1. English 99
Introduction to Paper
Structure and the
Writing Process

3. • What is the subject of your paper?
Topic • Make sure your topic matches what is being asked of you in your
assignment.
• Who are you writing for?
Audience • Different audiences can change the way you need to convey your
information to your readers.
• Why are you writing? To inform your readers? Persuade them?
Purpose Call them to action? A combination of these things?
• What is the main idea of your paper, and how will you convey that
Thesis Statement clearly and concisely to your specific audience?
• What will you use to support or prove your thesis statement is
Support logical and correct?

4. Journalistic Questions
• Who, What, Where, Why & When?
Cluster Maps, Mind Map, Web
• Visual organization of your ideas. Looks like a web!
Freewriting
• Dumping all of your scattered thoughts onto a page, just to get them out there.
List
• A numbered or bulleted list of all the points or ideas you have knocking around in
your head.
Venn Diagram
• Visual representation of the similarities and differences between two or more ideas
or concepts.

5. • Please watch this planning video, which is a
quick reminder of how you take a very
basic idea and start brainstorming:
Planning your paper

7. • Organizing your prewriting/planning into a
Organizing structure that makes sense for your assignment.
Thesis • What is the main idea of your paper, and how will
you convey that clearly and concisely to your
Statements specific audience?
Topic • What is the main idea of this paragraph or section
of thought?
Sentences
• What will you use to support or prove your thesis
Support statement is logical and correct?

8. • Arrange your
prewriting into main
Organizing ideas and sub-ideas
• Use a graphic organizer
• Develop into an outline

9. • The answer to the question you have
posed
• The resolution of a problem you have
Thesis identified
• A statement that takes a position on a
Statement debatable topic
• Your first draft of a thesis is known as a
“working thesis” – it is a very general
idea and will probably be revised later.

10. • A mini thesis statement
for each of your
Topic support paragraphs.
Sentences • Each topic sentence
must be a sub-idea of
your thesis statement.

11. • Each topic sentence must be “backed up” with
clear support.
• Support includes:
• Reasons your topic sentence is correct;
• Examples that show your topic sentence is
correct
Support • Names of authorities on the subject who back
up your topic sentence
• Numbers (statistics, etc) that prove your topic
sentence is correct
• Sensory details that show your topic sentence
has an impact

13. • Please watch these two videos!
• The first goes through the parts of a basic
paper, showing you exactly what you will
be “building” when you organize your
information: Parts of an Essay
• The second video shows you how to take
your prewriting from the planning stages
to a structured paper with a thesis, topic
sentences and basic support:Organizing
your Information

15. A topic sentence is a mini thesis that
explains that category you’ll be discussing
in the paragraph.
Thesis statement:
The lifestyles of barn owls include hunting for
insects and animals, building nests, and
raising their young.
Sub-topics:
Hunting for insects and animals, building
nests, and raising their young.

16. Thesis statement:
The lifestyles of barn owls include hunting for insects and
animals, building nests, and raising their young.
Topic Sentence #1: Hunting for food is only one of the
many activities a barn owl undertakes on a daily basis.
Topic Sentence #2: In addition to hunting, barn owls also
spend much time building a sturdy, secure nest.
Topic Sentence #3: Building a nest is often in preparation
for the arrival of a barn owl’s young, which is the main
focus of life until the young leave the nest.

18. Thesis statement:
The lifestyles of barn owls include hunting for insects and
animals, building nests, and raising their young.
Topic Sentence #1: Hunting for food is only one of the
many activities a barn owl undertakes on a daily basis.
Topic Sentence #2: In addition to hunting, barn owls also
spend much time building a sturdy, secure nest.
Topic Sentence #3: Building a nest is often in preparation
for the arrival of a barn owl’s young, which is the main
focus of life until the young leave the nest.

19. Thesis statement:
The lifestyles of barn owls include hunting for insects
and animals, building nests, and raising their young.
Topic Sentence #1: Hunting for food is only one of the
many activities a barn owl undertakes on a daily
basis.
Support:
• A barn owl spends 60% of its waking hours hunting
for food (Numbers)
• Because a barn owl eats at least 30% of its body
weight each day, they have to hunt for extended
periods of time. (Reason)

20. Thesis statement:
The lifestyles of barn owls include hunting for insects and
animals, building nests, and raising their young.
Topic Sentence #2: In addition to hunting, barn owls also
spend much time building a sturdy, secure nest.
Topic Sentence #3: Building a nest is often in preparation
for the arrival of a barn owl’s young, which is the main
focus of life until the young leave the nest.

21. Get to
Organizing!