In General Psychology, you will write several essays throughout the term.These essays will be answer a question about the week’s topics and you will write in a way that is engaging and furthers discussion on the topic.This handout is designed to help you know how to write a good, substantive essay in Psychology. The following are key components of a good essay:

1.Each essay must be at least 400 words.

2. While meeting the word count is important, it is possible to write an essay that is long enough, but not substantive enough to earn full credit.The second criteria of a good essay is including a clear and substantial answer to the prompt.When preparing your essay, ask yourself, “Does my essay answer the question or questions being posed?”and “Does it clearly answer all parts of the question, using material to support my answer?”When answering the essay question, it is important to use concepts, research, and/or theories from the week’s material to support your thoughts.A good essay will offer a thoughtful response on the topic being discussed and will demonstrate a good understanding of the topic by using material from the week in your answer. Using anecdotes or personal experiences are not as substantial or scholarly as using research and/or theory to advance discussion.

3.A good essay offers something new and fresh.Avoid simply answering the question with a simple response or reiteration of what the textbook says. Instead, present information in a way that advances thought on the topic and shows a clear understanding of and reflection on the material.Essay prompts are your opportunity to demonstrate how much you have learned and can apply the topic. This does not mean that you write and write and write, but rather that you present a thought-filled and reflective essay that addresses the question being asked in a way that demonstrates a true depth of understanding of the week’s material.

4.A good essay is written in a scholarly way, free of grammatical and spelling errors.It will also be in current APA format and use both in-text citations and a reference section. Essays are expected to be written in a scholarly way and with research/references to support your views.

Please review the grading rubric and what is expected in each category prior to preparing your

Quiz 4: Successful completion will prove your ability to evaluate strategies/roadblocks encountered in problem-solving and decision-making; distinguish between convergent and divergent thinking; describe the major theories of intelligence; to identify the six basic emotions; describe the major theories of motivation; discuss the major theories of motivation; and evaluate the concept of emotional intelligence. (MLOs: A, B, D)

17 hours ago

Online Success Assignment Grading Rubric

Criteria

Levels of Achievement

Content 70%

42 points

Advanced 90-100% (A)

Proficient 70-89% (B-C)

Developing 1-69% (< D)

Not present

Content

38 to 42 points

The paper meets or exceeds the content requirements:

All components of the assignment have been addressed and a plan for time management is included.

All parts have been combined into a 3–4-page paper (not including the title page or reference page) with proper writing, correct grammar, and spelling.

29 to 37 points

The paper meets most of the content requirements:

All components of the assignment have been addressed and a plan for time management is included.

All parts have been combined into a 3–4-page paper (not including the title page or reference page) with proper writing, correct grammar, and spelling.

1 to 28 points

The paper meets some of the content requirements:

All components of the assignment have been addressed and a plan for time management is included.

All parts have been combined into a 3–4-page paper (not including the title page or reference page) with proper writing, correct grammar, and spelling.

0 points

Not present.

Structure 30%

18 points

Advanced 90-100% (A)

Proficient 70-89% (B-C)

Developing 1-69% (< D)

Not present

Current APA Format

16 to 18 points

The paper meets or exceeds the structure requirements:

Reference page is present with references in current APA format, proper headings, page numbers, margins, etc.

Includes the title page in current APA format as instructed.

13 to 15 points

The paper meets most of the structure requirements:

Reference page is present with references in current APA format, proper headings, page numbers, margins, etc.

Includes the title page in current APA format as instructed.

1 to 12 points

The paper meets some of the structure requirements:

Reference page is present with references in current APA format, proper headings, page numbers, margins, etc.

Includes the title page in current APA format as instructed.

0 points

Not present.