Planning and Shaping Your Essays What you need

Planning and Shaping Your Essays

What you need to get started: l l A laptop or computer A pen and notepad

CONFUSED? It’s okay, it happens to everyone. Just take a deep breath and try it again.

“Textbook Formula” on how to plan and shape an essay -State your thesis. -Write an outline. -Write a first draft. -Revise and polish.

Shaping your essay l Introduction: Used at the beginning of the essay to draw the audience into the argument to follow. Your thesis statement should be in the introduction. l Body: Paragraphs that include a topic sentence, and ideas that support your argument. Quotes can be used as support, as well as your own explanation. l Conclusion: The last paragraph in your essay. It should remind your audience what was discussed, and leave them with the most important point of your essay.

Shaping your body paragraphs using P. I. E. l Point (topic sentence): l Illustration: A topic sentence includes your idea about a portion of your thesis statement, that will give supporting information. An illustration supports your topic sentence, usually with a quote from a source. l Explanation: Explain your illustration by giving your own opinion or someone else’s on why you chose it.

Not everyone’s way of planning and shaping essays is the same. What works for one person, may not work for others.

Michael’s Way Brainstorming: l l l Gather all ideas and possible topics (including those that do not apply to the topic). Gather all reliable sources for the information chosen. Create a web to include all ideas into major categories and sub-categories. murder Killing human being Religion God forbids Anti-abortion Abortion pro-abortion Women’s rights Protection of the law Personal choice

Michael’s Way Outlining: l l Write a thesis statement for two topic chosen. Choose topics for each paragraph. -Think of main idea. -Personal example or observation. -Narrow topic to one idea and begin writing.

Edrienne’s Way Step 1: Pick a topic if one is not already assigned to me. Step 2: Do research on the topic (Books, web articles); brainstorm. Step 3: Turn off all distractions around me (TV, cell phone) or go to the library to start my essay. Step 4: Write down thesis and the supporting ideas (which are my body paragraphs). Step 5: Write a first draft, then I type it out. Step 6: Proof read, and make any corrections on the essay for the final draft.

Catherine’s Way I MUST START EARLY! I always start with what I already know about the topic. l Then I go to the library, check academic databases, and the internet for additional information. l Next, I analyze by asking “WHO? WHAT? WHY? HOW? ” so I can make my own assumptions and conclusions about the topic. l My final step is structuring my thoughts into an outline, and organizing my ideas into paragraphs. l

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Citations l Purdue Online Writing Lab. (2012). Retrieved 1995, from Introduction to Pre-Writing (Invention): http: //owl. english. purdue. edu/owl/resource/673/01/ l PB Works. (2012). Retrieved 2011, from P I E Paragraph Organization: https: //bb. csueastbay. edu/webapps/portal/frameset. jsp? tab. Group=cou rses&url=%2 Fwebapps%2 Fblackboard%2 Fcontent. Wrapp er. jsp%3 Fcontent_id%3 D_4146358_1%26 display. Name%3 DLinked%2 BFile%26 course_id%3 D_385669_1%26 nav. Item%3 Dcontent%26 attac hment%3 Dtrue%26 hre