A resource to
ACADEMIC ESSAY assist tutors
working with
WRITING Indigenous
students
For students at Charles Darwin University
, Table of Contents
The academic world 3
Purpose of this Critical thinking 4
booklet
Preparing to write an essay 6
Unpacking the essay question 6
This booklet aims to provide
resources to tutors who Looking at the marking rubric 7
work with Indigenous
Understanding a Brainstorm of the essay topic 8
students at Charles Darwin
University. It is intended to
Developing a Taxonomy for the essay topic 9
provide you with
information and exercises to Academic essay structure 10
assist you to scaffold
students to be successful in A word on academic language 10
their university studies. We
focus on writing academic Writing a thesis statement 11
essays, because this is a skill
Writing an introduction 12
student’s need in most
university courses, and is a A note on using headings 12
skill that can be transferred
to assessments in other Writing a paragraph 13
units.
Essay: An annotated example 14
We know that students
bring a wide range of skills Referencing 20
and life experiences to the
In-text referencing 20
university setting. What we
hope to do is to assist you,
Appendix 1: Analytical essay 21
as tutor, to build on the
students’ existing skills and
knowledge, with
transferrable skills that will
enable them to succeed at
university. Our philosophy ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
aligns with the old proverb:
Thanks to Jamie Pomfrett for providing original materials for this
guide. Thanks also to Jamie, Debra Dank and David McClay PhD
for reviewing this document.
“Give a man a fish and you
Lesley MacGibbon PhD
feed him for a day, but ACIKE Staff Development
teach him to fish, you feed Charles Darwin University
him for life.”
2
, Exercise: Rules of the game
The Academic World
Ask your student which sport they play or follow. On paper or
The ‘academic world’ and whiteboard draw up two columns. In one column list the
the ‘real world’ are not the rules of the game as the student identifies them. In the other
same. column, list the rules of writing academic essays. Get the
student to help to identify these if they can. Your completed
Levin (2004) explains that list might look something like this:
the ‘academic world’ and
the ‘real world’ are not the Rules of soccer(football) Rules of essay writing
same, and students need to
learn the differences You cannot pick up the ball You must analyse the
between these worlds. unless you are goalie. question carefully to make
sure you answer what is
The real world is where we asked.
experience our lives – we
live and work, raise children, You can head the ball in You must use formal
play or watch sport, spend the air. academic English – not slang
time with family and friends or txt language.
and interact with the
You must play within the You cannot just write your
natural world. A lot of what
lines of the field. opinion. You must back
we know about the real
everything you write with
world is from our
evidence (what other people
experiences.
have written).
The academic world on the You cannot physically push Different lecturers may have
other hand is one of or shove players on the different rules about what
theories, explanations, ideas other team. academic language is – you
and critiques. We can’t will need to check with them.
experience them the same
way as we experience the Games are usually 45 mins You must reference where
real world, through seeing, each half. you got your information
hearing, touching, tasting, from.
smelling. In the academic
You must obey the Referee There are particular forms of
world we learn from what is
even if you don’t agree referencing you must use.
spoken, or more often
written, about the world. with him or her.
This means that in the You need to stay onside. You must not copy other
academic world you learn at people’s work (plagiarism).
second hand, from what
other people have written, You must wear shin guards You need to write in
rather than from your own to protect your ankles. paragraphs- start with an
experience. Levin (2004, p introduction and finish with a
5) argues that: conclusion.
“The culture of higher
education in the Western
world is very much a culture
of the written world”. 3
ACADEMIC ESSAY assist tutors
working with
WRITING Indigenous
students
For students at Charles Darwin University
, Table of Contents
The academic world 3
Purpose of this Critical thinking 4
booklet
Preparing to write an essay 6
Unpacking the essay question 6
This booklet aims to provide
resources to tutors who Looking at the marking rubric 7
work with Indigenous
Understanding a Brainstorm of the essay topic 8
students at Charles Darwin
University. It is intended to
Developing a Taxonomy for the essay topic 9
provide you with
information and exercises to Academic essay structure 10
assist you to scaffold
students to be successful in A word on academic language 10
their university studies. We
focus on writing academic Writing a thesis statement 11
essays, because this is a skill
Writing an introduction 12
student’s need in most
university courses, and is a A note on using headings 12
skill that can be transferred
to assessments in other Writing a paragraph 13
units.
Essay: An annotated example 14
We know that students
bring a wide range of skills Referencing 20
and life experiences to the
In-text referencing 20
university setting. What we
hope to do is to assist you,
Appendix 1: Analytical essay 21
as tutor, to build on the
students’ existing skills and
knowledge, with
transferrable skills that will
enable them to succeed at
university. Our philosophy ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
aligns with the old proverb:
Thanks to Jamie Pomfrett for providing original materials for this
guide. Thanks also to Jamie, Debra Dank and David McClay PhD
for reviewing this document.
“Give a man a fish and you
Lesley MacGibbon PhD
feed him for a day, but ACIKE Staff Development
teach him to fish, you feed Charles Darwin University
him for life.”
2
, Exercise: Rules of the game
The Academic World
Ask your student which sport they play or follow. On paper or
The ‘academic world’ and whiteboard draw up two columns. In one column list the
the ‘real world’ are not the rules of the game as the student identifies them. In the other
same. column, list the rules of writing academic essays. Get the
student to help to identify these if they can. Your completed
Levin (2004) explains that list might look something like this:
the ‘academic world’ and
the ‘real world’ are not the Rules of soccer(football) Rules of essay writing
same, and students need to
learn the differences You cannot pick up the ball You must analyse the
between these worlds. unless you are goalie. question carefully to make
sure you answer what is
The real world is where we asked.
experience our lives – we
live and work, raise children, You can head the ball in You must use formal
play or watch sport, spend the air. academic English – not slang
time with family and friends or txt language.
and interact with the
You must play within the You cannot just write your
natural world. A lot of what
lines of the field. opinion. You must back
we know about the real
everything you write with
world is from our
evidence (what other people
experiences.
have written).
The academic world on the You cannot physically push Different lecturers may have
other hand is one of or shove players on the different rules about what
theories, explanations, ideas other team. academic language is – you
and critiques. We can’t will need to check with them.
experience them the same
way as we experience the Games are usually 45 mins You must reference where
real world, through seeing, each half. you got your information
hearing, touching, tasting, from.
smelling. In the academic
You must obey the Referee There are particular forms of
world we learn from what is
even if you don’t agree referencing you must use.
spoken, or more often
written, about the world. with him or her.
This means that in the You need to stay onside. You must not copy other
academic world you learn at people’s work (plagiarism).
second hand, from what
other people have written, You must wear shin guards You need to write in
rather than from your own to protect your ankles. paragraphs- start with an
experience. Levin (2004, p introduction and finish with a
5) argues that: conclusion.
“The culture of higher
education in the Western
world is very much a culture
of the written world”. 3
