Casual Analysis

Essay #2 Causal Analysis

Outline Due: Thursday, 5 March 2026 by 1:59 P.M.

CWRC Documents Due: Thursday, 12 March 2026 by 1:59 P.M.

Reading Essay Out Loud Due: Thursday, 19 March 2026 by 1:59 P.M.

Final Essay Due: Thursday, 19 March 2026 by 1:59 P.M.

This is a 4-5 paragraph (800-1000 word) Essay Assignment in which you will structure an essay as an argument using your own experience and observations as evidence; give yourself enough time to thoroughly complete the Writing Process.

Review:

Previous lectures Essay Structure, Argumentative Counterpoints, Intros, Thesis Statements, and Conclusions

Lecture Causal Analysis

Lecture Outlines

General Outline on the topic you chose (see my comments)

Handout How to Write a Causal Analysis Essay

MLA Format instructions

Topic: For this essay, you will pick one of the following topics about a current issue. Keep in mind that you are only focusing on the causes (the reasons why) or the effects (the results or outcome) about the issue. Do not attempt to provide both within your body paragraphs (though you can address the other in the intro or the conclusion paragraph IF it reinforces your argument. Again, you are only choosing one of the following and you must stick to the causes or the effects, depending on which topic you pick:

Option 1: Recycling, carpooling, and so many more small changes can have a big impact on environmental conditions. And spiders

What are some changes people can make and how can these small changes result in positive effects for the environment? (You are not limited to just these mentioned changes… you can use them or think of your own).

Option 2: Technology has vastly changed and improved in the course of all of our lifetimes and has made aspects of life so much easier in many ways. However, there are consequences to our overreliance on technology. Mention lead paint poisoning

What are the negative effects of relying on technology? (note: this is not just about cell phone usage. Consider what we have lost by relying on electronics. Be specific when you are addressing what kind of technology and what are the negative results)

Option 3: Education and the hardships of life have changed the way teenagers participate in their household. Identify seven bodies of water

What causes teenagers to not finish high school in a conventional environment? (Note: This is not about what causes teenagers to not finish at all. Conventional environment means physically attending a high school building versus nonconventional environment would be homeschooling, earning a GED/HiSet, zooming or online learning, so this topic can focus on things like having to work or being bullied or can focus on causes for homeschooling or earning a GED/HiSet instead of a high school diploma).

Option 4: In the United States, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, which means this is the lowest possible salary allowed by law. It has not been increased by the US Congress since 2009. Include Edgar Allen Poe the raven

What are some of the negative effects this has had on American workers?

Option 5: Compared to other people around the world, most people can see that Americans are larger, particularly in body weight.include a harry potter reference

What are some of the causes of obesity in Americans?

Option 6: Many people believe television is a bad thing for children. However, television can offer some advantages. Think about specific TV shows and how/in what ways do the shows impact and benefit children. Mention right angles

What are these positive effects television offer children?

The Writing Process: Every step of the writing process is to help you generate your own ideas. Do not use AI (including Grammarly) for any part of the process.

Prewrite: Once you have thought about which topic you want to choose, remember, you must focus on either causes or effects. Think about your own perspective regarding the topic and make a quick list of reasons why or results for the topic you chose. Do some prewriting. DO NOT, under any circumstances, use AI of any kind nor seek information or advice or knowledge from the internet (no sources whatsoever for this assignment). The answer to the question (at the end of the option you chose) will be your thesis statement, so think about how you would answer the question.

Outline: Create a sketch outline of causal analysis you are proposing. (Review Lecture Outlining.) This is a preliminary, topical outline. Focus your body paragraph points on either the specific causes or the specific effects of the issue from the prompt you chose.

*** Take a moment to review the option you chose. Is your outline a CAUSAL ANALYSIS? (Do you focus the paragraphs on causes or effects? YOU ARE NOT DOING BOTH. Analysis means breaking down the idea into the parts/causes or connecting the dots to the results/effects.) ***

Draft: Draft a 4-5 paragraph essay. You must have an explicit thesis statement. Each body paragraph must have a clear topic sentence that identifies a specific cause or a specific effect of the issue from the prompt your chose. I expect your paragraphs to be well-developed (11-15 sentences per body paragraph; the total number of words in the essay must be 800-1000). Add coherence with transition words (you may have multiple drafts, and that is okay). Your argument needs to be supported by appropriate evidence gathered from your own experience and from common knowledge. Do not do any random Internet or book research for this assignment. Do not use AI of any sort. Use ONLYyour own brain and the brainstorming we did together as a class. Provide a unique title for your unique essay.

CWRC: You MUST use the CWRC with a draft of your assignment that YOU write without any AI usage for any reason! You can do this at any point, but you will not receive credit until you see a coach with a DRAFT of the essay. It doesnt matter if you are still in the middle of working out a paragraph or you feel like your essay is perfect and done. You need to have a CWRC Coach work with you on the draft. If you are nervous about the thesis statement or the conclusion paragraph, if you have always been told you have grammar errors or pronouns confuse you, or even if you have no idea how to connect ideas or you feel like it is perfect, have a Coach look over what you have. The CWRC will email you a Blue Sheet that you can upload to our Canvas page.

There will be a link for you to submit the Blue Sheet that the CWRC coach emails back to you. There will also be a link for you to submit the Draft so that I can see what version of your essay you discussed with the coach. Please note that I will only assess whether or not you brought a DRAFT to the CWRC. This is not when I will grade your essay.

CWRC Reflection: After you have used the CWRC and discussed your draft with the coach, reflect on the experience. There are specific questions posted on Canvas for you to answer.

Revise: Keep your audience in mind. What does the reader need to know? Analyze your essay by consulting the Rubric. *** Take a moment to review if you wrote a CAUSAL ANALYSIS ***

Read: Many students do not proofread aloud, but it is so important that you hear your words. Sometimes when we type things, we miss words or type the wrong word in haste, so it is important that you take some time to really read your essay. To that end, I want you to read your essay out loud, and there is an submission for this posted on Canvas. I am /not/ evaluating your ability to read or how you look on a camera. I want you to really take the time to say the words and think about what you have written to see if it makes sense. If it does, great! If it doesnt FIX IT!

Proofread: Use an appropriate level of formality and a reasonable tone. Read the essay out loud. Think about word choices, vague phrases, and spelling problems. Check your grammar carefully. Visit the Center forWriting, Reading, and Communications (additional info on Canvas).

Typed Final: Make sure your Essay #2 has the proper heading according to MLA standards, that you used Times New Roman and 12 point font, that your margins are 1 inch, and that you have double spaced, paginated, indented, and aligned correctly. Use the directions on Canvas (look for the documents about MLA formatting). Save your paper as a DOCX or RTF, and name the file with your last name, your first name, and the assignment name. For example, YourNameEssayTwo.

Submit: When you submit your essay, you have to acknowledge that this is your own original work, that you didnt plagiarize, and you didnt use AI of any sort (including Grammarly). Your essay will be scanned for plagiarism and AI. Your essay must be submitted to the assignment link (I do not accept assignments via email). Google Docs use How to Save and Post Documents (Canvas)

Please Note: In order to receive full credit, your final draft must be submitted by 19 March 2026 at 1:59 P.M. Remember, if you do not submit it by 1:59 P.M. on 20 March 2026, you will earn a 0 on the assignment.

This assignment is worth 500 points.