Writing Assignment: Classification Essay

You are required to submit the FINAL copy of this assignment, but you may first submit an optional DRAFT. This will allow you to receive qualitative feedback that can inform your revision. You should always avoid focusing solely on the grader's DRAFT feedback; use the feedback as a supplement to the course lessons and your own revision ideas. Always expect to revise beyond what the DRAFT grader specifically notes.

The Classification assignments 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:

1. Classify the types of writers

2. Classify the types of bosses/supervisors

3. Classify the types of monsters

4. Classify the types of characters

5. Classify the types of heroes

6. Classify the types of dance

7. Classify the types of teachers

8. Classify the types of roommates

9. Classify the types of dates

10. 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 source. Failure to use a source for support will constitute a point deduction. Properly cite others' ideas and language according to MLA guidelines. 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.

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:

1. Move from the least important classification to the most important classification.

2. Move from the most important classification to the least important classification.

3. Move from the largest category to the smallest one.

4. Move from the smallest category to the largest one.

5. If the classifications occur in a set space, move from left to right OR right to left.

6. If the classifications occur in a set space, move from back to front OR front to back.