students hang out at the Tilley Student Center for fun, fellowship, and food.
IV. Finally, The Hangar used to serve as a hang out and post office in the courtyard of DeMoss Hall.
A. Murals of model airplanes, pictures of famous aviators, and aerial pictures of the university covered the walls.
1. A Wall of Fame paid tribute to the School of Aeronautics by sporting memorabilia, photographs, and shirttails.
2. This Wall of Fame is symbolic for old school methods of communicating when in the midst of aviation training.
B. The food court featured smoothies, Pizza Hut, The Burger Joint, and Sand Dollas (a place to order subs).
C. To make way for the Jerry Falwell Library, The Hangar was torn down in 2013.
D. The Jerry Falwell Library will offer food and a cozy environment for patrons of The Hangar to enjoy while studying, researching, or just reading a good book.
V. Over time, Doc’s Diner, the Founder’s Café, and The Hangar have offered a variety of foods and inspiring settings to students, employees, and community members. (Review Sentence)
A. Even though The Hangar and the Founder’s Café sites have been repurposed as Liberty’s campus and community grows, Doc’s Diner still serves up delicious dishes in celebration of the life and spirit of its founder, Dr. Jerry Falwell. (Transition Sentence)
B. In Jeremiah 1:9-10 Jeremiah explains the inevitability of change, “Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, ‘I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant’” (NIV). (Biblical Integration)
C. As Liberty University continues to grow there will continue to be changes in buildings and programs, but as long as LU focuses on its purpose of “training young Champions for Christ,” students will feel at home. (Final Application)
Step 2: Classification Essay: First Draft
Write a 5 paragraph 400-450 word rough draft that follows your outline, beginning with your introduction paragraph. As you write your body paragraphs, do not worry about spelling or grammar; just let your thoughts flow. End with a good concluding paragraph that restates your controlling idea or expresses a thought that restates the significance of the categories of classification and shows how the parts contribute to the function of the whole.
Step 3: Classification Essay: Rewriting
Copy your First Draft from Step 2 into Step 3. Revise and edit your rough draft. Highlight the changes so your instructor will see your revisions and edits. Begin reading through your rough draft and make changes to the content as you see fit. Add more details to each type, kind or position, if needed or delete irrelevant details that do not help showing how the parts relate to the whole. Add transitional words or phrases to help the essay flow in a logical order. Then, save the draft with the changes.Edit for any spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Remove contractions (can’t, won’t, doesn’t, etc.) and second person (any form of the pronoun “you”). Save your changes.
Step 4: Classification Honor Statement
Read and sign the Honor Statement prior to submitting your assignment to confirm that the work is your own.
Note: Your assignment will be checked for originality via the Turnitin plagiarism tool.