Have you ever had a conversation or group discussion and later thought of all the things you should have said? A discussion response gives you the opportunity to do so. An essay proves that you've researched a topic, but a discussion response proves you were listening in class or at a work meeting.
An essay is a short, informative piece of writing with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Essays are traditionally five or more paragraphs long and include a thesis statement that explains the writer's main point or argument.
There are four basic types of essays. A persuasive essay argues a point and explains why readers should agree. An expository essay gives the facts and details about its subject. A descriptive essay uses words that paint a picture in their readers' imaginations. A narrative essay tells a story, usually from a first-person viewpoint.
A written discussion response is usually assigned in order to capture the thoughts you had after a class or meeting. There is no universal structure for a discussion response, but expected guidelines are often given by the person assigning the writing.
The point of an essay is to inform readers on a chosen topic. The type of essay you choose in order to reach that goal should depend on which type is most effective in getting your point across to a reader. Unless you decide to use an interview as a source for your essay, you won't need to interact with other people in order to write one.
A discussion response is meant to allow a person time for personal reflection in order to respond thoughtfully to a topic following a group discussion in which ideas and thoughts were exchanged on a particular topic or issue.
To write an essay, you'll need to research your chosen topic, decide which essay type will most effectively make your point, and then organize your thoughts into one thesis statement followed by three or more topic sentences that explain your main point.
To write a good discussion response, you'll need to pay attention in class, take notes to help you remember important points, consider the views presented by the rest of the class or group, and write out your thoughts after the discussion has ended.