Essay Writing
Essay Writing
An essay contains the following:
Introductory Paragraph – a general statement, the title of the text(s) and the author(s), the key arguments briefly stated, and a thesis statement.
The Body Paragraphs – a topic sentence which introduces the key idea of the paragraph, a brief description of what is happening in the text, a quotation which supports your argument, the importance of your point, a concluding sentence that leads into the next paragraph (links them together). [SEEEC]
Concluding Paragraph – This is very similar to the introduction, but the order is reversed; thesis, key ideas, general statement.
Thesis Statement – An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim should be an opinion, an evaluation, an interpretation, etc. The goal of an argumentative paper is to convince the audience (in this case the teacher) that the claim is true based on the proof prov ided. A good thesis statement:
Should be specific, should express one main idea – it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence (the key ideas briefly stated) Will usually appear at the end of the first paragraph of a paper
Should never be an open-ended question
Should not contain 2 conflicting ideas
Should clearly state your opinion (without the use of first person, “I”)
The formula (which usually works):
Topic + Opinion = Thesis Statement So……
TOPIC
OPINION
THESIS STATEMENT
Animals
Dogs make better pets than cats
When it comes to animals, dogs make better pets than cats.
Movies and emotions
Titanic ignited many emotions
The movie “Titanic” ignited many emotions in the audience.
Gangs and identity in the text “On the Sidewalk Bleeding”
The boy lost his personal identity and was only seen as a gang member
In the story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding”, the boy loses his identity and is only recognized as a gang member.
An essay contains the following:
Introductory Paragraph – a general statement, the title of the text(s) and the author(s), the key arguments briefly stated, and a thesis statement.
The Body Paragraphs – a topic sentence which introduces the key idea of the paragraph, a brief description of what is happening in the text, a quotation which supports your argument, the importance of your point, a concluding sentence that leads into the next paragraph (links them together). [SEEEC]
Concluding Paragraph – This is very similar to the introduction, but the order is reversed; thesis, key ideas, general statement.
Thesis Statement – An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim should be an opinion, an evaluation, an interpretation, etc. The goal of an argumentative paper is to convince the audience (in this case the teacher) that the claim is true based on the proof prov ided. A good thesis statement:
Should be specific, should express one main idea – it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence (the key ideas briefly stated) Will usually appear at the end of the first paragraph of a paper
Should never be an open-ended question
Should not contain 2 conflicting ideas
Should clearly state your opinion (without the use of first person, “I”)
The formula (which usually works):
Topic + Opinion = Thesis Statement So……
TOPIC
OPINION
THESIS STATEMENT
Animals
Dogs make better pets than cats
When it comes to animals, dogs make better pets than cats.
Movies and emotions
Titanic ignited many emotions
The movie “Titanic” ignited many emotions in the audience.
Gangs and identity in the text “On the Sidewalk Bleeding”
The boy lost his personal identity and was only seen as a gang member
In the story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding”, the boy loses his identity and is only recognized as a gang member.