Lab Activity 20: Classifying and Dividing

Lab Activities
Lab Activity 20: Classifying and Dividing

Objective To practice writing a classification and division essay.

Step 1: List three specific details for the given subcategories.

Example: Types of houses in our town
Subcategory 1—Houseboats:
They all have one level, but some have a storage area below the waterline.
There is room for only one bedroom, but the kitchen can also be a sleeping area.
There are no garages, but there is a parking lot next to the dock.
Subcategory 1—Houses:
Most of them have two floors.
There are two or three bedrooms, and some have only one bathroom.
Usually, they have a one-car garage.
Subcategory 1—McMansions:
They usually have three floors.
There are often five bedrooms and three full bathrooms.
Garages have room for three cars or sometimes more.


		Topic: What I like to do with my leisure time Subcategory 1—Why I enjoy this activity: To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

		Subcategory 2—A favorite leisure activity before I had this one, and why I liked it: To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

		Subcategory 3—A leisure activity I dream of doing sometime in my life: To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

		*Step 2:* You now have a main idea, three support points (subcategories), and specific details under each support point. Write a thesis statement for a classification and division essay about what you like to do with your leisure time, incorporating the details you've listed. Your thesis statement: To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

		*Step 3:* Write a rough draft of an introductory paragraph for your classification and division essay about what you like to do with your leisure time. Try to let your writing flow freely, and don't worry about mistakes for this first rough draft. To help you get started, you may want to use one or two prewriting strategies. To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

		*Step 4:* Review the details, thesis statement, and introductory paragraph you wrote in Steps 1 through 3. Now, write a rough draft of the three body paragraphs for your essay. Use one of your support points (subcategories) in the topic sentence for each body paragraph. Refer to the list of terms that signal emphatic order on page 311 for transitions that can help your reader follow your train of thought. To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

		*Step 5:* Now, write a rough draft of a concluding paragraph for your classification and division essay. Remember to tie together everything you've said in your essay. Conclude your essay by giving a summary, adding final thoughts, or ending with a question. To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.