Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Do Now: Read the sample college application essay prompts below and choose your top three. Brainstorm possible topics for each of your three essay prompts. You can write about:• A person who has influenced you or someone you admire• An experience that reflects your personality in some way• A social or political issue that interests you• A fictional character or historical personage that interests

or reflects upon you in some way• Your perception of diversity• Your favorite book• Your reasons for choosing that college/university• A meaningful activity• What you want to do 10 years from now

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Do Now: Take the sample essay prompts from yesterday and choose your favorite. Answer the prompt in one sentence. Then, give three reasons why you chose your answer.

• A person who has influenced you or someone you admire• An experience that reflects your personality in some way• A social or political issue that interests you• A fictional character or historical personage that interests or

reflects upon you in some way• Your perception of diversity• Your favorite book• Your reasons for choosing that college/university• A meaningful activity (volunteer work, job shadowing, etc)• What you want to do 10 years from now

The Five-Paragraph Essay

Ms. ZupancicEnglish 12

    

Why do we have to learn how to write a five-paragraph essay

anyway?

• SAT

• College Entrance Essays

• Job Applications

• Scholarships

Diagram of a Five-Paragraph Essay

Introduction Paragraph

Body Paragraphs

Conclusion Paragraph

Purpose of an Intro Paragraph:

• The intro previews the entire structure of the paper.

• It must grab the reader’s attention.

• It gives the reader background information that the reader needs to understand about the topic.

• The intro identifies the topic of the paper as well as the author’s opinion about the topic.

The Intro Paragraph

Q. Why is an up-side-down triangle used to represent an intro paragraph?

A. The intro moves from general to specific ideas.

General

Specific

Parts of the Intro:

Grabber (or Hook)

– The first sentence of the entire essay.

– Must grab or “hook” the reader’s attention

– May determine whether anyone will want to read your essay.

Types of Grabber Sentences:1. Question: What is love?

2. Quote: Paul McCartney once said, “All you need is love.”

3. Interesting Fact: Many people feel that they are unhappy because one thing is missing in their lives—love.

4. Tell a story (only 2-5 sentences): As I opened the brown paper bag containing my lunch I was disappointed to find another peanut butter a jelly sandwich. “Not again,” I muttered to myself, thinking angry thoughts towards my mother who had packed it that morning. Then, my eye caught the shiny wrapper of a Snickers Bar, my favorite candy! On a napkin, in my mother’s neat handwriting were the words, “I love you.”

5. Statistic: According to Care2.com, the average person burns 26 calories per one minute of kissing.

• The Thesis is THE most important sentence of your entire essay!!!

• It is the last sentence of your intro paragraph.

• It is the most specific sentence of your essay.

THESIS STATEMENT

Parts of a THESIS:

Topic or Subject+Statement or

Opinion

=Thesis Statement

Example: Love is a powerful force which can add a sense of security, hope and belonging to a person’s life.

Topic: Love

Opinion:is a powerful force which can instill a sense of security, hope and belonging in a person’s life

Okay…if an essay is a car…what part of the car would be the thesis?

The thesis is like the steering wheel of a car because it has the power to decide in what direction the essay is going to go. More importantly, if your essay does

not have a thesis, your essay will have no direction.

We know exactly what each body paragraph will be about…

Love is a powerful force which can add a sense of security, hope and belonging to a person’s life.

Security

Hope

Belonging

These are called:

Thesis Parts

The Body Paragraphs:The Heart of Your Essay

Each Body Paragraph

must develop an idea

or a sub-topic

that supports the

Thesis Statement.

Parts of a Body Paragraph

Topic Sentence:• The first sentence of a body

paragraph• This sentence is a signpost

that lets your reader know what you will be discussing in this paragraph.

• This sentence must relate back to the thesis.

Example: A sense of security is felt when someone loves you because, you know they will never leave you.

Types of Sentences Found in a Body Paragraph:

• Concrete Details– Any fact or statement

• Quotes / Evidence– Words from a text or

an expert on the subject

• Commentary– Your opinion

• Telling why something is important

The Clincher orTransition Sentence

• The last sentence of a body paragraph clinches the topic.

• A summarizing or transitional sentence

• Often rephrases the topic sentence and introduces the next paragraph’s topic

• Signpost telling your reader you are done with one topic and moving on to the next.

Clincher

Conclusion Paragraph

Reword the Thesis– This sentence reminds

readers what the point of your essay was.

Example: People need to be loved in order to have a sense of security, a sense of hope in the future and a sense of belonging.

Draw your reader out…

Your conclusion must…1. Tie up any loose ends.2. Summarize main ideas

or important points.3. Answer the questions:

So what? Why is this important?

4. Connect the reader back to the larger context of the world.

Diagram Review

Introduction

Body

Conclusion

Grabber or Hook

Thesis

Topic Sentence

Clincher

Rephrased Thesis

Really?!? Five Paragraphs?

• Typically, an application essay will have a min. or max. line amount.

• The #1 rule (OF ANY ASSIGNMENT) is to follow directions

• If it asks for you to write a 250 words essay, then focus on a well put together one paragraph essay

• If it asks for a 2-3 page paper, then focus on a well-written 3 or 5 paragraph essay (depending on the topic)

Reminders

• Be unique– Make yourself

stand out

• Be concise• Be honest• Be coherent• Be accurate• Be vivid

• Be likable• Be cautious in

your use of humor

• Be controversial (if you can)

• Be smart

Avoid Common Mistakes

• Not having a hook– Find the one

thing that will make your essay stand out

• Ignoring your online identity– Facebook– Twitter

• Not getting help early and often (read essay aloud)

• Plan ahead

• Don’t rely on your parents

Video

First, you need a topic…

• You have been a given a “prompt” to

write about.

• You narrowed down your choices

during the do now today.

• Using brainstorming techniques and

an outline, you will take the topic and

develop it over the course of the next

two weeks.

• Questions?

What do I need to writeabout?

Next, what will you do with your topic?

You need to think it over and decide:Purpose: Why am I writing this? This

is a “persuasive” essay, so you are writing it to get somebody to think like you do.

Audience: Who am I writing this for? You are writing for an English class (Zupancic) and/or for your college or scholarship application.

Format: What structure should my essay have? You are usually writing the standard 5 paragraph persuasive essay.

Hmmmm…

Now, you have to plan your essay• Prewriting: What ideas do I have?

– Now you have to come up with some ideas by brainstorming, clustering, or free writing. First, you think them up and then put them on paper.

• Organizing: In what order do I put my ideas? – You can put your ideas in spatial order

like top to bottom, or chronological order as in a time line, or in order of importance with the most important idea last so the reader is left with your strongest idea.

Checkmate!

What is the structural design of my essay?

The design of the 5 paragraph essay is quite simple:

1. The Introduction with a strong lead-in, both sides of the issue, your thesis statement telling your side of the issue and the reasons that support your thesis.

2. Your well-elaborated first reason with specific examples.

3. Your well-elaborated second reason with specific examples.

4. Your well-elaborated third reason with specific examples.

5. The Conclusion where you restate your thesis and your 3 reasons with a strong, decisive closing statement.

Be a writing architect!

Now you are ready to write!

• First draft: Since this is the first time you are writing in class, it does not have to be perfect. The main thing you want to do is get your ideas on paper in the proper essay format. You can do the fine tuning in the…

• Revision: Now, the real writing starts. Steven King says you don’t start writing until you start revising. Look over your essay for errors, and also for what you can say better than before!

“I am beyond writer’s cramp.”

And keep writing…then submit it!

• Final Draft: This is where it all comes together, when you get your essay to be as “good as it gets.” – But, before you hand it

in, proofread it one last time to be sure it’s just the way you want it to be. Then, submit it.

“There, I’m done!”

Brainstorming

What is it?

Why do we need it?

A gathering of ideas from your brain onto paper.

The variety of ideas and the use of your imagination assist you in producing a lot of material with which to work.

It’s the best way to collect your thoughts.

It’s helpful for organization.

It ensures only quality ideas are used in the essay.

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber One

FreewritingWhat is it?

Think about the topic. Then write, write, write. Whatever comes into your brain – even if it doesn’t have to do with the topic. Example:

"This paper is supposed to be on the politics of tobacco production but even though I went to all the lectures and read the book I can't think of what to say and I've felt this way for four minutes now and I have 11 minutes left and I wonder if I'll keep thinking nothing during every minute but I'm not sure if it matters that I am babbling and I don't know what else to say about this topic and it is rainy today and I never noticed the number of cracks in that wall before and those cracks remind me of the walls in my grandfather's study and he smoked and he farmed and I wonder why he didn't farm tobacco..."

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber One

FreewritingOptions:

Write for a specific time period

Write for a specific amount of paper

Number One

FreewritingWhen is it helpful?

When you have NO ideas about a topic

When you have TOO MANY ideas about a topic

Maybe I could say this or maybe I

could say that… hmmm

??????

Brainstorming Technique

Number Two

Making a Cube

What is it?

Imagine a cube. It has six sides. On each side, you have a different task regarding the topic.

Brainstorming Technique

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Two

Making a Cube

Describe

Side One: Describe the topic.

Side Two: Compare the topic.

Side Three: Associate the topic.

Side Four: Analyze the topic.

Side Five: Apply the topic.

Side Six: Argue for or against the topic.

CompareAssociateAnalyzeApplyArgue

Brainstorming Technique Number Three

Clustering

What is it?

When you write down words or concepts associated with the topic – any ideas that come into your mind

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Three

Clustering

Draw a bubble.And write the topic above it.

Brainstorm!

Now look for words that connect with each other. Circle the words and connect them with lines.

Global Warming

rainforests disappearing

extinction emissions dangerous

dying animals toxic world wide

Cars/SUVs factories

landscape changes no icebergs

expensive to fix? hurricanes

Reversible?

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Four

Listing or BulletingWhat is it?

Create a list of terms/ideas/concepts about the topic. Create multiple lists depending on the purpose.

Global Warming

Toxic fumes

SUVs/Cars

Extinction

Belief/Disbelief

Kyoto Agreement

Belief/Disbelief

Scientists disagree

Average American

China/USA

Normal occurrence or abnormal event?

Brainstorming Technique Number Five

Venn DiagramWhat is it?

Draw two circles that connect, like this:

List two topics above the circles.

Brainstorm about the topics – what do they have in common and what is unique about each one.

Cities

Eiffel Tower

Capital

Became Paris in 400

A.D.

francophone

County seat

Anglophone

Founded in 1839

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Five

Venn DiagramWhen is it used?

When you are writing a comparison or contrast essay.

Cities

Eiffel Tower

Capital

Became Paris in 400 A.D.

francophone

County seat

anglophone

Founded in 1839

Brainstorming Technique Number Six

Tree DiagramWhat is it?

This diagram has a central idea to which you add branches that focus on details.

Number Six

Tree DiagramWhen do you use it?

This type of diagram is helpful in classification essays.

Media

Print VisualAudio

Newspaper magazine booklettelevision webpage movie

cd mp3 cassette

Brainstorming Technique

Brainstorming Technique Number Seven

Act like a JournalistWhat is it?

Using the question words in English to explore the topic.

Who?

What?

When? Where?

Why?

How?

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Seven

Act like a JournalistWhen is it useful?

Use this technique when you want to write a narrative.

Who?

When?

What?

Where?

Why?

How?

Brainstorming Technique Number Eight

T-DiagramWhat is it?

Using a T shape, list a category that you want to compare or contrast about a specific topic or topics. Do this for a variety of categories.

Paris, France and Paris Texaslocation

Europe

Northern France

North America

Northern Texas

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Eight

T-DiagramWhen is it useful?

This technique helps when you are writing a contrast or comparison essay.

Paris, France and Paris Texaslocation

Europe

Northern France

North America

Northern Texas

Brainstorming Technique Number Nine

Spoke or Web DiagramWhat is it?

Write the topic in a circle. Then think of about causes and effects. Write these around the circle like spokes on a wheel.

Global Warming

too many people

cars/suvs not recycling chopping down trees

Crazy weather

loss of polar ice caps

dying animals

Brainstorming TechniqueNumber Nine

Spoke or Web DiagramWhen is it useful?

Use this technique when you want to explore cause and effect.

too many people

cars/suvs not recycling chopping down trees

Global Warming

Crazy weather

loss of polar ice caps

dying animals

Brainstorming

In our class, you will need to show evidence of the brainstorming technique that you

used to begin the essay process.

It’s part of your grade because it’s important!

Remember to ask for help or clarification if you need it.

AssignmentDue Monday

Complete the brainstorming for your topic.

I will be collecting it!

On Monday, we will be working on your outline.