Prospectus Sample

PROSPECTUS SAMPLE

Jadyn Boyd

English 8

Professor Doyle

February 25, 2016

My essay will explore the phenomenon of teenage boys sagging their pants. I think teenage boys sag their pants because it mimics the fashions of Rap and Hip Hop music icons, making it a fashionable thing to do and it sending a message of confidence to the general public.

I also wonder about how this fad started, how boys are treated when they sag their pants, and what would happen if schools banned saggy pants. In particular I want to discuss how although our society likes to judge its constituents based on appearances, we have the freedom to wear what we like and boys should be able to wear their pants in the style they wish. In order to begin to answer these questions I will look at The New York Time’s article “Are Your Jeans Sagging?

Go Directly to Jail” by Niko Koppel. The article expresses how the fad of sagging began and how many communities claim that sagging pants as a criminal offense. It is important to consider that the article expresses an appeal to the reader’s ethos when it explains that freedom of expression is a civil right in the United States, and the backlash against sagging pants may be racially motived because of the style’s link to Hip Hop.

Koppel, Niko. "Are Your Jeans Saggin? Go Directly to Jail." The New York Times 30 Aug. 2007,

Fashion & Style sec. Nytimes.com. 30 Aug. 2007. Web. 10 Feb. 2016. PROSPECTUS SAMPLE

Directions: Work with a partner to complete the prospectus scavenger hunt.

1. Underline the sentence frames (anything you can borrow for your own prospectus).

a. Example: My essay will explore curing cancer

2. Circle anyplace a “charting verb” is used or could be used.

a. The article expresses how cancer is a genetic disease.

3. Highlight the thesis statement (Hint: Look for the “Although” statement).

4. Double underline the hypothesis.

5. Circle the rhetorical device indicated and the substantiating evidence.

6. Label the three levels of questions that precede the thesis statement with a 1, 2, and 3.

7. Identify the title of the source indicated in the prospectus: .

8. List the things you notice about the prospectus’ formatting (Margins, font, size, etc.)