#1174. How to Write <b>A+ Essays!</b> This REALLY WORKS!

Reading/Writing, level: Middle
Posted Fri Jul 16 21:50:56 PDT 1999 by Alyson Schenker (bigfatslob@prodigy.net).
Alyson's Educational Home Page for English Teachers
Deerfield Beach High School, Deerfield Beach, USA
Materials Required: Print this out for overheads
Activity Time: 4 days, 1 day per concept and 1 to edit
Concepts Taught: Thesis, Introduction, Body, Transitions, Conclusion, FloridaWRITES!

THIS WILL IMPROVE YOUR STUDENTS ORGANIZATIONAL AND ANALYTICAL SKILLS!

PREWRITE FIRST!!! Choose a trio topic: three of may favorite things, three goals, etc. Develop 3 signifigant details for each trio topic. Develop 1 example for each signifigant detail. (3 details + 1 example + 1 transition= 5 sentences per body paragraph!)

MINI LESSON: Print the overhead material below. Make student take ver betum notes as the minilesson.

ACTIVITY:Each day, assign students a part of the essay to draft after mini-lesson. They should write each part of the essay (intro, body, conc) on seperate sheets of paper. Pair them up for editing, and MONITOR the groups to help them proofread. Assign the 2nd draft for HW on a Friday. Rewrite until it's right!

ASSESSMENT:E-mail me for the INCREDIBLY EASY & QUICK grading rubric for 5-paragraph essays.

Writing Essays

WRITING A+ ESSAYS

INTRODUCTIONS

1. �Clincher� statement that catches the reader�s attention

2. Overview of what you plan on discussing in your essay<

3. Thesis statement - state your POSITION

4. Transitions smoothly into first paragraph

THESIS STATEMENT

1. Main idea of your entire paper

2. Expresses your position in a full, declarative sentence

3. Controls the focus of the entire paper

4. Points forward to the conclusion

5. Conforms to your reasons, examples, and evidence

A WORKING 3 PART THESIS

Opinion and Fact

Dracula was one of the better films this summer because if its setting,
action, and philosophy.

Consequence

Social ostracism, great expense, and personal hardship are three of the
unfortunate results of the most dangerous disease of the century - AIDS.

Autobiographical

From my personal experience, I know that poor preparation, alcohol consumption, and insect infestation can cause most family picnics to fail.

AVOIDING MISTAKES IN YOUR INTRODUCTION

Avoid a purpose statement, such as �The purpose of this...� �Now I shall prove�, "in this paragraph I will tell you" SHOW -DON�T TELL
Avoid repetition of the title or text
Avoid complex or difficult questions that may puzzle your reader
Avoid simple definitions - EXPLAIN
Avoid artwork or cute lettering

A BEAUTIFUL BODY

PARAGRAPH

A group of sentences that presents and develops one MAIN IDEA about a topic

These sentences work together to communicate one MAIN IDEA

MAIN IDEA

the overall POINT of the PARAGRAPH that is conveyed in the TOPIC SENTENCE

TOPIC SENTENCE

USUALLY the first sentence of the PARAGRAPH that states the MAIN IDEA stated in each part of the
THESIS

This sentence CONTROLS the ENTIRE PARAGRAPH

It tells the READER what the reset of the paragraph is ABOUT

This helps the WRITER focus on the MAIN IDEA and not stray from the MAIN IDEA

This is more GENERAL than the SUPPORTING DETAILS that follow.

SUPPORTING DETAIL SENTENCES

Other sentences in the PARAGRAPH that give INFORMATION that SUPPORTS the MAIN IDEA that was stated in the TOPIC SENTENCE

A paragraph with only 1-2 supporting details is NOT EFFECTIVE and UNACCEPTABLE

At least THREE details are NEEDED to provide STRONG SUPORT for the MAIN IDEA:

descriptions

definitions

examples

elaboration

exploration

Paragraphs should be AT LEAST 6 sentences, including TRANSITIONS

WARNING

Sentences that DO NOT SUPPORT the TOPIC SENTENCE

DESTROY
the UNITY of the paragraph

SMOOTH TRANSITIONS

The last sentence of each paragraph should reflect:

what you have just discussed in the paragraph

signal the change into the next paragraph

CONCLUSIONS

Restate the thesis
GO BEYOND the thesis by stating something worthwhile:

reach a judgment

endorse an issue

discuss findings

offer directives
Leave the reader with a thought provoking
statement

AVOIDING MISTAKES IN YOUR CONCLUSION

AVOID presenting new IDEAS
AVOID stopping at an awkward spot or trailing off into meaningless or irrelevant information
AVOID questions that raise new issues
AVOID fancy artwork or cute lettering