Sample essays for high schooler with writing challenges?
My child is having a hard time with academic high school writing. Won’t reading lots of essays (like book analysis with a good topic sentence and concluding paragraph) instead of just novels, be helpful?
Teachers/tutors, where can I find paid or free sources of student sample essays? Hope to add it as summer reading. Appreciate any ideas!
May 2, 2022
Parent Replies
I think every English teacher should have a set of example essays. I don't understand why we ask students to write essays without showing them examples. A teacher could ask a student if the teacher could retain their essay, remove their name and use the essay as an example the following year.
In the meantime, there are essays in The New York Times Opinion Section. The New York Review of Books has long, sophisticated essays. Novel reading also helps, because it shows examples of sentence structure.
Try the library.
https://catalog.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/responsive?section=titleDetails&id=2344988
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the "Berkeley Book of College Essays." published by Berkeley High and the Stone Bridge Press in 2007. (www.stonebridgepress.com) I just looked in my copy, which was printed in 2o12. Even if it is out of print, I bet the library has a copy. The diverse sample essays were very helpful for my kids when they were writing their college essays.