Essay Writing“Don’t write because you want to say something, write because you

have something to say” ~ F.Scott Fitzgerald

Lesson One:Types of W rit ing

Why Write??

The essay’s primary function is the clear communication of

thoughts, ideas, or information.

People write essays to:

* express new ideas or points of view

* teach or explain

* raise awareness of social issues / injust ices

* persuade or entertain readers

Four Types of Writing

Expository

Narrat ive

Argumentative

Persuasive

Expository

Describes or explains a topic (“how to”)

Example: an essay entit led “The Care and Maintenance f a

Bicycle” would be classified as expository

Narrative

Uses a single well-told story as the basis for

drawing conclusion or making a statement

of opinion (recounting)

Example: “My Most Excit ing Bicycle Adventure”

Argumentative

Presents a reasoned series or arguments in

support of a posit ion

Example: “Cars or Scooters: W hich is More Efficient?”

Persuasive

Combines reasoned arguments with the

emotion required to persuade the reader to

take act ion

Example: “Save the Ozone: Leave Your Cars at H ome!”

Activity One

Types of Writing: Practice

You are now going to write examples of each of the types of

writ ing. H ere are your topics:

1) Expository- how to build a snowman

2) Narrat ive- on the way to school today ...

3) Argumentative- wifi in schools?

4) Persuasive- curfew extension

Lesson Two:The Art of Persuasion

I n groups of 5, answer the following questions:

W hat are the main arguments/demands for each crayon?

Are they effect ive in their argument? W hy? W hy not?

W hat different persuasive techniques does each crayon

use?

Persuasive SpeechYou are going to write a 2 min. persuasive speech. You

are going to present these to the class. H ere are the

details …

1) Topics must be light-hearted (nothing too heavy

please)

2) Chose a topic that you are interested in (it helps to

think of a pet peeve ie. wearing sandals and socks in

public)

3) Must not go over 2 mins in length

Formal Presentations

Things all presentat ions should have …

* a dist inct beginning, middle, & end

* gain the audience’s attention

* generate discussion and get the class involved

* props are a good way to “hook” the audience

* make eye-contact during speech (do not just read

from your paper)

* speak in a clear and concise tone

Lesson Three:Essays

Essay Structure

Once you have the formula of essay writ ing down, they are

easy to write :)

Essays consist of the following:

* I ntroduction

* Body

* Conclusion

Introduction

Purpose: to gain the reader’s attention, let reader know the topic of discussion,

and “hook” the reader (think of the introduction as a question mark??)

I ntroduction consists of:

* H ook- starts the essay off and “hooks” the reader into wanting to read on (ie.

quote, definit ion, bold statement)

* Thesis- let ’s the reader know what your argument is (3 main points /

arguments)

** NOTE: if your intro. is weak, the rest of your essay will follow suit **

Body

Purpose: to go into detail and discuss each point / argument (think of the

body paragraphs as an explanation mark!!)

Body consists of:

* Points- MUST relate direct ly to your thesis

* Support- quotes, examples that PROVE your points

* Significance- explain the significance of each quote as related to your

thesis

** NOTE: each point in your thesis gets it’s OW N paragraph**

Conclusion

Purpose: to wrap things up, to bring your ideas to a close (think

of the conclusion as the period ... at the end of a sentence)

Conclusion consists of:

* re-iterat ing main ideas and points

* a closing statement that leaves the readers feeling satisfied in

the reading- don’t just leave them hanging

Activity Two

Essay Personification

I n groups of three, you are going to personify the different parts of an essay. You

are going to write a paragraph for each part explaining, in first person, the

following parts:

* H ook

* Thesis

* Body

* Conclusion

Formal vs. Informal

Characteristic Informal Essay Formal Essay

Viewpoint* usually in first person* directly addresses the

reader

* usually in 3rd person* does not address the reader

Subject Content

ContentFrequently drawn from life

or everyday eventsMore commonly drawn from historical events & literature

ToneMore personal and

subjective (ironic, amusing, angry, thoughtful, serious)

Removed from subject, more objective (emotions in check)

StructureLoosely structured, thesis may appear any where in

essay

Rigid structure, development of one CLEAR argument, thesis in intro. paragraph

How to Read an Essay

I dentify the topic: t it le is often the first predictor of the topic

and may provide clues about the thesis

Determine viewpoint: what is the writer’s stance on the topic?

Ask yourself if you agree

Support: what support ing argument(s) does the writer use?

Underline: underline key points / arguments

Likes: consider what you like about the writ ing style and why

(is it effect ive?)

Lesson Three:Citat ion

Citation

Other’s ideas, quotes, & theories must ALW AYS be

properly cited. W e need to be respectful of the ideas of

others and make sure we are not taking the credit for ideas

that are not our own.

Also, plagiarism is a huge issue and, if not properly

informed, can lead to failing marks and even expulsion

from school.

Works Cited

Appears at the end of your essay on a separate page.

1) A book with one author

Last Name, First Name, Tit le of Book. Place of Publicat ion: Publisher, Year of

Publicat ion.

2) A magazine or newspaper art icle

Author’s Last Name, “Tit le of Art icle.” Tit le of Periodical Day M onth Year: Pages

3) W ebsite

Name of Site.Date of Posting or last revision. Name of I nst itut ion/Organization. Date

you accessed the site. <full url>

4) Online art icle

Last Name, First Name. “Tit le of Art icle.” Tit le of Online Publicat ion.

Date of publicat ion. Date of access. <url>.

Citation Within an Essay

I t is a MUST that you properly cite all quotes, ideas,

theories that you use within your essay.

Citat ions appear direct ly following your quote or

paraphrase and take the following format:

1) Lines from a play: act.scene.lines (I .ii.1-25)

2) Quote from a book: Author Last Name. Pg #

(Fitzgerald. 100)

To block quote or to not block

quote?

A block quote MUST be done when the quote you insert is

longer than two lines in your essay. Block quotes are

introduced by a “:” and quotation marks are not necessary.

This is proven when Macbeth says:

Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, Till thou applaud the deed.

Come, seeing night, Scarf up the tender eye of pit iful day, And with thy bloody and invisible hand,

cancel and tear to pieces that great bond

(I V.ii. 35-39) This is significant because blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

Lesson Four:Putt ing it to Practice

EssaySeeing as how we learned all about essays, you are now going

to write one. Choose from the following list of topics and

write an informal argumentative essay. Your essay MUST

have the following:

* clear intro, thesis, body, and conclusion

* stay on topic

* have topic sentences

* have at least 3 quotes to prove your thesis

Topics

1) Should beauty pageants be banned?

2) W hat pressures do high school students face?

3) Should parents need a license to have a child?

4) The internet is it good or evil?

5) Should promposals be banned?

6) Does technology isolate us?

7) Do boys and girls have different expectat ions on them?

8) Pick your own topic (must be approved)