Patrick Scanlan First Edition 273 pages $26.95 ISBN 978-0-917962-44-8
Essays for Critical Thinking and Writing
Level: High School IB/AP English.
“Many people think of essay writing as boring or intimidating; it should be neither.” —Patrick Scanlan, Portfolio
Portfolio: Essays for Critical Thinking and Writing is a user-friendly book which will inspire and assist both students and seasoned writers in the crafting of essays. Rather than provide readers with detailed structural and grammatical rules, Portfolio is a collection of sample essays illustrating a variety of essay forms. They have been selected to demonstrate how one can successfully organize thoughts, ideas, and experiences in a specific form. The styles, subject matter, and authors of the essays vary, showing how it is possible to express oneself within each form.
Each essay includes a set of discussion questions and a writing project to help essay writers begin to organize their thoughts. The selected readings represent well-known authors, as well as fine professional and student writers, with the nine essay forms covering:
- Narrative and Descriptive Essays
- Example Essays
- Comparison and Contrast Essays
- Critical Analysis Essays
- Critical Review Essays
- Definition Essays
- Cause and Effect Essays
- Argumentative Essays
- Combined Techniques Essays
Reading the example essays and their commentaries will help students improve their analytical skills, which will further aid them as they begin to shape their experiences and ideas into writing.
The query-based approach of Portfolio encourages every writer to feel comfortable beginning the pursuit of essay writing. Because of its diverse authors and subject matter, Portfolio is an excellent resource that students will keep on their shelves for years to come.
A Teacher’s Guide is complimentary with class adoptions.