The Write Stuff

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The Write Stuff
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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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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.

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The Hook

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

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Hook Quote

• A quote is a memorable line from a famous figure
  in history or from the novel itself.
• Make sure to include author/speaker.
• Ex.) Bucks first day on the Dyea beach was like
  a nightmare (14), the narrator explains the
  terrible sights Buck witnesses in the few hours
  he is in the Northland.

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Hook Vivid Description

• A vivid description is like a photo- a single
  snapshot. Unlike an anecdote, it has no plot or
  action.
• Ex) Picture this freezing cold temperatures, ice
  packed sleds, downtrodden humans, and little or
  no food. These are the conditions one faces in
  the Northland.

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Hook Anecdote

• An anecdote is a short story that leads the
  reader into your topic.
• Ex) Imagine being seized from your owner in
  sunny Southern California, and thrown into a
  frigid, cold place with different rules and
  different people. Could you survive? In the
  novel The Call of the Wild....

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Hook Definition

• Define a term that is closely related to your
  topic. Provide a definition that your audience
  may not know.
• Ex) Websters dictionary defines survival as,
  the act or fact of enduring especially under
  adverse or unusual circumstances.

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Hook Question

• Ask a question to draw your reader into your
  paper.
• Ex) Have you ever imagined what it would have
  been like to live during the times of the Yukon
  Gold Rush?

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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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Background Info- Examine the Prompt

• Superintendent Doug Hammond believes that school
  violence has escalated. Due to this he is asking
  Howard County schools to enforce random locker
  checks each quarter. Students believe this is an
  invasion of privacy. Write a five paragraph
  essay stating your position on the issue.
• What does your audience need to know? Look for
  details

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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 Paragraphs (3)

• Topic Sentence
• Support (Quotes)
• Concluding Sentence

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Topic Sentence

• A topic sentence tells the reader what the
  paragraph is going to be about.
• Use it to help remind the reader what your paper
  is trying to prove (thesis)
• It should have a subject, a verb, and a
  controlling idea.

• 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

• This is where you give more information about
  your topic.
• Ask yourself How can I prove this is true?
  What examples can I give?
• Three supports per paragraph

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If you use quotes as support

• Dont forget

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Adding Quotes- Lead-In

• 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 (Jones 252).
• Always introduce quotes
• with a lead-in
• Quotes cant stand alone.

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Adding Quotes- State Quote

• 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 (Jones 252).
• State quote exactly as you see it.
• Use quotation marks to show it is borrowed words.

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Adding Quotes- Parenthetical Citations

• 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 (Jones 252).
• A parenthetical citation shows where the
  information is from.
• Give author and page number.
• No comma. Punctuation follows citation.

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Adding Quotes-Explain Quote

• 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 (Jones 252). This quote
  illustrates that The Dark Knight is the ultimate
  super hero movie because of the mass appeal it
  brought to the super hero film genre.

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Concluding Sentences

• A concluding sentence explains what your
  paragraph is about.
• Use as a bridge between paragraphs
• Not only ________________________________ but
  __________________________________

does recycling help the environment
it is also a quick way to make extra money.
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Conclusion Paragraph

• Restate thesis. Use new words (points in same
  order)
• 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 That is How you Write an Essay!

• Now go off and Ace that paper!