Page 166 - Jacksonville Theological Seminary Catalog 2016-2017

PREPARING AN ESSAY

YOUR PAPER SHOULD BE TYPED (DOUBLE-SPACED) ON ONE SIDE ONLY.

THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THE ESSAY SHOULD BEGIN WITH AN OPENING STATEMENT OF
INTEREST. IT SHOULD CONTAIN ALL OF THE POINTS THAT ARE TO BE DEALT WITH
THROUGHOUT THE ESSAY (FIVE POINTS FOR STUDENTS IN THE MASTER’S PROGRAM, AND
SEVEN POINTS FOR STUDENTS IN THE DOCTORATE PROGRAM AND NINE POINTS FOR STUDENTS
IN THE PH.D. PROGRAM).

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMPLE OF A FIRST PARAGRAPH:

It seems that preparing to be a teacher is more than just knowing the material to be taught. This
course has taught me that I need to be able to deal with each student in a different manner, that patience
is a vital necessity, that I can learn from students as well as impart information to them, that teaching the
lesson is only a small part of the work that teachers have to do, and that I have to earn the respect of
students not demand it from them. (NOTE THAT EACH POINT BEGINS WITH THE WORD
“THAT”.)

THE NEXT PARAGRAPHS (DEPENDING UPON THE NUMBER REQUIRED—AS IN OUR EXAMPLE,
FIVE POINTS) SHOULD DEAL WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL POINT. YOU NEED TO USE A DIFFERENT
PARAGRAPH FOR EACH POINT. YOU SHOULD USE TRANSITIONAL WORDS TO INTRODUCE EACH
PARAGRAPH. (Master level should have a total of seven (7) paragraphs and the Doctorate level should
have a total of nine (9) paragraphs and the PH.D level should have a total of eleven (11) paragraphs)

EXAMPLE OF THE SECOND PARAGRAPH IN OUR EXAMPLE ESSAY:
To begin with, I learned that every student is different. If I am going to reach each and every
student in my class, I need to find out all I can about that student. Knowing his or her background will
help me to understand why he or she reacts the way that he or she does. Some students need visual
instruction while others need hands-on participation. Just knowing the material that I am teaching is not
sufficient.

EXAMPLE OF THE THIRD PARAGRAPH:

In addition to knowing all that I can about each student, I learned that patience is a vital necessity
for a teacher to possess. Sometimes it is necessary to repeat instructions several times before all of the
students understand the material. Sometimes I may have to alter my progress of teaching in order to
make sure that every student knows the material that I am presenting.

THE WORDS UNDERLINED AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TWO EXAMPLE PARAGRAPHS INDICATE
TRANSITIONAL WORDS. YOU ARE NOT TO UNDERLINE THESE WORDS IN YOUR ESSAY.

YOU SHOULD CONTINUE THE REST OF THE PARAGRAPHS-- EXCEPT THE FINAL ONE-- USING THE
POINTS IN YOUR FIRST PARAGRAPH.

THE LAST PARAGRAPH IS A CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH AND SHOULD SUMMARISE WHAT YOU
STATED IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH. ONCE AGAIN, YOU SHOULD LIST ALL POINTS (FIVE OR
SEVEN) THAT YOU HAVE DISCUSSED IN YOUR ESSAY.
See Sample on Following Page:

JTS Catalog Appendix A A-6