Grammar for Writing: Level Blue — Chapter 11

What Shall I Be? Exploring Careers You're a ninth grader, and high school graduation seems far away. But time speeds by faster than you think. As you discover your special skills, talents, and interests, it's wise to start thinking about which career fields interest you most. It's not too early to begin preparing for life after high school! Investigate a career and write a three-paragraph essay stating why you are interested in that particular career. List the skills, talents, and education you will need to be successful. STEP 1: Initial Search If you are not sure which career fields interest you most, choose up to three careers to explore by visiting Yahoo! career sites: Yahoo! Search: Career Fields and/or Career Education If you know which careers you want to learn more about, search for information on Yahoo!, Google, or other search engines. STEP 2: Expanded Search Check with your school guidance office to see what resources are available there. Also, go to the library to explore books and articles on the fields you chose. STEP 3: Narrow Your Topic Choose one career to write about. Return to Yahoo! and/or use other search engines to find more information on your topic. Return to the library for more specific information on the career you are researching. Take detailed notes on the skills, talents, and education that will be required to obtain a job in that career field. Also jot down reasons why you are interested in the career and why you think you would be successful at it. STEP 4: Write a First Draft Make an outline (see Grammar for Writing, Level Blue, pages 13 and 80) before you begin to write. Begin your essay with an introductory paragraph that tells why you chose that career and end it with a paragraph that summarizes why it is a good fit for you. Think about your purpose and your audience for this essay. Your purpose is to provide information not only for yourself, but also for other students who may be interested in the same field. An outline is an important tool for this type of essay. Before you begin to write, make sure you have included all the important main ideas and supporting details in your outline, and that you have included the facts and reasons you need for your introductory and concluding paragraphs. STEP 5: Revise, Edit and Proofread Your Essay Leave your essay for a day or two before you read it again. Ask yourself: "Did I include all the information I need? Can I make my sentences less wordy? Do I have an interesting introductory paragraph? Does the last paragraph summarize why I believe I will be successful in this field?" Proofread your essay for typos and grammatical errors. Check that subjects and verbs agree, that the correct pronouns are used, and that they agree with their antecedents. Check that you haven't misplaced or left dangling any modifiers. (For help with subject-verb agreement, see Grammar for Writing, Level Blue, page 179; for pronouns, see pages 191-201; for misplaced and dangling modifiers, see page 213.) STEP 6: Publish Your Essay Collect all the essays into a class "Career Book." You and your classmates may want to include photos and articles about or by well-known people in the fields you wrote about. Copyright ©2007 by William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved.