THE THESIS & ESSAYSTRUCTURAL COMPONENTS

LANGUAGE GENIUS SUMMER PROGRAMJORDAN KOHANIM

TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW:

ESSAY: YOUR WHOLE PAPER. THIS INCLUDES INTRO, 3 BODY PARAGRAPHS,

AND A CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH

THESIS: MAIN IDEA/ ARGUMENT OF YOUR

ESSAY

PRONG: PART OF YOUR

THESIS THAT MENTIONS

WHAT THE REST OF THE ESSAY

WILL BE ABOUT

THIS TYPE OF STRUCTURE IS

OFTEN REFERRED TO AS

“A 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY”

YOUR GOAL IN THIS CLASS IS TO CREATE

A GOOD 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY

IN 55 MINUTES

THESIS STATEMENTS

SHOULD HAVE PRONGS (2 OR 3)

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLE THESIS

STATEMENTS WITH TWO PRONGS:

CATS ARE BETTER THAN DOGS

BECAUSE THEY ARE LESS NEEDY AND THEY ARE EASIER TO KEEP CLEANWHERE ARE THE PRONGS?

CATS ARE BETTER THAN DOGS

BECAUSE THEY ARE LESS NEEDY AND THEY ARE EASIER TO KEEP CLEAN

WHAT PART OF THE PRONGS ARE THE SAME?

CATS ARE BETTER THAN DOGS

BECAUSE THEY ARE LESS NEEDY AND THEY ARE EASIER TO KEEP CLEAN

THIS IS CALLED PARALLEL STRUCTURE

PARALLEL STRUCTURE: THE

BEGINNING/ STRUCTURE OF THE PRONGS IS

THE SAME

MY FAMILY IS UNIQUE BECAUSE WE ARE DEFINED BY OUR

CLOSE RELATIONSHIP AND BY OUR TRADITIONS.WHERE ARE THE PRONGS?

MY FAMILY IS UNIQUE BECAUSE WE ARE DEFINED BY OUR

CLOSE RELATIONSHIP AND BY OUR TRADITIONS.

WHERE IS PARALLEL STRUCTURE?

MY FAMILY IS UNIQUE BECAUSE WE ARE DEFINED BY OUR

CLOSE RELATIONSHIP AND BY OUR TRADITIONS.

HERE ARE SOME THREE PRONG

EXAMPLES

MY FAMILY IS DEFINED BY ITS

UNIQUE TRADITIONS,

RELATIONSHIPS, AND HISTORY. WHERE ARE THE PRONGS?

MY FAMILY IS DEFINED BY ITS

UNIQUE TRADITIONS, CLOSE

RELATIONSHIPS, AND CULTURAL

HISTORY. HOW IS IT PARALLEL?

MY FAMILY IS DEFINED BY ITS

UNIQUE TRADITIONS, CLOSE

RELATIONSHIPS, AND CULTURAL

HISTORY.

Adjective + noun

Adjective + noun

Adjective + noun

DOGS ARE BETTER THAN CATS BECAUSE

THEY ARE EASILY TRAINED, ARE

ALWAYS LOYAL, AND ARE PROTECTIVE.

WHERE ARE THE PRONGS?

DOGS ARE BETTER THAN CATS BECAUSE

THEY ARE EASILY TRAINED, ARE

ALWAYS LOYAL, AND ARE PROTECTIVE.

WHERE ARE THE PRONGS?

HERE IS AN ESSAY ABOUT SHAKESPEARE’S MACBETH

HERE IS A PERSUASIVE ESSAY ABOUT CANCER

SO HOW DO YOUR PARAGRAPHS WORK?

DOGS ARE BETTER THAN CATS BECAUSE THEY ARE EASILY

TRAINED, ARE ALWAYS LOYAL, AND ARE PROTECTIVE.

WRITE THIS THESIS DOWN!

PARAGRAPH ONE: CLAIM 1 (YOU’D NOTE THIS ON YOUR TIME TRIALS

SHEET)

DOGS ARE FAR SUPERIOR TO CATS BECAUSE YOU CAN MORE

EASILY TRAIN A DOG THAN YOU CAN A CAT.

WRITE THIS CLAIM DOWN!

PARAGRAPH TWO: CLAIM 2 (YOU WOULD NOT NOTE THIS ON YOUR TIME TRAILS

SHEET )

UNLIKE CATS, DOGS ARE TRULY LOYAL TO THEIR MASTERS.

WRITE THIS CLAIM DOWN!

PARAGRAPH THREE: CLAIM 3 (YOU WOULD NOT NOTE THIS ON YOUR TIME TRAILS

SHEET )

YOUR TURN!

WHAT SHOULD CLAIM 3 BE?

SO FOR ESSAYS, ALL THESIS STATEMENTS NEED TO HAVE PRONGS FROM HERE OUT!

•KEEP IT PARALLEL•NO MORE THAN THREE•NO LESS THAN TWO•REFER BACK TO YOUR THESIS IN YOUR CLAIMS

WRITING BUDDIES!

WE ARE GOING TO GET INTO WRITING BUDDIES GROUPS TO WORK ON

THESIS STATEMENTS