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9th Grade Writing Packet
Table of Contents
 Opening Hooks……………………………………….……………..……………….….……2
 Transitional Words……………………………………….…………………………….……3
 Lead into for Quotes…………..……………………………………….……………….….4
 Punctuating Citations……………………………………….…………………………..…5
 Introductory Paragraph………………………..…………………………………………6
 Conclusion……………………………………….……………………………………………..7
 Remember to P-E-E when you write……………….…..…….……………………8

Sample Character Analysis…………………………………………………………….…9-10
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Opening Hooks
An opening hook is a sentence that grabs the reader’s attention and relates in some larger way to what
you will be writing about.
The question
Can you imagine being so hungry that you would be willing to eat food from a garbage can?
The single word
Starvation. You say it all the, time, -- “I’m starving,” -- but do you know what it means?
The staccato
Malnutrition. Illness. Fear. These are the signs of starvation.
The Definition
Starvation is the slow process of perishing or suffering severely from hunger which results from
poverty and extreme need.
The startling fact
According to _____________ every 3.6 seconds, someone somewhere dies of complications due
to starvation.
Americans throw away 96 billion pounds of food annually according to _______________.
The Quote
“Where is there beauty when you see deprivation and starvation?” as stated
by / according to / as expressed by Rosalind Russell.
Rosalind Russell once said, “Where is there beauty when you see
deprivation and starvation?” --Rosalind Russell
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Transitional Words
A transition is a word or phrase that helps the writer’s words flow more smoothly from idea to idea. A
simple Google search will come up with many suggestions for transitional words:
http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Transitions.html
Giving Examples:
for example, for instance, specifically, the first (second, another, etc.) example/reason is
Adding Information:
in addition, furthermore, equally important, as well
Showing a Result
as a result, as a consequence, this shows
Explaining or Emphasizing
in addition, furthermore, equally important, as well
Compare/Contrast
in fact, actually, in other words
Emphasis
clearly, indeed, above all, in other words, most noticeably
To Summarize or Conclude
Finally, to sum up, in closing, all in all
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Leading Into Quotes
Quotes never are by themselves in a sentence. You must lead into quotes by:
 Providing Attribution
 Identify the speaker (used for dialogue)
 Providing Context
 The situation surrounding the quote (plot)
Remember:
Often lead-ins follow transitional words
For Example:
Transitional
Word
In addition, after Montag encounters the Mechanical Hound and it growls at him, Montag asks
Beatty, “it’s calculators can be set to any combination…” (Bradbury 22).
Furthermore, the firemen would entertain themselves and the Hound would chase its prey until
its “four-inch hollow steel needle plunged down” (Bradbury 22).
Lead into
Quote
Transitional
Word
Lead into
Quote
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Punctuating Quotations
Remember TWO basic rules that will help you use the correct punctuation when a
sentence has both a quotation and a parenthetical citation.
1. The end quotation mark should be placed immediately after the last word of the quotation.
2. The period should be placed immediately after the citation.
This sentence shows how punctuate the quote correctly:
Whereas American myth states that Columbus alone thought the world was round, in actuality, "few
people on both sides of the Atlantic believed in 1492 that the world was flat" (Loewen 56).
Notice the basic pattern here:
...flat" (Loewen 56).







Last word of quotation
End quotation mark
Space
Left parenthesis
Citation (author’s last name and page #)
Right parenthesis
Punctuation after end parenthesis (period, question mark, etc.)
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Introductory Paragraph
The first paragraph of your essay is called the Introduction. The introduction paragraph has two main
purposes:
1. It introduces the topic to prepare the reader for what you will be writing.
2. It hooks the reader so that they will be interested in reading more.
Elements of an Introduction
HOOK – Begin with a hook, which is a general statement that relates to some larger idea of your
essay.
BACKGROUND INFO. - includes title of novel, author and a brief summary of book.
IDENTIFY CHARACTER/TOPIC YOU WILL BE DISCUSSING –For character analysis identify
character and briefly describe them.
THESIS – is your main idea that you will be discussing in your essay.
Example of an Introductory Paragraph for a character analysis:
Hook
Technology. We think of it as a good thing, but what happens when a government uses it
against a society? The novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a dystopian novel that deals with a
society that is deeply troubled. In it we meet the character of the Mechanical Hound who is the deadly
robotic fire house dog. The characterization of the Mechanical Hound reveals that it is dangerous and
frightening, which shows us how much of a threat it is to Montag and others in the novel.
Background
Info.
Identifying
Character/
Topic
Thesis
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Conclusion Paragraph
A conclusion provides a sense of closure to your writing. You should do the following in it:

Start your first sentence of your conclusion by linking it to your thesis, but using new
language to express it.

Provide a recap of the main points of your essay.

End with a larger statement about life that connects to your ideas Sometimes in life we
learn……because – Try to make expand on your ideas in your last sentence – have a
conversation about it. What else can you say, express about it? Make it more than just
one sentence (See example below).
Example Conclusion:
Restate thesis from
introductory paragraph
It is evident that the Mechanical Hound is something to be feared due to its ability to kill
so easily. For example, when Montag just reached out to the Hound and its reaction of growling
and activating its needle a little bit we see how this would cause someone to fear it, especially
Montag. Also, in seeing how Hound kills its prey by injecting them it is clear that once
captured by the Hound nothing can survive. These examples show just how dangerous the
Go over
main
points of
essay
Hound is and how much it should be feared. As a result, we see that sometimes in life
technology can be a dangerous thing and we must be cautious of letting it get out of control.
Technology has its positive points, but if we aren’t careful about how we handle technology in
our lives it could be dangerous if we let it have too much control over us. It can make us forget
about what’s important in life and make us miss out on other experiences in life, because we are
wrapped up in technology.
Final
Statement
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Remember to P – E – E when you write
Remember to follow the P – E – E format when writing your paragraph to organize your ideas. By
following this basic structure for writing a paragraph it will help you in any class you must write for.
P (Point) - make your point (claim)
E (Evidence) - Provide your textual evidence that proves
your point (claim)
E (Explain) - Discuss how your evidence proves your
point (claim) – DO NOT just repeat what the evidence says.
Examples for how to Explain Evidence:
What NOT TO DO for your Explanation of Evidence:
Claim: The Mechanical Hound is dangerous.
Evidence: “it growled again..” (Bradbury 23).
(WRONG WAY TO)Explain: This shows that the Hound growled. (this way just repeats
your evidence)
What TO DO for your Explanation of Evidence:
Claim: The Mechanical Hound is dangerous.
Evidence: “it growled again...” (Bradbury 23).
(RIGHT WAY TO) Explain: This shows that the Hound is a threatening robotic dog, and
seems to be rather aggressive as evident from it growling at Montag when all he did was
touch its muzzle. (This way explains it and expands your evidence – it does not just
repeat it).
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Character Analysis Example
The Mechanical Hound Character Analysis
INTRODUCTION
Hook
Introduce title and author
Provide brief background
(what is it about?)
Introduce the Character
Thesis (main ideas your
paper will discuss)
Technology. We think of it as a good thing, but what happens
when a government uses it against a society? The novel Fahrenheit 451 by
Ray Bradbury is a dystopian novel that deals with a society that is deeply
troubled. In it we meet the character of the Mechanical Hound who is the
deadly robotic firehouse dog. The characterization of the Mechanical
hound reveals that it is dangerous and frightening, which shows us how
much of a threat it is to Montag and others in the novel.
BODY PARAGRAPH 1 & 2
Point (Claim) – a statement
that directly connects to
character trait #1 from thesis
Evidence – 1st textual
evidence using direct or
indirect quote (properly
cited)
Explanation – explain how
your 1st evidence proves
your point (claim)
As soon as we meet the Mechanical Hound it is clear that it is
dangerous. For example, we see this when Montag arrives at the
firehouse and the Mechanical Hound growls at him and then it, “rose in its
kennel and looked at him with green-blue neon light flickering in its
suddenly activated eye. It growled again…”” (Bradbury 23). This shows
that the Mechanical Hound is not something to be trusted and Montag,
among others, feel threatened by it. This is not the only time when the
Evidence – 2nd textual
evidence using direct or
indirect quote (properly
cited)
Mechanical Hound seems dangerous. For instance, the dangerous nature
of the hound is seen when the firemen entertain themselves at night by
Explanation – explain how
your 2nd evidence proves
your point (claim)
Develop – discuss your
thoughts on how your
evidence develops your
overall idea of what this trait
shows about your character.
watching the hound as it “gripped in gentling paws while a four-inch
hollow steel needle plunged down from the proboscis of the Hound to
inject massive jolts of morphine or procaine” (Bradbury 22). In other
words, this demonstrates how deadly the Hound is and clearly very
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dangerous. These examples illustrate what the Hound is capable of
doing. Anyone who knows this, as Montag does, knows that the Hound is
something to be feared.
It is evident that the Mechanical Hound is something to be
CONCLUSION
feared due to its ability to kill so easily. For example, when Montag just
Restate thesis in a new way
reached out to the Hound and its reaction of growling and activating its
Summarize main points that
you made
needle a little bit we see how this would cause someone to fear it,
especially Montag. Also, in seeing how Hound kills its prey by injecting
Closing Statement –
Sometimes in life we learn
them it is clear that once captured by the Hound nothing can survive.
These examples show just how dangerous the Hound is and how much it
should be feared. As a result, we see that sometimes in life technology can
be a dangerous thing and we must be cautious of letting it get out of
control. Technology has its positive points, but if we aren’t careful about
how we handle technology in our lives it could be dangerous if we let it
have too much control over us. It can make us forget about what’s
important in life and make us miss out on other experiences in life, because
we are wrapped up in technology.
REMEMBER:

No first person (In my opinion, I think, I believe, I feel, etc.)

Use transitions

Lead into quotes

Use proper citation