Impact Essay- Organization

Organization is the structure, the thread of central meaning, the logical pattern of the ideas within a piece pf writing

Notes on Organization…

My beginning catches the reader’s attention and knows what I will be discussing

Transitions effectively connect my ideas

The order is logical and effective (chronological)

My title is connected to the theme of the writing

I’ve chosen an appropriate conclusion

Tip #1 for success in organization…

YOU ALWAYS WANT TO GRAB YOUR READER’S ATTENTION…IF THEY READ THE FIRST SENTENCE AND THEY DO NOT WANT TO READ ON, THERE IS A PROBLEM!

THE FIRST SENTENCE IN YOUR INTRODUCTION IS CALLED THE GRABBER FOR A REASON!!!!!!

BUT WHAT ARE WAYS TO GRAB YOUR AUDIENCE???

ONE WAY TO GRAB YOUR AUDIENCE…

START WITH A QUOTE:

"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything. It is the essence of order and lends to all that is good and just and beautiful.”– Plato

OTHER WAYS…

You could find an interesting fact…Students who play a musical instrument are more likely to succeed

in Math and Science.

Ask an interesting question: Did you know that 87% of middle school students listen to

music an average of three hours daily?

How many hours do you listen to music daily?

Tip #2 for success in Organization…

Transitions effectively connect my ideas

If my paper is about my family, one of my body paragraphs is about how my brother and I are NOT close and then my second body paragraph is about how my sister and I are close. What close a transition be from body paragraph one to two?

I could say, “Although my brother and I are NOT close, I’m closest to my sister,”

Transitions are the GLUE that connects one paragraph to the next… Let’s try another one…If my paper is about my two dogs.

One body paragraph is about how my dog Peanut is energetic

The other body paragraph is about how my dog Gizmo is calm

What could a transition statement say from body paragraph one to two??? Talk to your group members and make a statement to connect the two…

Suggestion- “While Peanut is crazy, Gizmo is mellow.” Suggestion- “Although my first dog is energetic, my

second dog, Gizmo is as calm as can be.”

Tip # 3 for success in Organization

The order is logical and effective (chronological)

If my paper is about my first day of school, what makes sense to start with…

A.) Getting and doing my first night of homework.

B.) Meeting my teachers and loving them instantly!

C.) The morning nerves about what school is like

Let’s do another example… Put the following in the order it makes most sense…

HOW TO MAKE A GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH…

A.) Put the sandwich one the pan and flip each side after a few minutes

B.) Take out two pieces of bread, a slice of cheese and butter

C.) While eating my grilled cheese sandwich, I realized I love grilled cheese sandwiches!!!!

D.) Spread butter thinly on both slices of bread

E.) When both sides of the bread are golden brown from the pan and the cheese is melted, the grilled cheese sandwich is ready to eat!

F.) Put Cheese on bread and close the sandwich up

The order makes the most sense to be…

B.) Take out two pieces of bread, a slice of cheese and butter

D.) Spread butter thinly on both slices of bread

F.) Put Cheese on bread and close the sandwich up

A.) Put the sandwich one the pan and flip each side after a few minutes

E.) When both sides of the bread are golden brown from the pan and the cheese is melted, the grilled cheese sandwich is ready to eat!

C.) While eating my grilled cheese sandwich, I realized I love grilled cheese sandwiches!!!!

Next Tip: My title is connected to the theme of the writing

What title could I give to a paper about how I broke my little finger while playing football…

Discuss with group ---the most creative title gets CANDY!!!

What title could I give to a paper about my trip to Italy and I met the pope

Discuss with group ---the most creative title gets CANDY!!!

Next Tip.. I’ve chosen an appropriate conclusion

The purpose of a conclusion is NOT to repeat EVERYTHING you stated in your paper (BORING!!!!)

The purpose is to restate the main idea and leave the reader with something to think of/ or be inspired by…

Bad conclusion…

In this paper, I have told you about my trip to Italy. I enjoyed seeing the statue of David. I also enjoyed hanging out with my husband while we took photos of Florence and Venice. My favorite part of the trip was bumping into the pope.

Good conclusion…

Florence, Venice, Rome; all these cities were amazing to see. However, the trip wouldn’t have been so great had it not been for the memorable times I shared with my husband. It was nice to know that I had found my soul mate who I could explore the world with. Life is not the same unless you have someone to share it with.

Now, let’ s read a picture book

Focus on how it’s organized…

Let’s score a few sample papers for Organization…

Remember…5= Mastery/ Strong3= Developing1= Beginning

First Sample is titled, “What are Good Qualities of a Good

Teacher.” What would you rate it and why??? They scored it a 3 because..

Although it has an introduction, the conclusion does not tie up loose ends.

Transitions are present, but boring and ineffective (first, second, etc.)

Uninspired title The structure is confusing at times- loses its

focus at times.

Next Sample is titled, “A Good Teacher.”

What would you rate it and why??? They scored it a 5 because..

Inviting introduction and the conclusion leaves the reader with a sense of closure

Thoughtful transitions clearly show how ideas connect

Sequence is logical and effective

Okay title (could be more creative!!!)

Organization flows so smoothly

Last sample is “To be a good Teacher”

What would you rate it and why??? No real lead to set up what follows and no real end that wraps

things up

Lack of connect between ideas (no transitions)

There is no sense of what is more important- sequencing needs lots of work!

No title

Pacing seems awkward

Makes it hard to read because Organization structure is so unclear