Writing A Strong Paragraph and Title Writing Workshop
- Slides: 7
+ Writing A Strong Paragraph and Title Writing Workshop Mr. Eisner December 5, 2018
+ What Is A Paragraph? A paragraph is a cohesive unit that flows smoothly from beginning to end and connects to the paragraph before and after, serving to support your thesis overall.
+ What Is A Paragraph, continued… n The paragraph is the foundation of your essay. n Each body paragraph should focus on one specific example from the text. n Your examples should prove your argument. n Most basic essays have 5 paragraphs. n Introductory, Body (3), and Concluding
+ What makes a good paragraph? STRUCTURE! n Contains a strong topic sentence: n The first sentence introduces the focus of that paragraph. n Example: The first example that demonstrates theme of the importance of decisions is when Macbeth sees his first hallucination. n n n NEVER START OR END A PARAGRAPH WITH A QUOTE! Focuses on one example: n Provides a direct quote from the story to illustrate the example. n Always state who is speaking and what they are speaking about (include page number). This is called context. Fully explains the example: n 2 -3 sentences of explanation. n Explanation must relate back to your thesis.
+ Inserting Quotes and Lead-Ins n Never start a paragraph with just a quote. n Never start a sentence with just a quote. n “Fair is foul and foul is fair. ” n This is not a sentence. It’s a sentence fragment. n You must use a lead-in which is the part before the quote that mentions what is happening and who is speaking. n Lead-ins introduce the quote. Here’s an example: n In Act Two, when trying to convince her husband to kill the king, Lady Macbeth states, “…And live a coward in thine own esteem? ” n When thinking about murdering the king, Macbeth states, “…And blow the horrid deed in every eye. ”
+ Titles for Academic Papers n This is NOT a short story. Don’t title it like one. The following are not appropriate titles. n Macbeth’s Journey n A Love Gone Wrong n Macbeth Essay n Rather, title your essay like the academic paper that it is. n Academic titles have the following elements: n 1. They mention the title of the text (The Tragedy of Macbeth). n 2. They mention the subject of the essay. For example: Consequence in The Tragedy of Macbeth Shakespeare’s Lesson About Decisions in Macbeth An Analysis of Theme in Macbeth: The Dangers of Greed
+ Your Job… Take a copy of the Paragraph Workshop, complete it, and show Mr. Eisner when finished!