Writing Assignment: Classification Essay

The Classification assignment requires you to organize a topic into categories and then provide examples of what characteristics fit into each category.

You have several options for this assignment, so you will need to choose one:

• Classify the types of writers
• Classify the types of bosses/supervisors
• Classify the types of monsters
• Classify the types of characters
• Classify the types of heroes
• Classify the types of dance
• Classify the types of teachers
• Classify the types of roommates
• Classify the types of dates
• Classify the types of mothers

Keep in mind that these are general topics. You may need to further subdivide these general topics in order to have a specific enough topic for your essay. For instance, dance may be divided into cultural dances, for one, and then even further into Mexican dances. Famous guitarists could be divided into rock guitarists, and then further into bass guitarists.

Regardless of the topic you choose, you will need to identify its classifications and provide enough evidence to prove that your classifications are correct. This evidence (details, reasons, and/or examples) needs to be corroborated by at least one other credible1 source. Failure to use a credible source for support will constitute a point deduction. This resource from the course will help you understand more about evaluating sources.

Properly cite others' ideas and language according to MLA guidelines (this resource from the course will help). If you use any exact words from your source, you must put those exact words in quotation marks and included a parenthetical citation. If you put source material into your own words (i.e., if you paraphrase), you will not need quotation marks, but you will need a parenthetical citation. Make sure that your parenthetical citations correspond to the works cited entry. In addition to the evidence, you must explain how the evidence you present proves that your classifications are correct.

1 Please note: Basic dictionary sources, user-edited websites (e.g., Wikipedia, eHow, etc.), and sites that house databases of quotations are not considered "credible" sources. You will lose points in the Research category of the rubric if your sources aren't credible.

To make your classifications clear, examine only one classification per body paragraph. The body of the essay should follow a logical progression. You may choose to organize your essay based on any one of the following:

• Move from the least important classification to the most important classification
• Move from the most important classification to the least important classification
• Move from the largest category to the smallest one
• Move from the smallest category to the largest one
• If the classifications occur in a set space, move from left to right OR right to left
• If the classifications occur in a set space, move from back to front OR front to back

As with all college writing, your essay should have a strong thesis statement in addition to an introduction, body, and conclusion.

Here is an idea of how you might introduce your essay if you were classifying types of sports fans2: On a clear, warm evening in June, thousands of Americans might be getting ready to watch a baseball game. These fans may stop by concessions to grab a hot dog and cold drink before ambling to their seats, and they might be in the grandest arena or in the smallest of baseball parks. But regardless of location, any given baseball game will find among its fans the following three types: the Fair-weather Fan, the Diehard Fan, and the Newbie.

Tip: Notice how this introduction provides vivid description of the scene while preparing the reader for what the main focus will be.

As seen in the example above, you might use this as a simple guideline in crafting your thesis:

The three most ubiquitous baseball fans are the (first fan type), the (second fan type), and (third fan type).

The guidelines for this assignment are as follows:

Length: This assignment should be at least 500 words.

Header: Include a header in the upper left-hand corner of your writing assignment with the following information:

• Your first and last name
• Course Title (Composition II)
• Assignment name (Classification Essay)
• Current Date

2 NOTE: Because this topic is used here as an example, you should not choose this as your own topic.

Format:

• MLA-style source documentation and Works Cited3
• Your last name and page number in the upper-right corner of each page
• Double-spacing throughout
• Standard font (TimesNewRoman, Calibri)
• Title, centered after heading
• 1" margins on all sides
• Save the file using one of the following extensions: .docx, .doc, .rtf, or .txt

Underline your thesis statement in the introductory paragraph.