Here is an example of the type of assignment you might be given on days dedicated to an impromptu essay:

Dr. Barbara J. Burch

English 111

In Class Writing #2

November 1, 2001

Often, the purpose of writing is to persuade one’s readers to change their opinions and/or behavior. Using writing to change the behavior of others is an especially challenging prospect. One well respected way of persuading others to change their behavior is to enumerate the benefits of undertaking a new course of action. Today, I would like you to write an essay that aims to convince its readers to undertake a new experience. Here is a list of activities that many people have to be convinced to try. Choose one and write an essay in which you introduce and explain three benefits of undertaking the activity you select.  Note: Choose a topic with which you have experience. You are not going to be able to write very persuasively about the value of visiting of foreign country if you have never done so yourself.

--learning to play a musical instrument

--doing volunteer work

--learning a foreign language

--visiting a foreign country

--attending a church service of a denomination or religion other than your own

--taking a class that is not required for graduation

Introduction and Thesis: Make your thesis clear and prominent. Remember our class discussion about the proper shape of an introduction and placement of the thesis. Your thesis can be as simple as: “Three benefits of doing volunteer work are ___________, ____________, and _____________.” or “Visiting Brazil was valuable because ___________, _____________, and ____________ .

Paragraphs: All paragraphs should begin with a topic sentence. Each paragraph must focus on presenting and developing ONE major idea. All of the sentences in a paragraph must clearly relate to the topic sentence. All sentences must follow from the sentence that precedes it and lead up to the sentence that follows it. All paragraphs must use examples to illustrates its topic sentence. In other words, if you want to pass this paper, your paragraphs should be ordered, unified, coherent and developed. We’ve gone over the requirements for paragraphs many times in class and in draft conferences. Now it is time to apply what you have learned!

Conclusion: Your paper must have a relevant and focused conclusion. Sum up and state the significance of the ideas you’ve presented in the course of your essay. Do not introduce brand new ideas in your conclusion.

Grammar and mechanics: Proof read and correct point of view shifts, tense shifts, pronoun disagreement, comma splices, sentence fragments. Also, do what you can to eliminate wordiness and vague phrasing.

GOOD LUCK!