Part One Directions…

You will have TWO HOURS to complete this timed essay on the topic of mass shootings in America. You will be provided your prompt when you begin.

Please do not open this assignment until you have the time set aside to complete this–you can't come back to it later.

Recommendations:

• Have the articles on mass shootings ready, printed and annotated with your thoughtful comments.
• Have note paper and a pen handy.
• Be in a place that is most "writerly" for you. That might mean a coffee shop, a library, or a bedroom–whatever allows you to best focus.
• Please do not feel panicked. Take your time in sketching out your ideas and a brief outline.
• Hold off on the introduction–it's hard to introduce what doesn't yet exist. Get your body paragraphs done and then go back and introduce them.
• For timed essays, don't stress the conclusion. Given unlimited time, a conclusion is important. When pressed for time, the body paragraphs should be the focus.

Part Two Directions …

QUESTION 2: What data would be most useful to your argument as you work on revising your second timed essay? Is it possible to find this data from a credible source?

(For example, it might be useful to know how many eighth graders feel rage toward their peers on a regular basis, but that’s not easy information to collect)

QUESTION 3: Will you be integrating any comparative data (U.S. versus other countries) into your final draft of Essay 2? Why or why not?

A FINAL NOTE REGARDING ESSAY 2:

This topic lends itself toward a lot of facts and figures. However, as a rule, readers are easily overwhelmed by a lot of numbers/statistics. Try to keep them limited to 2-3 per paragraph at most.

Part Three Directions…

After carefully reading "The Counter," craft a counter-argument to include in the final draft of Essay 2. Include your argument, the turn against, the turn back, and supporting evidence. Then, please respond to one or two of your peers' counters, offering constructive feedback or further thoughts