Formatting an Essay

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Formatting an Essay
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The Diagram

• When we write an essay the flow of information
  can be fit into a diagram that looks something
  like this

You will find out what fits into all of these
shapes. For now lets start at the beginning.
Think about the way that you would start an essay.
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The Introduction

• When we start a project we usually start at the
  beginning. Keeping this in mind, where do you
  think the introduction is found in the essay?
• Click on the section in the essay to the right
  where you think the introduction would be found.

4

• Try again.
• Hint You use the introduction to let the reader
  know what the topic of your paper will be. They
  would read this information first.

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Great!

• The introduction is that paragraph that is used
  to introduce the writer to the essay. Therefore,
  it is the first paragraph in the essay.
• For the essay diagram the introduction looks like
  this

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The Thesis

• This is the most important sentence in your
  essay!
• A thesis is a sentence that tells the reader what
  your paper is about. It also provides some main
  points for your paper.

Click for an example
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For example. . .

• If you were writing an essay on Marilyn Monroe,
  your thesis might say
• Although Marilyn Monroe suffered a tragic end,
  she had survived a traumatic childhood to become
  one of the most well-known actresses of all time.
• If this was your thesis you would have 3 main
  points in your paper
• Marilyn Monroe suffered a tragic end.
• Marilyn Monroe had a traumatic childhood.
• Marilyn Monroe is one of the most well-known
  actress of all time.

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• The thesis is the last sentence of your
  introduction.
• It is found here on the diagram

The Introduction
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The Body of the Essay

• The body of the essay is where all of the
  supporting information is located. This is the
  middle section of the essay.
• Its section on our essay diagram looks like this

The body portion is the longest part of an essay.

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What information fits here?

• Click on the group of information below that you
  think would fit the best into the body portion of
  an essay.

• Name
• Date
• Hour

• Topic sentence
• Quotes
• examples

• Thesis
• Restatement of thesis
• A list of the works cited in the essay.

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• Not Quite!
• Hint The body portion of the essay contains all
  of the information needed to support the thesis.
  
• What kind of information would you use to back up
  what you wrote in your thesis?

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Correct!

• In the body portion of the essay we use items
  like quotes and examples to back up what was
  stated in the thesis sentence.
• Each body paragraph is also started with a topic
  sentence.

Click here to learn about topic sentences
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Topic Sentences

• A topic sentence
• is located as the first sentence of each body
  paragraph
• provides the main idea for each paragraph
• shows how the information in that paragraph will
  connect to the thesis
• Ties together information in the paragraph

Topic Sentence
Supporting Information
A Body Paragraph
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Click on the first word of the topic sentence in
the paragraph below.
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn love
adventure. For example, Tom convinces Huck and
their friend, Joe, to go to Jacksons Island with
him to pretend that they are pirates. Later Tom
and Huck explore a haunted house in search of
treasure. The boys seem to thrive on the
adventures that they encounter.
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• Try again.
• Remember The topic sentence is like an
  introduction to
• a body paragraph. Think of where an
• introduction is located.

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Right!

• The topic sentence introduces the paragraph. It
  also connects the ideas in a paragraph.

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The Conclusion

• The conclusion of a book or movie comes at the
  end. Click on the part of the essay diagram
  below that you think is the conclusion.

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Yes!

• The conclusion of the essay is the last section.
• The conclusion is used to
• Restate the thesis
• Give a finished feel to the essay
• Leave the reader with a final thought

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• Not quite.
• The first section is called the introduction.
  It is used to introduce the essay and provide the
  main points.

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20

• Not quite.
• This is the body of the essay. It is used to
  provide supporting information for the thesis.

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• Think back to the shape of the introduction.
  The conclusion is like the introduction, but it
  is flipped upside down.
• Click the place in the diagram of the conclusion
  where you think you would restate the thesis.

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Right!

• The thesis is stated at the point of the
  triangle. After the thesis is restated the
  conclusion moves on to some final thoughts.

23

• Try again.
• Remember that in the introduction the thesis was
  the last sentence. It was found at the point of
  the triangle.

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A Review

• Which format is correct for an essay?

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Great Job!

• Youre off to a great start for formatting your
  essay!

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• Not quite.
• Hint Remember the thesis is located at the
  point in each triangle. It is the last sentence
  of the introduction and the first sentence of the
  conclusion.

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