You must respond to one of the following prompts in a short 5–paragraph editorial. The essay should
not exceed 3 typed, double–spaced pages. Either agree or disagree with one of the listed statements
and write out your opinion. Please consult the writing checklist to ensure you are completing this
assignment to the best of your abilities. The prompts are:

1. Convict labor should be abolished in state prisons.
2. Folks convicted of marijuana drug charges should be released from prison and have their
records expunged.
3. States should abandon capital punishment because it is racist and does not deter crime.
4. School resource officers should be banned from public schools.
5. **You may choose your own topic but clear it with me before you get to writing. Remember,
whatever topic you choose must be open to some degree of racial analysis.

Writing checklist:

___ Editorial includes your name in the top left corner.

___ Editorial includes an original, creative title in bold and properly centered on the page. Be sure that
you properly capitalize your title as well.

___ Each of the 5 paragraphs is indented.

___ Your position statement/thesis is found in your introductory paragraph.

___Each body paragraph begins with a clear topic sentence. Topic sentences are arguments. They
should be debatable and not simply statements of facts.

___Each body paragraph includes solid historical, empirical (statistical), or anecdotal (personal stories)
to bolster or support your key claims.

___ You avoided using contractions (isn’t, can’t, wouldn’t) in your essay.

___You avoided using first person statements. No “I think/I believe.” Also, do not use first person
plural pronouns (us, we, our).

___ You have used sophisticated, college–level vocabulary throughout the editorial.

___ Your concluding paragraph does NOT begin with, “In conclusion…”

___ You have done a thorough spellcheck and editing (check for typos, stray commas, capitalization
issues) job on your editorial.