WRITING AN INFORMATIVE ESSAY PREPARING FOR AN INFORMATIVE

WRITING AN INFORMATIVE ESSAY

PREPARING FOR AN INFORMATIVE ESSAY • BRAINSTORM A LIST OF ACTIVITIES YOU LIKE TO DO • MAKE CATEGORIES FOR YOUR ACTIVITIES

THESIS STATEMENT • A THESIS IS A ONE SENTENCE STATEMENT (NOT A QUESTION) THAT EXPLAINS THE PURPOSE OF YOUR ESSAY. • A GOOD THESIS IS STRONG, STRAIGHTFORWARD AND CONCISE

WHAT SHOULD MY THESIS STATEMENT INCLUDE? • YOUR THESIS STATEMENT SHOULD MENTION ALL 3 OF YOUR FAVORITE ACTIVITIES. • (LOOK AT YOUR BRAINSTORM LISTTHE 3 YOU CHOSE!) • A POSSIBLE THESIS STATEMENT FOR THIS COULD BE: • OUT OF ALL THE ACTIVITIES THERE ARE, I LIKE PLAYING SOFTBALL, READING AND SWIMMING THE BEST • MORE ON THESIS STATEMENTS: • MAKE SURE YOUR THESIS IS AT THE END OF THE INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH • CREATE TOPIC SENTENCES THAT ALIGN WITH YOUR THESIS STATEMENT • AFTER YOU FINISH YOUR ROUGH DRAFT, GO BACK AND READ ONLY YOUR THESIS STATEMENT AND TOPIC SENTENCE. IF IT

TOPIC SENTENCES • EVERY BODY PARAGRAPH WILL BEGIN WITH A SENTENCE THAT INTRODUCES THE CONTENT OF THAT PARAGRAPH • YOUR TOPIC SENTENCE WILL ALSO SERVE AS A TRANSITION FROM THE PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH • USE TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES TO SHOW YOU ARE MOVING FROM ONE TOPIC TO THE NEXT. • TRANSITIONAL WORDS = NEXT, THEN, SECOND, THIRD, IN ADDITION, ON THE OTHER HAND, EVENTUALLY, ETC.

BODY SENTENCES • EACH PARAGRAPH SHOULD BE LIMITED ONE GENERAL IDEA. • THIS WILL ALLOW FOR CLARITY AND DIRECTION THROUGHOUT THE ESSAY. • CREATES AN EASE OF READABILITY FOR ONE’S AUDIENCE. • EACH PARAGRAPH IN THE BODY OF THE ESSAY MUST HAVE SOME LOGICAL CONNECTION TO THESIS STATEMENT IN THE OPENING PARAGRAPH. • EACH PARAGRAPH NEEDS TO BE AT LEAST 5 -7 SENTENCES • BE CREATIVE. • DO NOT WRITE SIMPLE SENTENCES THAT ARE BORING! BE CREATIVE (IT WILL BE MORE FUN!)

WRITING A HOOK SENTENCE

WHAT IS A HOOK SENTENCES AND WHAT DOES IT DO? • A HOOK SENTENCE IS THAT JUICY STRING OF WORDS THAT MAKE UP THE FIRST SENTENCE (OR TWO) OF YOUR WRITING PROJECT • THE WORDS THAT GRAB YOUR READERS’ ATTENTION AND DON’T LET GO. • GOOD HOOK SENTENCES SAY, “DROP EVERYTHING YOU’RE DOING AND READ ME RIGHT NOW, ” WITHOUT ACTUALLY COMING OUT AND JUST SAYING THAT.

FOUR SIMPLE STEPS TO WRITE A HOOK SENTENCE • STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR AUDIENCE • ASK YOURSELF THESE QUESTIONS: • WHO IS MY AUDIENCE? • DO I HAVE TO CAPTIVE AUDIENCE? • WHAT MATTERS TO MY AUDIENCE? • STEP 2: IDENTIFY THE PURPOSE OF YOUR WRITING • ANSWER THESE TWO QUESTIONS: • HOW DO I WANT MY AUDIENCE TO FEEL? • WHAT DO I WANT MY AUDIENCE TO TAKE AWAY?

FOUR SIMPLE STEPS TO WRITE A HOOK SENTENCE CONTINUED… STEP 3: CHOOSE YOUR HOOK WISELY STEP 4: CRAFT YOUR HOOK

CONCLUSION • A CONCLUSION THAT DOES NOT SIMPLY RESTATE THESIS, BUT READDRESSES IT IN LIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE PROVIDED. • DO NOT INTRODUCE ANY NEW INFORMATION • SUM UP “YOUR FINDINGS”