Humanities Homework Help

PRESENT THE PROBLEM

Use the templates on this page to review the Problem section of your detailed outline and then draft two body paragraphs on the problem.

The best way to get an audience interested in a proposed solution is to make sure that they understand the problem first. If your audience is uncertain or ignorant of the problem, then they won’t be inclined to commit time, money, or resources to solving it. So the first step should always be making sure they are on the same page as you are about the problem.

The most important features to discuss about any problem are its causes and consequences. First, describe the problem’s causes: Why did this problem happen? How did it begin? Next, explain the consequences: What things are happening as a result of the problem? Usually these consequences are negative, since they have driven you to try to address the problem in the first place. Make sure your readers can see the negative impacts. And remember to keep your specific audience in mind—it’s especially important for them to understand how this problem could affect them personally.

Hopefully, your research has already helped you begin to answer these questions since you encountered them when you created your detailed outline. But remember you can always return to your research, or do additional research, if you find that you need more information.

REVIEW THE PROBLEM SECTION OF YOUR OUTLINE

Before you start writing your paragraphs on the problem, review your notes from this section of your detailed outline.

Problem: teenage Pregnancy

Main Cause(s): There is a lack of community-coordinated youth programs and sexual and reproductive health information.

Evidence: Source: Sprague. According to Dr. Carol Sprague, “Teen pregnancy is viewed as an individual and societal problem that is best addressed through prevention strategies. Poverty, limited maternal educational achievement, having a mother who gave birth before the age of twenty, living in a home with high levels of family conflict, early sexual activity, and early use of alcohol and drugs are all risk factors for teen pregnancy.”

Annotation: This quote supports my point about the primary cause of teen pregnancy by describing how to address the numerous risk factors associated with teen pregnancy.

Effects of Problem: Many pregnant adolescent girls drop out of school, and some never finish. As a result, many mothers who become pregnant as teenagers live in poverty.

Evidence: Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Pregnancy and birth are significant contributors to high school dropout rates among girls. Only about 50% of teen mothers receive a high school diploma by 22 years of age, whereas approximately 90% of women who do not give birth during adolescence graduate from high school. The children of teenage mothers are more likely to have lower school achievement and to drop out of high school, have more health problems, be incarcerated at some time during adolescence, give birth as a teenager, and face unemployment as a young adult.”

Annotation: This data demonstrates the significant effects of teen pregnancy on high school dropout rates. It shows that half of the teen mother’s complete high school.

Now you’re ready to use what you’ve learned to fill in the details of your paragraphs on the problem. Remember that you should

• begin      each paragraph with a topic sentence,
• include      sentences offering background and context as needed,
• include evidence and discussion of      that evidence, and
• end      with a concluding sentence.

Be sure to support your points with evidence from the sources you’ve found. Since you’re using multiple sources, be careful to identify each source with a signal phrase and a precise verb, as you learned this week. This will ensure that your readers know who is speaking and can distinguish your voice from that of your sources. Finally, don’t forget to discuss the evidence, explaining to your readers how it helps prove your point.

As you write, be sure to cite your sources in SWS style and use transitions to connect your ideas from sentence to sentence.

WRITE YOUR FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH ON THE PROBLEM

Use this template to write your first body paragraph about your problem, which will focus on the cause(s) of the problem. The prompts below will be combined to make one complete paragraph (5–7 sentences)

1.Write your topic sentence about the cause or causes of the problem here. You may also want to include a sentence of context or background if necessary.

• 2.Introduce your evidence and include an in-text citation. Also include a sentence of explanation. If you want to include additional evidence and discussion, you can do that here.
• 3.Enter a concluding or wrap-up sentence.

WRITE YOUR SECOND BODY PARAGRAPH ON THE PROBLEM

Use this template to write your second body paragraph about your problem, which will focus on the effect(s) of the problem. The prompts below will be combined to make one complete paragraph (5–7 sentences).

• 1.Write your topic sentence on the effects or consequences of the problem here. You may also want to include a sentence of context or background if necessary.
• 2.Introduce your evidence and include an in-text citation. Also include a sentence of explanation. If you want to include additional evidence and discussion, you can do that here.
• 3.Enter a concluding or wrap-up sentence. 

You’ve made sure that your audience is aware of the problem and how it affects the community or workplace, so now it’s time to present your solution. Keep in mind that your solution does not have to eliminate the problem entirely. In many cases, that’s not a realistic goal. But your solution may go a long way toward helping minimize the problem, or make some aspect of it less harmful.

PRESENT YOUR SOLUTION

Use the templates on this page to review the Solution section of your detailed outline and then draft two body paragraphs on the solution.

The key aspects to discuss when you present your solution are how it will work and what resources are needed. When you talk about how your solution will work, make sure you explain the steps you plan to take or the process you plan to follow. Does your solution involve changing or passing laws in a community, or creating new company policies in a workplace? Find out about that process through research, and describe it for your audience.

As you consider what resources might be needed, you’ll want to ask yourself questions like:

• How      much money will this solution cost?
• Can I      find estimates for some of the costs in my research?
• How      much work is required?
• Will      this solution take many people to put into action, or only a few?
• What      kinds of supplies or materials are needed for this solution?
• How      long will it take to complete?

Considering the time, money, and work involved will help you determine whether your solution is realistic, and you may be inspired to adjust the details to create a more practical proposal that has a better chance of being approved.

REVIEW THE SOLUTION SECTION OF YOUR OUTLINE

Before you start writing, take a look at the notes from the Solution section of your detailed outline.

ASSIGNMENT TEMPLATE

Solution: provide a community service program that teaches birth control education and peer pressure coping skills

How Solution Would Work:

A community service program would improve social development, sexual behavior education, peer pressure coping skills, and contraceptive counseling and delivery. 

Evidence: Source: Kenyon. A study showed “the teen birth rate (births per 1,000 15-19 year old females) has steadily declined over the past decade, with a decrease of 55% from 2007 (41.5) to 2017 (18.8), a historic low for the United States (U.S.). The decline is largely attributed to the fact that, more teens are 1) using contraceptives, and are 2) using them more effectively, which is likely, at least in part, due to teen pregnancy prevention programs.”

Annotation: This quote shows statistical evidence that teen pregnancy prevention programs can be effective in lowering pregnancy among teens. This is the basis for my proposal.

Costs and Resources: Federal funding is needed to start a teen pregnancy prevention program; staff and volunteers, educational resources, a facility, new and innovative approaches to prevent teen pregnancy and STIs, and promote optimal health.

Evidence: Source: World Health Organization. “The average cost per student was $113, an amount at the lower end of the range for federally funded teen pregnancy prevention programs. Personnel costs account for the largest share (about three-quarters) of the total annual cost to the local health departments. If the local health departments had needed to pay for the school classrooms and teachers, the program would have cost $150 per student.”

Annotation: This information estimates how much it would cost per student and for resources associated with starting a teen pregnancy prevention program.

Now you’re ready to use what you’ve learned about creating a body paragraph to fill in the details of your paragraphs on the solution. And again, remember that you should

• begin      each paragraph with a topic sentence,
• include      sentences offering background and context where needed,
• include evidence and discussion of      that evidence, and
• end      with a concluding sentence.

Just as you did with your body paragraphs on the problem, be sure to include evidence from your sources, identify each source with a signal phrase, and explain why the evidence helps prove your point. And as you write, be sure to cite your sources in SWS style and use transitions to connect your ideas from sentence to sentence.

WRITE YOUR FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH ON THE SOLUTION

Use this template to write your first body paragraph about the solution, which will focus on how the solution will work. The prompts below will be combined to make one complete paragraph (5–7 sentences).

• 1.Write your topic sentence that explains your solution. Include a sentence of context or background as needed.
• 2.Introduce your evidence and include an in-text citation. Also include a sentence of explanation. If you want to include additional evidence and discussion, you can do that here.
• 3.Enter a concluding or wrap-up sentence.

WRITE YOUR SECOND BODY PARAGRAPH ON THE SOLUTION

Use this template to write your second body paragraph about the solution, which will focus on the resources needed to make it happen. The prompts below will be combined to make one complete paragraph (5–7 sentences).

• 1.Write your topic sentence that overviews the resources needed. Include a sentence of context or background as needed.
• 2.Introduce your evidence and include an in-text citation. Also include a sentence of explanation. If you want to include additional evidence and discussion, you can do that here.
• 3.Enter a concluding or wrap-up sentence.
• 4.What is one opposing view point you plan to address in your proposal?

REVIEW THE RISK SECTION OF YOUR OUTLINE

You’ve already identified a counter argument in your detailed outline. Remember, this is the same risk you identified in your thesis statement. Take a look at it below, and think about how you’ll respond.

ASSIGNMENT TEMPLATE

Risk

Counter Argument: Some may argue that adolescent pregnancy is not the end of the world. A child teaches a person responsibility and maturity at a young age.

Evidence: Source: Seamark. In a qualitative study researchers found that “Young mothers were very positive about their experiences of motherhood. Although at times they described hardships they had been through and the adaptations they had to make, overall they felt it had been worth the privilege of having children. They described having a child as changing them and allowing them to grow up.”

Annotation: This source discusses positive experiences of teenage motherhood.

Your Response to Counter Argument:

According to several sources, teen pregnancy poses a risk to teen mothers and their babies and is harmful to the community. Furthermore, preventive initiatives have resulted in a decrease in teen pregnancies.

Evidence: Source: Sprague. Dr. Carol Sprague says, “when young girls become pregnant, their health, education, emotions, social life, and future of the society affected at the same time. Its burden affects family lives and exposes them to medical problems and financial instability.”

Annotation: The efficacy of teen mothers having more beneficial benefits than the risks of teen pregnancy is called into question by this evidence.