Items You Need
• Your on-demand writing materials
•
•
(notes, prewriting diagram,
brainstorming from yesterday, etc.)
AST:
F
K
THIN id I use
Copy of the informative prompts Why d
d list
e
t
e
l
l
from yesterday (Aristotle OR
a bu
stead d
n
i
e
Careers)
r
e
he
mber
u
n
a
of
At least 2 blank sheets of paper
list?
(maybe more)
• Writing utensil (pencil is best)
Prewriting
Diagram
•
Remember this? You
were given 2 copies in
October.
•
Get out one of those
copies, preferably the
blank one.
•
You will use this blank
diagram to prewrite
for your informative
on-demand.
Paragraph 1: Introduction
• Notice the introduction
•
•
•
paragraph is represented by
an inverted triangle.
This means the introduction
should start out with BROAD
information--a general
question, a story that applies
to anyone, a general fact or
statistic.
Pick one of the introduction
strategies listed on your
diagram. As we discussed
earlier, questions are a good,
easy choice.
The introduction NARROWS
from broad information to the
THESIS STATEMENT.
Begin broadly to engage your reader. Use strategies such as
Story or anecdote
Quote
Question (s)
Description, etc
End with the point of the piece, why you’re writing and
what you want from the reader.
•
•
•
•
End lead with your thesis statement.
How to Write a Thesis Statement
EXAMPLE:
1. Look at the “P” in TAP T = letter
2. RESTATE the “P” into A = new students
P = informing new
a sentence that
students about
expresses your
important school rules
purpose for this
particular topic. DO
Thesis statement:
NOT begin this
sentence with “I am...” Our school has several
important rules that students
or “In this article...”
should follow every day.
•
Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4: Body
Each body paragraph should
contain ONE main idea that is
a part of your overall topic.
•
Turn this main idea into a topic
sentence for the paragraph.
•
The rest of the paragraph
should be details to support/
explain/describe this main
idea. Use the box on the right
side of your Prewriting
Diagram to find strategies you
can use to create these
supporting details.
EACH body paragraph should begin
with the reason or point you’re making,
along with support for that point. Support
can take the form of the following:
*Contrasts/ comparisons
*Embedded stories or examples from your
own lives/ experiences
*Facts the reader needs to know
*Statistics that support your viewpoint
*The history of the incident that led up to
you want to get done
*Quotes from folks involved in the
situation
*Descriptions that help to pull the reader
to your point of view
*Comparisons, contrasts, analogies
*Scenarios of what might result if the
problem isn’t attended to
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
• Notice the conclusion paragraph
•
•
is by a triangle (opposite from
the introduction).
This means the conclusion
paragraph should start out with
the NARROW thesis statement.
However, do NOT use the same
wording you used in the
introduction.
The conclusion BROADENS
from the narrow thesis
statement to the THESIS
STATEMENT. To add details to
this paragraph, pick one of the
introduction strategies listed on
your diagram. If you began with a
question, answer it in the
conclusion.
Begin with your thesis statement. An interesting
conclusion may include one of the following examples:
*Finding a solution
*Summarizing your points
*Ending with a quote
*Leaving the reader with a challenge or something to
think about
*Projecting the future
*Answering the question you began with or somehow
going back to how you began
YOUR TURN!
•Complete the prewriting for
the informative prompt you
chose yesterday. Remember,
you are only writing about
ONE of those prompts, so
you should only complete
ONE prewriting diagram.
•DO NOT write on your
copy of the prewriting
diagram. Leave it blank for
next time.
•Instead, complete your
prewriting on ONE of your
blank sheets of paper. Label
your paper like this:
Feb. 6, 2013
Name
Informative On-Demand Prewriting
Intro
On your paper, do NOT
write a draft. That takes
up too much time.
Par. 2
Instead, jot down
BULLET points of main
ideas & supporting details
Par. 3
for each paragraph that
you can turn into
sentences when you
Par. 4
write your draft. Use the
helpful boxes on your
Conclusion prewriting diagram.
•
20 Minutes...
You have 20 minutes to complete a detailed prewriting for your prompt
AND to write the introduction paragraph of your draft. Remember that
you need to brainstorm the following things on your paper for prewriting:
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Introduction strategy (from the diagram)
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•
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Rewording of thesis statement to begin conclusion
•
If you have time, write your introduction paragraph ONLY on your
SECOND blank sheet of paper.
Thesis statement
3 main ideas for the 3 body paragraphs
3 supporting details for each body paragraph (9 supporting details in all)
using the strategies on the diagram
Conclusion strategies (from the diagram)
Introduction and Conclusion paragraphs are a minimum of 3 sentences
long. Body paragraphs are a minimum of 4 sentences long.