The Write Stuff

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The Write Stuff
If writing seems hard, its because it is hard.
Its one of the hardest things people do.-
William Zinsser
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Why Should I Care About Writing?

• Writing is an essential job skill
• Builds your ability to explain complex positions
• Develops communication and thinking skills
• Helps give others feedback and helps others give
  feedback to you.
• Writing expresses who you are as a person

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5 Paragraph Essay Blueprint

• Introduction
• Hook
• Background
• Thesis Statement
• Body Paragraph
• Topic Sentence
• Supports
• Concluding Sentence
• Conclusion
• Restate Thesis
• Summarize
• Lasting Impression

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Introduction Paragraph
You never get a second chance to make a first
impression
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Parts of the Introduction Paragraph

• Hook
• Background Information
• Thesis

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A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away
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First Things First

• "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet
  Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly
  normal, thank you very much. They were the last
  people you'd expect to be involved in anything
  strange or mysterious, because they just didn't
  hold with such nonsense.
• The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne
  as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult
  I vowed revenge.

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The Hook

• It should grab your readers attention.
• Quote avoid clichés
• Vivid description
• Anecdote
• Definition
• Question
• Must transition into the papers topic

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

• Good In the story Don Quixote, Miguel de
  Cervantes wrote that all that glitters is not
  gold.
• Bad In the argument between substance and
  style, it is easy to see that substance is more
  important.
• Yuck Style? Bad. Substance? Good.

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Background Information

• Assume that your reader has never read the
  question
• What does your audience need to know?
• Names
• Dates
• Quotes
• Arguments
• If it is a text, then include the author, title
  and a brief synopsis of the story

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The Lion King vs. Hamlet

• After reading Shakespeares Hamlet, compare and
  contrast the plot, theme, and characterization to
  Disneys The Lion King.
• What does your audience need to know?

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The Thesis Statement
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The Roadmap for Your Essay

• Main argument of your paper
• It introduces the reader to the rest of your
  paper
• No thesis statement?

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So Whats the Formula?
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Recipe for a Good Thesis
Arguable Point Reason 1
Reason 2
Reason 3
_______________ because ________________ ,
________________ , and ________________ .
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Give Me an Example
Smoking should be illegal because it can kill
you, can harm those around you, and it is
addictive and difficult to stop once started.
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Now its Your Turn!!!
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Body Paragraph
The skill of writing is to create a context in
which other people can think. Edwin
Schlossberg, author and artist
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Parts of the Body Paragraph

• Topic Sentence
• Support (Quotes)
• Concluding Sentence

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Topic Sentence

• A topic sentence informs the reader about the
  purpose of the paragraph
• Use it to reinforce your papers thesis to your
  reader

• Ex.) One reason why schools should not enforce
  random locker checks is because it is an invasion
  of student privacy.

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Supporting Sentences

• Ask yourself How can I prove this is true?
  What examples can I give?
• Three supports per paragraph
• Avoid vague examples, be specific

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Utilizing Quotes

• According to movie analyst Kevin Jones in his
  novel Summer Blockbusters, The Dark Knight sold
  more tickets in its opening weekend than any
  other movie in history (252).
• Introduce, state, and explain your quote
• All quotes should relate back to your thesis

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MLA Citations

• Each quote you use must identify the author and
  page number of your quote
• In the novel Summer Blockbusters it is stated,
  The Dark Knight sold more tickets in its opening
  weekend than any other movie in history (Jones
  252).
• What if I dont know the page number or author?

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Concluding Sentences

• A concluding sentence summarizes your paragraph.
• It MUST transition to your next paragraph
• Not only ________________________________ but
  __________________________________

does recycling help the environment
it is also a quick way to make extra money.
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Concluding Paragraph
The first rule of show business always leave
them wanting more -Anonymous
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Conclusion Paragraph

• Restate thesis, not verbatim
• Summarize main points of essay. Remind reader
  what you said.
• End with a lasting impression. Give reader
  something to think about after finishing essay.

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And never use In conclusion
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Formatting Your Paper

• 12 Point Font
• Creative Title
• No bold, no underline
• Heading in the upper right hand corner
• Works Cited / Bibliography
• Double-spaced