Arrangement

Recognizing Patterns

A. The essay question you are given will reveal what type of essay you are going to write.

1. Process Essay: Explain the rituals and activities of a church service you’ve attended. 2. Compare and Contrast: What scholastic habits among men and women lead to differences in their academic performances? 3. Argumentative: Is universal health care an unnecessary tax burden on the self-employed?

Introduction -

3 STEP Intro: Creating interest > presenting the subject > stating thesis

STEP ONE: Attention Catching Device (first sentence): An interesting or entertaining statement or question at the beginning of an essay that draws the reader’s attention and relates directly to the subject of the essay.

Examples of Attention Catching Device: 1. Definition – Create an original definition of a relevant term or concept. (Ex. Democracy is a form of government in which power is given to and exercised by the people. This may be true in theory, but ….(lead reader to your thesis).) 2. Anecdote - A brief (half-paragraph) story that leads to your thesis statement. Note: This technique works best with narratives and works less well with more fact based papers. Ex. Kevin Barrington is a sixth grade student at Gregory College Prep. He awakes at 6:00am and departs his home at 6:30am with a juice box and a box of cereal in order to catch the bus. His commute is more than thirty blocks, and traffic stretches the journey out to about an hour.

3. Question – Ask your reader a thought provoking question, which your thesis (and the rest of your paper) will answer. (Ex. What was it like to live through the Holocaust? Elie Wiesel, in One Generation After, answers this question by presenting a series of accounts about ordinary people who found themselves imprisoned in Nazi death camps. As he does so, he challenges some of the assumptions we have about those who survived the Holocaust.)

4. Quotation – An interesting quote can introduce your paper and compliment your thesis. (Ex. “The rich are different,” F. Scott Fitzgerald said more than seventy years ago. Apparently, they still are. As an examination of the tax code shows, the wealthy receive many more benefits than the middle class or the poor do.)

5. Fact or statistic – Begin your paper with a striking (and perhaps little known) fact or statistic that will rivet your reader. Car airbags kill 1 person for every 22 people they save. Such a disastrous statistic reflects that more research must be done in the field of car safety.

STEP TWO: Background Information

After your attention-catching device, you will need several statements that familiarize the reader with the topic and offer any information the reader may need to know to be able to understand the essay.

Ex. Over the years, more inner-city schools have had to close. These closures are generally related to data collections that indicate these schools are under-performing, which can be a symptom of poor teaching, poor resources, poor neighborhoods, or all three. As a result, students are forced to attend schools outside of their familiar neighborhoods, forcing them into foreign territory where the expectations and policies may differ quite severely from those they are used to (Background Information). Moreover, as inner-city schools continue to close, the students who had previously attended these institutions often suffer academically in their new environment, which can be linked to alienation from peers, unfamiliarity with new teaching styles, and exhaustion from extensive commutes (Thesis statement).

STEP 3: Thesis Statement (last sentence of the introduction): A statement that presents the main idea or argument of an essay and previews the ideas that will appear in the essay (body paragraphs). For the purposes of this class, use the three-point thesis statement format – see examples below).

Ex. Moreover, as inner-city schools continue to close, the students who had previously attended these institutions often suffer academically in their new environment, which can be linked to alienation from peers, unfamiliarity with new teaching styles, and exhaustion from extensive commutes (Thesis statement).

Argument: Students suffer academically from inner-city school closings.

Previewed points:
A. Alienation
B. Unfamiliarity with teachers
C. Long commutes

In a short 4-5 paragraph essay, your thesis should tell the reader what the main idea or argument of your paper is, while also previewing the ideas of the body paragraphs IN A SINGLE SENTENCE.
Ex. Argumentative Essay: Ultimately, placing minors in jail stops their development, places them in danger, and creates resentment for the justice system.
Compare/Contrast: To be sure, time has changed my relationship with my brother, as we have lost our ability to communicate, become interested in different things, and prefer to live in different cities.
Process Essay: One should be aware that getting a piercing is a serious choice, requiring one to choose a reputable piercer, endure a painful procedure, and make sure that one’s skin remains healthy afterward.
*** Notice the underlined words: In each thesis, each section of the listed points uses the same verb form. Make sure you do this in your own thesis. This is called parallelism.

Body Paragraphs – ALL BODY PARAGRAPHS ARE SUPPORT FOR THE THESIS

Unified – Body paragraphs should talk about only ONE idea and use many pieces of information to support that one idea. (Just because you include a piece of information that is about the SUBJECT of your thesis, does not mean that it relates to the specific idea elaborated in that paragraph). Sentence 1 The main idea of a paragraph should be stated in the first sentence called The Topic Sentence. All of the following sentences relate to that topic sentence.

Ex. Among the reasons why students suffer academically from changing schools is the alienation they may feel from their new peers.

(After stating the topic sentence, all ideas must relate to this one main idea: alienation from peers).

Step 2 After the topic sentence, add one sentence of additional background by elaborating on the topic sentence. This sentence should further help your reader understand what the paragraph is about before you begin with your examples.

- Your second sentence may elaborate on the background of the paragraph’s point and/or offer any needed terms or definitions (just like in the intro paragraph but in just one sentence).

(Topic Sentence) Among the reasons why students suffer academically from changing schools is the alienation they may feel from their new peers. (Elaboration of Topic Sentence) Indeed, when leaving their familiar educational environment, many students leave behind friends and classmates that they had gotten used to over the years.

Sentences 3- until finished. Following your elaboration, state 2-3 points/ examples that support your topic sentence. Each point should have at least 1-2 sentences of explanation following it. You must NEVER state a point without explanation. No examples should be one sentence long or it’s not worth saying!

- Use transition words (e.g. however, therefore, furthermore, for example) to allow your paragraphs to flow smoothly. Specifically, use them between examples.

Transitions tell us WHY you put one sentence next to the other. Do not assume your reader can figure that out! Without transitions a paper can and will look like a grocery list!

Without Transitions

Among the reasons why students suffer academically from changing schools is the alienation they may feel from their new peers. When leaving their familiar educational environment, many students leave behind friends and classmates that they had gotten used to over the years. Students may feel uncomfortable participating in class or group projects since they are unfamiliar with how their peers might react to their ideas. This may cause them to shut down and avoid exercising what they’ve learned in class with others. Students in new schools may have difficultly making friends. They may feel disconnected or inferior to the other students and become antisocial. This can lead to antisocial behaviors such as drug use or potential bullying in order to react against their inability to assimilate into the school community.

Complete Body Paragraph (with topic sentence, elaboration, support, transitions)

(Topic Sentence) Among the reasons why students suffer academically from changing schools is the alienation they may feel from their new peers. (Elaboration of Topic Sentence) Indeed, when leaving their familiar educational environment, many students leave behind friends and classmates that they had gotten used to over the years. (Point 1) As a result, students may feel uncomfortable participating in class or group projects since they are unfamiliar with how their peers might react to their ideas. (Explanation)This may cause them to shut down and avoid exercising what they’ve learned in class with others. (Point 2) Additionally, students in new schools may have difficultly making friends. (Explanation) Thus, they may feel disconnected or inferior to the other students and become antisocial. This can lead to antisocial behaviors such as drug use or potential bullying in order to react against their inability to assimilate into the school community.*

*Notes on Paragraph: The support in this paragraph is made up of results. Specifically, the results of alienation from peers, in new schools. Notice how each piece of support is made up of two or more sentences. Also, each piece of support is divided by transition words (in italics).

Conclusion Paragraph

Step 1 - Restate your general argument without listing the major points (1 sentence).

Ex. Ultimately, students can suffer greatly from having to change schools.

Step 2 - Review major points in one or two sentences in a new way - different from the thesis (1-2 sentences).

Helpful transitions to restate points:

“not only but also”

or

“whether it’s A or B.”

Ex. Not only does changing schools force them into an unknown group of students, but long commutes and unfamiliar teaching styles can have negative and long-lasting effects on their education.

Ex. 2 Whether it’s by having to adjust to new peers and teachers, or by having to experience exhausting commutes, changing schools can have negative and long-lasting effects on students’ education.

C. The moral of the story – what you want your reader to take away (2-3 sentences).
(This is where you can tell us the deeper ideas behind your paper. What should we be thinking about when we get home. You can look at this as an ending attention catcher).

Suggestions:

1. Recommendation for a course of action. (Ex. In order to ensure that students have the best possible teachers, school boards should consider applicants’ real-world experience when evaluating their qualifications.)

2. Prediction – A logical prediction that follows along with the rest of your essay (don’t create a brand new point or change direction) (Ex. If campaign advertisements continue to serve as mere attacks on other candidates, the American people will disregard them and reject the candidates they promote.)

3. Quotation – A relevant quotation to leave in the reader’s mind that summarizes your subject.

Complete Conclusion Example:

Ultimately, students can suffer greatly from having to change schools. Whether it’s by having to adjust to new peers and teachers, or by having to experience exhausting commutes, changing schools can have negative, long-lasting effects on students’ education. While failing schools do need to make drastic changes to meet the need of their students, relocating students to unfamiliar environments is not a productive solution. Indeed, how could a student ever trust the education system if they can be packed up and shipped away any given time? (Prediction Question)

Suggest 2 strengths and/or weaknesses of the following thesis statements:

1. My instructor should change his attendance policy because it is bad.

2. My instructor should change his attendance policy because it is unreasonable, inflexible, and unfair.

3. As more inner-city schools close, the students who had previously attended these institutions often suffer academically due to alienation from new peers, unfamiliarity with teacher expectations, and exhaustion from extensive commutes.

4. Social networking sites like Facebook can be detrimental to relationships, job prospects, and promote criminal activity.

5. College students should be careful what they put on their Facebook profiles because prospective employers routinely check them.

6. Standardized testing is not an accurate method of measuring students’ abilities.

Formal Outlines

A. Formal outlines serve as a map to each paragraph of your paper. Ex.

I. Thesis
II. Body Paragraph Topic Sentence (1) a. Point 1 b. Point 2 c. Point 3 1. Reinforcement for Point 3 2. Reinforcement for Point 3
III. Body Paragraph (2) a. Point 1 1. Reinforcement for Point 1 2. Reinforcement for Point 1 b. Point 2 c. Point 3
IV. Body Paragraph (3) a. Point 1 b. Point 2 c. Point 3
V. Conclusion

(HIGHLY SUGGESTED: For each body paragraph HAVE (3) SUPPORTING EXAMPLES or (2) in depth ideas.)

Recognizing Patterns:

In groups of 3, look through the articles in Everything’s an Argument and locate the following (the articles are the essays by the professionals that appear on the pages with the purple boarder, usually accompanied by the author’s face):

1. 2 examples of an attention catching device. Write the first complete sentence of each device. If the device continues beyond the first sentence, write (cont.) after the sentence. In two-three sentences explain why the device is effective.

2. One example of a paragraph that contains the elements of a well- structured body paragraph. You do not need to write out the body paragraph, but you need to write four specific reasons why the body paragraph works well.

3. 2 examples of a closing device. Write the first complete sentence of each device. If the device continues beyond the first sentence, write (cont.) after the sentence. In two-three sentences explain why the device is effective.

****For all intro/concluding devices and paragraphs, include the page number on which they appear in GUIDE. Each group will turn in one copy of their findings.

Recognizing Patterns:

In groups of 3, look through the READINGS in Writing Arguments and locate the following (the articles are the essays by the professionals that appear on the pages with the purple boarder, usually accompanied by the author’s face):

1. 2 examples of an attention catching device. Write the first complete sentence of each device. If the device continues beyond the first sentence, write (cont.) after the sentence. In two-three sentences explain why the device is effective.

2. One example of a paragraph that contains the elements of a well- structured body paragraph. You do not need to write out the body paragraph, but you need to write four specific reasons why the body paragraph works well.

3. 2 examples of a closing device. Write the first complete sentence of each device. If the device continues beyond the first sentence, write (cont.) after the sentence. In two-three sentences explain why the device is effective.

****For all intro/concluding devices and paragraphs, include the page number on which they appear in Writing Arguments. Each group will turn in one copy of their findings.

Write 2 strengths and/or weaknesses of the following thesis statements:

1. My instructor should change his attendance policy because it is bad.

2. My instructor should change his attendance policy because it is unreasonable, inflexible, and unfair.

3. Social networking sites like Facebook can be detrimental to relationships, job prospects, and promote criminal activity.

4. College students should be careful what they put on their Facebook profiles because prospective employers routinely check them.

5. Standardized testing is not an accurate method of measuring students’ abilities.