In this “Learning” essay you’ll describe and discuss wanting to learn some “thing”—some knowledge, skill, or attitude—oryou’ll describe and discussjust having learned this thingby means

of this very assignment. So in this essay you may be able to report progress toward learning this

thing, or you may be able to report that you have in fact learned it.

In general then you’ll answer the “What?” “Why?” and “How?” about this thing you want to

learn or have in fact learned. The “Who?”“When?”and “Where?” could be pertinent too.

Your thesis can be as simple assome version of “It is important to me to learn __________”

or “It was important to me to learn __________.”

Your topics will be the reasons you want or wanted to learn this thing and the ways you’re

going to go or you went about it.

Here’s an example of a thesis/topic sentence outline for this essay.

Thesis: I’m already getting the benefits of learning the process by which an immigrant becomes a

permanent resident or a citizen of this country.

Topics:

1. Now I’m feeling like an informed participant in the immigration debates.
2. Of course this information is directly useful because before too long I’ll have a chance to

vote on new immigration legislation.
3. By knowing this information I can be helpful to people I meet who want to become a

permanent resident or a citizen.
4. And, in a general sense, I just feel more competent whenever I learn how the laws of this

country work.

Also into this essay you’ll incorporate material from at least three sources, at least two

of which you draw from the library’s databases.

You’ll close your essay with a Works Cited list, like in the example below.

Works Cited

Field, Kelly. “Immigration-Reform Plans Offer A Path For Students.” Chronicle of Higher Education,

vol. 59, no.22, 04 Feb. 2013, pp. 14. Academic Search Premier,

http://www.chronicle.com/article/Immigration-Reform-Plans-Offer/136959. Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.

“Permanent residence (United States).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_residence_(United_States). Accessed 18 October 2016.

Vargas, Jose Antonio. “Not Legal Not Leaving. (Cover Story).” Time,vol. 179, no.25, 25 June

2012, pp. 34-44. Academic Search Premier.

web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.palomar.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=888b934f- 0610-4bf9-a163-

90be55a8c6fd%40sessionmgr106&hid=130&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY2

9wZT1zaXRl#AN=76906110&db=aph. Accessed 17 Oct. 2016.