English 85—Yanover
Your Name:
Essay #1 Your Academic Journey Blank Outline
Definitions:
 Thesis = the one main idea about the main topic of the entire essay (in this case your education).
 Topic Sentence = the one main idea about the main topic of a body paragraph (one part of your
education: elementary school, middle school or junior high school, and high school)
PART 1: Instructions: Fill in the blanks with:
 Full sentences for the Thesis and Topic Sentences
I.
Present a full sentence stating your Thesis about your educational experience. What is your one overall
feeling about your school experience OR one word you would use to describe it OR one thing you think
about it. The Thesis Statement is the last sentence of Paragraph #1.
A. Present a full sentence stating the Topic Sentence of Paragraph #2 (your first Body Paragraph). In
this paragraph, your topic is the first part of your school experience (elementary school, most likely).
The main idea is the one main feeling you had about your elementary experience OR one word you
would use to describe it OR one thing you think about it. The Topic Sentence is the first sentence
of the paragraph.
B. Present a full sentence stating the Topic Sentence of Paragraph #3 (your second Body Paragraph).
In this paragraph, your topic is the next part of your school experience (middle school or junior high
school, most likely). The main idea is the one main feeling you had about your middle or junior
high school experience OR one word you would use to describe it OR one thing you think about it.
The Topic Sentence is the first sentence of the paragraph.
C. Present a full sentence stating the Topic Sentence of Paragraph #4 (your third Body Paragraph). In
this paragraph, your topic is the next part of your school experience (high school, most likely). The
main idea is the one main feeling you had about your high school experience OR one word you
would use to describe it OR one thing you think about it. The Topic Sentence is the first sentence
of the paragraph.
PART 2: Add support to the Body Paragraphs. First copy the Topic Sentence into the space provided.
PARAGRAPH #2 (Body Paragraph #1):
A. Topic Sentence about the first part of your educational experience (elementary school):
Next tell the story (or list the events in the story) of your educational experience from where this part begins to
where it ends. Choose events that help to show the feeling or type of experience the Topic Sentence identifies,
and describe events in detail to help your reader picture them and understand how they help prove the
experience was challenging or scary of exciting, etc., and explain how they do. Try to include events or
examples from every grade/year or indicate and explain why when you’re combining or skipping grades/years.
Finally, write a Concluding Sentence, explaining how these experiences made the overall experience the way
the thesis says it felt or was.
PART 2 Continued: Add support to the Body Paragraphs. First copy the Topic Sentence into the space
provided.
PARAGRAPH #3 (Body Paragraph #2):
B. Topic Sentence about the second part of your educational experience (middle or junior high school):
Next tell the story (or list the events in the story) of your educational experience from where this part begins to
where it ends. Choose events that help to show the feeling or type of experience the Topic Sentence identifies,
and describe events in detail to help your reader picture them and understand how they help prove the
experience was challenging or scary of exciting, etc., and explain how they do. Try to include events or
examples from every grade/year or indicate and explain why when you’re combining or skipping grades/years.
Finally, write a Concluding Sentence, explaining how these experiences made the overall experience the way
the thesis says it felt or was.
PART 2 Continued: Add support to the Body Paragraphs. First copy the Topic Sentence into the space
provided.
PARAGRAPH #4 (Body Paragraph #3):
C. Topic Sentence about the third and final part of your educational experience (high school):
Next tell the story (or list the events in the story) of your educational experience from where this part begins to
where it ends. Choose events that help to show the feeling or type of experience the Topic Sentence identifies,
and describe events in detail to help your reader picture them and understand how they help prove the
experience was challenging or scary of exciting, etc., and explain how they do. Try to include events or
examples from every grade/year or indicate and explain why when you’re combining or skipping grades/years.
Finally, write a Concluding Sentence, explaining how these experiences made the overall experience the way
the thesis says it felt or was.
PART 3: The Conclusion
Remind us of the thesis. The feeling or description or thought should be the same (same word), but the whole
sentence should be a bit different. Restate; don’t just repeat.
Think about what you have learned about yourself and education from your experiences:
Think about what your educational, career, and life goals are for the immediate and more distant future:
How will what you have learned and your educational experience in the past, now, and in general help you
think about and/or reach those goals?