Review basic grammar and formatting requirements. Create a lesson on reviewing basic English grammar and sentence structure as well as common mistakes and misspellings. Offer students a take-home sheet on the formatting requirements for the essay. Include margin requirements, font type and size, works cited and footnote specifications. Discuss word count requirements
Give the student a choice of topics. Either choose a specific topic, or have a classroom brainstorm a category of ideas to choose from. Help the student narrow down his ideas by having him write a short paragraph about possible topics.
Instruct the student to conduct research to gather specific information on the chosen topic. Explore what makes good reference materials. Include examples of medical or trade journals, interviews from experts in the field, books and magazines that reflect the student's topic. Offer handout on where to find acceptable sources such as a public library, specific internet sites or ideas on people to interview.
Discuss what makes a compelling paragraph and the importance of a thesis sentence stressing how it sets the tone of the piece and describes what will be discussed. Work on making practice paragraphs with a strong beginning sentence, supporting sentences to make up the body of the paragraph, and the transitional or closing comments of the last sentence to end one particular idea.
Create an outline. Instruct students to incorporate their ideas with the research they have gathered to create an outline of their essay. An outline can roughly give shape to the writer's thoughts and help them get organized. An essay should include an introduction, body and a conclusion. Bullet points and number lists work well.
Create a practical deadline and request students to submit a first draft. Remind students to read over the first draft before submitting and always check for spelling and grammar errors.
Conduct a group review. Bring the class together and have students perform peer reviews between classmates. Teach the students to give constructive criticism, noting first the good features of the piece and then things that need work.
Have the students write a second draft. Based on the class critique, and your own suggestions, instruct the students to go back and refine the essay. Emphasize the importance of self-editing to create a polished piece.
Grade the piece. Once the student has revised and shaped the essay and has done all the necessary formatting, review the piece and give a grade according to the effort put in and the scope and depth of the piece. Review the comments with each student to help them better understand trouble areas.