Although Shipka talks about the cookie-cutter essays and how bad they are, I think that they are still very useful. I feel that I am a poor writer, and as such, I like the 5-paragraph essay because it gives me a sort of structure and guideline for me to follow. In some cases, it may inhibit writing, but I think in most cases this heavily structured and restricting guideline is very helpful. With the way the readings for this class talk about student writers, it seems like this guideline can be a saving grace for some students. Personally, without the 5-paragraph essay, I feel kind of lost and as if I am just ranting. With very loosely or unstructured assignments, I think students such as myself or students that don’t speak English as a first language might get very lost or be unable to even start an assignment. Along with this, as most students are grade oriented, having assignments with few restrictions and therefore guidelines creates the problem of not knowing how to score well on that assignment. While this type of writing may not be helpful in the long run, I feel like this will not really affect that many people.
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Brian Cheung ENGL 16 
I understand your reliance on the cookbook assignments that Shipka brings up. I agree that they can be crutches for struggling writers and I can certainly relate. I find that I require guidance and structure when I am writing about topics that I am not passionate about. But when I am writing about subjects that I am passionate about, I would prefer not to be restricted in my creativity. I feel that since I enjoy the topic, I would be able to provide a creative and engaging product that would reflect my voice and personality. You certainly bring up a good point in that those who do not speak english as a first language would struggle with unstructured writing assignments and that the unstructured nature of these assignments creates a gray area in terms of grading.
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