GED INTERNET
ACTIVITY: ESSAY
Instruction: If possible, print this activity and fill in the lines as you go along. If you can’t print this page, use a sheet of paper to write the answers you find on the Internet.
Objectives:
By completing this activity you will:
Write an essay that responds to a topic
Write the main point of an essay that clearly stands out
Write paragraphs with specific examples and details to prove a point
Arrange and link ideas in paragraphs and sentences
Write without mechanical or structural errors
Choose words that don’t distract the reader from the ideas in the essay
1. Go to General Motor’s EV1 homepage at www.gmev.com
2. Click on Gen II. Read the information on the homepage. At the left-hand menu, click on Power and read the information on that page. Write a sentence that gives the best reason to use an electronic car here:
__________________________________________________________
3. At the left-hand menu, click on Innovations. Read the information. Write the advantages of using an EV1 found in the reading here:
____________________________________________________________
4. At the left-hand menu, click on Environment. Read the information. Copy the sentence that supports the need for using an electric car to help the environment here:_______________________________________________
5. At the left-hand menu, click on FAQ. Read the questions and answers. Go back. Based on answers you read, write about the benefit of driving an EV1 over a gasoline powered vehicle here:
_____________________________________________________________
6. The American love affair with the automobile has contributed to current levels of pollution in the air. Using electric cars is one way to help keep the pollution level from increasing each year.
Write an essay (about 200 words) about the advantages of using an electric car over a gasoline-powered car by following the format below:
The sentence you wrote for #2 will be your topic sentence. Copy that sentence and write another sentence to follow it to develop this idea.
The sentence you wrote for #3 will be the first sentence of your first paragraph. Copy that sentence and write two or three supporting sentences to follow it to develop the ideas in the first paragraph.
The sentence you wrote for #4 will be the first sentence of your second paragraph. Copy that sentence and write two or three supporting sentences to follow it to develop the ideas for the second paragraph.
The sentence you wrote for #5 will be the first sentence of your third paragraph. Copy that sentence and write two or three supporting sentences to follow it to develop the ideas for the third paragraph.
The sentence you wrote for #6 will be the first sentence of the concluding/summary paragraph. Copy that sentence and write a strong ending sentence to follow it to complete the essay.
7. Upon the completion of your essay, check to see that you have covered the following points:
q Introduction is clearly worded.
q The supporting paragraphs help prove the introductory statement.
q The details in each paragraph are specific.
q The concluding paragraph ties the essay together.
q The paragraphs are organized and transition smoothly.
8. Edit and rewrite your final essay. Give it to a teacher or peer to read and
correct. Bookmark General Motor’s
website (www.gmev.com) for future visits.