Getting into Essay Writing

DS 014 WritingWeston Fall 2010

Today's Agenda Sign-In Paragraph vs. Essay Essay Structure Process of Essay Writing Overview

Prewriting Composing a Thesis

Introducing the Essay Map Coming Up...

Paragraph vs. Essay While paragraphs are great for working on writing

skills, essays allow a subject to be dealt with in greater depth.

The vast majority of writing in both higher education and in many careers will be essay in form.

Essay Structure

Most essays are actually longer than five-paragraphs—the standard “five paragraph essay” is rather like a starter form.

Essay Writing Process--Prewriting First stage of the writing process

Freewriting--no-holds-barred Brainstorming—list everything you can think of

related to the subject Clustering—mind-map Branching—gridding out ideas

5 Minutes We've discussed argument this week, so hopefully

you have an idea of a subject about which you'd like to write.

Take 5 minutes, using one of the prewriting methods mentioned, and write about a potential topic

(This will count as your journal entry for this week.)

Essay Writing Process—Composing a Thesis Statement

The thesis statement is the topic sentence that covers the entire essay, not just a single paragraph. It tells the reader what to expect in the rest of the essay.

The thesis statement has two parts-- The subject. The writer's attitude about the subject.

What a Thesis Statement is Not A thesis statement is not an announcement of your

intent-- I plan I intend This paper concerns

Or a statement of fact A simple definition

Or a title

Write Your Potential Thesis Statement You've thought about what you might write, now see

if you can come up with a thesis statement. Write a sentence that explains your main subject as

well as your stance/opinion. (You'll use the rest of your essay to back up/support

this statement.)

The Essay Map ReadWriteThink is a site with multiple educational

tools. Some of their most popular are their essay maps. The one for persuasive/argumentative writing can be

found here--http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/persuasion_map/

Or, I'm including a blank printed one for our use.

Assignment Fill out the Essay Map with the main points you

might be using. Let me see your work before you leave.

Coming Up... Monday

More on the Essay Audience Awareness Introductions and Conclusions Revision

Monday after Thanksgiving Rough Draft Due Peer Review

Wednesday Final Draft due