1 Writing for Success Honors English III Mrs. Anderson Thesis: Focus 1. The thesis must be the last line in the introduction 2. The thesis must be clear and concise 3. A thesis must be a persuasive statement that you will argue throughout the writing 4. Avoid words like: this, this, and their. They are vague. Literary Analysis Thesis: In Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck utilizes juxtaposition in Route 66 to contrast the productive life of the migrants to the mechanical routine of the businessmen. Persuasive/Argumentative Thesis Example that Works: Atticus, from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, is the most honorable character in the novel. Expository/Informational Thesis Example that Works: Homelessness is a problem in America. Research and Quotations: Content 1. Try to always write researched evidence in a quote. It draws the reader s eye to the support 2. Always use a lead in prior to the quote 3. Never end a paragraph with a quote expand on the relevance of that quote to that particular paragraph 4. ACE Answer, Cite, Explain/Expand this is good body paragraph form at any level of writing 5. NO MORE 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAYS! ay/ Valuable readings on this idea: http://www.csulb.edu/~eguzik/fivepara.html https://blogs.jccc.edu/pmcqueen/writing tips/documents/why not a five paragraph ess Style:...um.Style... 1. NEVER use the word also in your writing 2. Avoid words like very and really they add nothing 3. Take a side, one side, and prove it throughout your paper 4. Seek concise diction, avoid wordiness 5. Avoid pronoun confusion He went to his store to buy him a present. 6. Avoid beginning a sentence with any of the following: also, but, and, to
2 7. Vary your sentence starters 8. Conclusions should not repeat a thesis in the same exact words try ending with a general theme or theory that your thesis/essay proves 9. Avoid writing: in summary, in conclusion, all in all 10. Use transitional topics and phrases to end one paragraph and lead into the next 11. Avoid cliches (don t judge a book by its cover) 12. Add sentence variety compound, complex Valuable readings on this idea: http://www.swarthmore.edu/socsci/tburke1/beyond.html Grade 11 Non negotiables: Paper will not be accepted if these are not fulfilled 0 until correct and 10% for each day late 1. Proofread all writings and edit accordingly. 2. Typed papers should be checked for grammar and spelling issues. 3. All papers are due on the due date. No extensions. No passes to the printer. Come with your work in hand. 4. All typed work must be in MLA format and include proper in text citations/works Cited page. a. Google and bookmark Purdue Owl s MLA writing website 5. Write in complete sentences. No fragments. 6. Double space or skip lines for all Type 2 5 writings 7. Indent paragraphs 8. Write in parallel structure 9. Write with subject verb agreement 10. Write with pronoun antecedent agreement 11. No shorthand (&, ur, +) Formal and MLA Writing Strategies: Conventions 1. No you, your 2. No first person pronouns (I, me, my, us, we) 3. Title all work creatively is my preference 4. Times New Roman 5. 12 font 6. Double spaced 7. Indent paragraphs 8. Paragraph form 9. Running header (Last name space insert page #) 10. Proper heading 11. Punctuate titles of novels, poems, and articles correctly
And, please, NO CRUNCHIES!!! 3
4 My Five Paragraph Theme Theme Edward M. White Since the beginning of time, some college teachers have mocked the five paragraph theme. But I intend to show that they have been mistaken. There are three reasons why I always write five paragraph themes. First, it gives me an organizational scheme: an introduction (like this one) setting out three subtopics, three paragraphs for my three subtopics, and a concluding paragraph reminding you what I have said, in case you weren t paying attention. Second, it focuses my topic, so I don t just go on and on when I don t have anything much to say. Three and only three subtopics force me to think in a limited way. And third, it lets me write pretty much the same essay on anything at all. So I do pretty well on essay tests. A lot of teachers actually like the five paragraph theme as much as I do. The first reason I always write five paragraph themes is that it gives me an organizational scheme. It doesn t matter what the subject is, since there are three parts to everything you can think of. If you can t think of more than two, you just have to think harder or come up with something that might fit. An example will often work, like the three causes of the Civil War or abortion or reasons why the ridiculous 21 year limit for drinking alcohol should be abolished. A worse problem is when you wind up with more than three subtopics, since sometimes you want to talk about all of them. But you can t. You have to pick the best three. That keeps you from thinking too much, which is a great time saver, especially on an essay test. The second reason for the five paragraph theme is that it makes you focus on a single topic. Some people start writing on the usual topic, like TV commercials, and they
5 wind up all over the place, talking about where TV came from or capitalism or health foods or whatever. But with only five paragraphs and one topic you re not tempted to get beyond your original idea, like commercials are a good source of information about products. You give your three examples and zap! you re done. This is another way the five paragraph theme keeps you from thinking too much. The last reason to write this way is the most important. Once you have it down, you can use it for practically anything. Does God exist? Well, you can say yes and give three reasons or no and give three different reasons. It doesn t really matter. You re sure to get a good grade whatever you pick to put into the formula. And that s the real reason for education, to get those good grades without thinking too much and using up too much time. So I ve given you three reasons why I always write a five paragraph theme and why I ll keep doing so in college. It gives me an organizational scheme that looks like an essay, it limits my focus to one topic and three subtopics so I don t wander about thinking irrelevant thoughts, and it will be useful for whatever writing I do in any subject. I don t know why some teachers seem to dislike it so much. They must have a different idea about education than I do. ***** Writing Assignment: Write a reflection on the above SATIRICAL essay. Don t ask me any questions about it. Just write. You will submit this reflection to me when you have completed it.