Optional Practice Outline for a Basic Essay

Overview
To help you prepare your essay, you may choose to complete this template, which breaks-down the essay into its
component parts. If you use this, be sure to copy and paste the parts of your essay into a clean empty new
document before you submit your essay at W04 Application Activity: Basic Essay.

Instructions
Write your three-paragraph basic essay in response to the writing prompt below. First write the parts of the essay
in the appropriate box. Then, below the boxes, paste the essay parts all together. Look at the sample at the
bottom of this document to see how this is done.

Writing Prompt
Your essay should respond to the following prompt: What is one thing you can do to overcome a specific thinking
error? Note: This should be one of the ten thinking errors from the lesson.

Step 1: Write Your Essay in the Boxes

Introductory Paragraph

Heading
Your heading should include your name, instructors name, course name and due date.
Write your heading information here.
Title
The title should be applicable to the topic, centered on the page, located beneath the heading but before first
paragraph.
Write your title here.
Hook
Draw the reader in and give adequate context to the essay topic.
Write complete sentences here.
Thesis Statement
Indicate the controlling idea of the essay and outline the controlling idea of the body paragraph.
Write ONE complete sentence here.

Body Paragraph
Topic Sentence
This should state a single controlling idea for the whole paragraph.
Write ONE complete sentence here.
Supporting Detail
This should be a fact, expert testimony, statistics, or personal experience that directly supports the topic
sentence.
Write complete sentences here.
Concluding Sentence
This should provide closure by revisiting the supporting details shared and reinforcing the controlling idea of the
paragraph.
Write ONE complete sentence here.
Concluding Paragraph
Revisit/Close
Revisit the ideas/themes in the essay and provide closure.
Write complete sentences here.
Step 2: Assemble the Essay (Using the 6 Areas of Formatting from the lesson)
Copy and paste the pieces of your essay from the boxes above into a three-paragraph essay
here. Don’t forget to indent each of the three paragraphs. See the sample at the bottom of this
document to see how this is done.

Begin pasting here

Sample Essay
Step 1: Write Your Essay in the Boxes
Introductory Paragraph
Heading
Your heading should include your name, instructors name, course name and due date.
John Doe
Sister Smith
PC 101 Life Skills
March 1, 2022
Title
The title should be applicable to the topic, centered on the page, located beneath the heading but before first
paragraph.
Thinking Errors and Growth Mindset
Hook
Draw the reader in and give adequate context to the essay topic.
People can make really bad decisions when they have a lot of stress. Imagine a runner who is
competing in a race with other runners. In the first kilometer, he trips on a rock and falls. He
is not injured very much, but he decides to quit the race because he is the only runner who
tripped on the rock. This runner illustrates the thinking error called “giving up.” He gives up
because he made a mistake and he figures he must not be good enough to run the race.
Thesis Statement
Indicate the controlling idea of the essay and outline the controlling idea of the body paragraph.
I struggle with giving up, and I can overcome this thinking error by having a growth mindset
when I fail.

Body Paragraph
Topic Sentence
This should state a single controlling idea for the whole paragraph.
If I have a growth mindset when I fail, I will learn from my mistakes instead of using them as
an excuse to give up.
Supporting Detail
This should be a fact, expert testimony, statistics, or personal experience that directly supports the topic
sentence.
Carol Dweck, in her book Mindset, says that people with a fixed mindset see their failures as
a “direct measure of their competence and worth.” When I fail, I stop trying because I feel
worthless. However, Dweck says people with a growth mindset do not label themselves
when they fail. Rather, they confront challenges and keep working on them because they
want to grow in spite of the growing pains. I would rather learn than lose the opportunity to
grow.
Concluding Sentence
This should provide closure by revisiting the supporting details shared and reinforcing the controlling idea of the
paragraph.
Having a growth mindset like this will help me use mistakes as a path to strength instead as a
reason to give up.
Concluding Paragraph
Revisit/Close
Revisit the ideas/themes in the essay and provide closure.
Giving up may seem like it keeps a person from the pain of failure, but it just makes things
worse. If I have a growth mindset, I will be able to handle failure better because I will be
motivated to learn from my mistakes.

Step 2: Assemble the Essay

Copy and paste the pieces of your essay from the boxes above into a three-paragraph essay
here. Don’t forget to indent each of the three paragraphs. See the sample at the bottom of this
document to see how this is done.
John Doe

Sister Smith

PC 101 Life Skills

March 1, 2022

Thinking Errors and Growth Mindset

People can make really bad decisions when they have a lot of stress. Imagine a runner

who is competing in a race with other runners. In the first kilometer, he trips on a rock and falls.

He is not injured very much, but he decides to quit the race because he is the only runner who

tripped on the rock. This runner illustrates the thinking error called “giving up.” He gives up

because he made a mistake and he figures he must not be good enough to run the race. I

struggle with giving up, and I can overcome this thinking error by having a growth mindset

when I fail.

If I have a growth mindset when I fail, I will learn from my mistakes instead of using

them as an excuse to give up. Carol Dweck, in her book Mindset, says that people with a fixed

mindset see their failures as a “direct measure of their competence and worth.” When I fail, I

stop trying because I feel worthless. However, Dweck says people with a growth mindset do not
label themselves when they fail. Rather, they confront challenges and keep working on them

because they want to grow in spite of the growing pains. I would rather learn than lose the

opportunity to grow. Having a growth mindset like this will help me use mistakes as a path to

strength instead as a reason to give up.

Giving up may seem like it keeps a person from the pain of failure, but it just makes

things worse. If I have a growth mindset, I will be able to handle failure better because I will be

motivated to learn from my mistakes.