ESSAY WRITING
THE LAW & ORDER APPROACH
First you discover the body.
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We call this the prompt.
Read the prompt very closely.
Mark all of the evidence that is immediately
available.
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Dates, places, events, and/or people involved
The prompt provides just enough information to
begin the process of establishing a framework for
your argument.
Next you must study the crime
scene and collect all your evidence
to prove your case.
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We call this studying.
There are no shortcuts.
Reading the textbook or materials is a
must to establishing the background of
information needed to make the your
case.
Start your essay as if you were
presenting a legal case to the “jury”
with your interpretation of the
evidence.
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We call this the thesis statement.
Make sure your thesis answers the
prompt.
Is your theory of the events in question
plausible? Does your thesis answer, “So
what?”
Establish the main planks of
your case
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We call these the “body” paragraphs of
the essay.
Use S-P-I-C-E, if no other topic statements
are required by the prompt.
They should directly tie to and support
your thesis
Use your evidence to prove each of your
planks in support of your thesis
You need to provide “evidence” to
the jury to substantiate your case.
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We call these facts.
Are all of your facts relevant?
Do you have enough facts to make a
strong enough case?
Do your facts support your theory
(thesis)?
List any facts that may provide alternate
theories, to show complete understanding.
Then you must interpret those facts
and show their relationship to the
case
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We call this analysis.
How and why did this occur?
Why was this evidence involved?
How is this evidence related to the facts
presented in the prompt?
What are the connections?
Explain where the evidence took
you in your final summation.
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We call this the conclusion.
Rewrite your thesis statement in a new
way.
Wrap up all the loose ends of your
argument.
Do not introduce any new ideas or
evidence. It will be thrown out of court.
Do not reverse your argument.
No surprise endings!
THE PROCESS
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Always write an outline first.
Organize your thinking.
 Write a rough draft of your thesis statement.
 List all of your knowledge on the subject.
 Prioritize your facts by importance to subject.
 Start with your strongest evidence in the first body
paragraph.
 Lesser evidence in subsequent body paragraphs.
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Now begin to write your essay.
Working through Writing
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First Draft-not a formal essay
Not an excuse to be sloppy, but it does allow free
thinking
 Outlines are a must before writing!!!
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Working through Writing
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Thesis Statement-PRACTICE~PRACTICE
Timed writing—Buy a stopwatch.
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Shorten times by 5 minutes
Confidence for the AP exam
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“If I would have had 2 more minutes, I would have
finished.”
Trial by Fire-High Expectations—Expect early
failure