| The Writing Assignment | 197 |
| Writing a Draft: Invention, Research, Planning, and Composing | 198 |
| Evaluating the Draft: Getting a Critical Reading | 207 |
| Improving the Draft: Revising, Formatting, Editing, and Proofreading | 209 |
Write an essay analyzing two or more essays taking different positions on an issue. You may also draw on other sources for background information or context. Your purpose is to analyze the position essays to understand their authors’ main points of disagreement and to suggest ways to build common ground based on shared values, concerns, needs, and interests.
This Guide to Writing is designed to help you compose your own common ground essay and apply what you have learned from reading other essays in the same genre. This Starting Points chart will help you find answers to questions you might have about composing an essay finding common ground. Use the chart to find the guidance you need, when you need it.