2. You know the scene. You’re asked to write an essay on a topic, book, event, etc. Suddenly your mind goes blank, your palms start sweating, and you stare blankly at the screen. What Do You Do?
3. The 5 Paragraph Essay Contrary to what you might think, writing an essay is not that difficult once you master the steps involved. Today we’re going to learn how to organize your thoughts, identify main points, create a thesis, and submit a sound 5 paragraph essay. I believe each of you can do this!
4. Why We Write We write for many reasons; for fun, to express ourselves, to explain, to persuade, etc. Most writing for school is known as expository writing. We’ll be discussing EXPOSITORY writing today.
5. Expository Writing The purpose of most expository writing is to communicate ideas or answer questions. Gives information about a topic Explains ideas Gives directions Shows how to do something
7. Step 1: Get Organized!It’s important to organize your thoughts. Consider using a diagram to organize your main points and the facts you will use to prove them. Helping the Environment Recycle Reduce Consumption Reuse
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9. A Good Paragraph Each paragraph should be no less than three sentences and follow this format. Topic Sentence Three Examples Conclusion “Watching television is enjoyable but it can also be harmful. Many children develop short attention spans as a result of too much television. Also, television can be distracting and keep children from accomplishing their goals. For these reasons, television should be limited each day.”
11. Putting It All Together Step 1: Analyze the question to find the MAIN TOPIC. Brainstorm ideas. Step 2: Outline your essay. Identify the main points that fit into the topic. Step 3: Create a thesis statement based on your main points. Step 4: Outline Again. Identify the facts you will use to support your main points. Step 5: Write the Essay. Step 6: Take a break! Walk away and do something else. Step 7: Proof read your essay for errors. Read it out loud!
12. Let’s Do This Together Prompt: Using your knowledge of literature, answer the following question. How does an author create a mood of suspense in their writing? Consider writing style, plot, and characterization.
