Introduction: The first ¶ should contain the following:
An interesting “hook” sentence leading into the
topic.
And/Or
Bibliographical Citation: a sentence containing the author
“article title” publication & date
(Hint 1: Good introductions GRAB your reader’s attention!)
Summary of Article:
Thesis Statement:
*3-5 sentences explaining main
points of the article
*cite author’s name once or twice
*consider paraphrase vs quoting
Your answer to the topic question at
the bottom of the article.
Takes a commanding firm stand on
the topic and forms a strong opinion.
The most important sentence in
your essay.
After this sentence, everything in the
paper is only there to support or
argue YOUR thesis statement.
Body: consider the following when developing a body ¶
Start with a powerful Topic Sentence:
(an attention grabbing main point that supports your thesis)
Include reasons, details, examples that support your topic
sentence.
OR
Include a possible personal experience that relates to the
topic.
OR
Bring in a short quote or reference from article that
supports your idea.
Hint 1: Avoid parroting or repeating the same ideas already
mentioned in the article.
Hint 2: Consider people in the article you DISAGREE
with. Recognize people from the opposing side,
expose their weaknesses, and DESTROY their
argument.
Write a concluding sentence that wraps up your main point
and refers back to the topic question.
Hint 3:
Reread topic question as you write!
Conclusion: The Final Paragraph!!!
Start with a Topic Sentence:
(A powerful statement that refers back to the
topic of your essay)
(Hint 1: Good conclusions KEEP your reader’s
attention!)
Reemphasize:
Your thesis
Your main ideas without repeating what you just wrote
Consider:
Offering a possible solution to the situation (if applicable)
Posing a thought-provoking question relating to the topic
(Hint 2: Good conclusions KEEP your reader’s
attention!)
Write a concluding sentence that refers back to the topic
question and wraps up your argument.
Hint 3: Reread topic question as you write