The Anatomy of an Essay

1. Things you need to know before you start writing The Anatomy of an Essay

2. What is an Essay? • An essay is a piece of writing based on a particular topic • You can write an essay in any subject, but it will always describe, clarify, argue, or analyze a subject or topic • Sometimes you will get to choose the topic, and sometimes it will be chosen for you • It is written from your own point of view, but you still have to present facts from other sources to support your topic. This is not a journal entry!

3. The Format of an Essay • An essay usually has 5 paragraphs or sections in it • Those 5 sections can be simplified into 3 main parts: • Introduction (1 paragraph) • 3 body paragraphs • Conclusion (1 paragraph)

4. Getting Started • The first step you need to accomplish when writing an essay is choosing your topic • Once you have a topic, you can either start coming up with ideas around that topic or you may have to do some research (like we have begun for our biography assignment) to come up with facts to support your topic • When you have what you need to start writing, you need to come up with a thesis statement and then you can use an outline to organize your ideas

5. Writing your Thesis Statement • A thesis statement is simply an argument or point that you are going to prove • DO NOT start a thesis statement with words like “In my opinion...” or “I think...” or “I believe...” • It serves as the roadmap for your essay and explains to the reader exactly what you will discuss in your essay and it will help keep you on topic • The thesis statement will be the LAST SENTENCE in your INTRODUCTION paragraph • A basic thesis statement contains the topic and introduces briefly the 3 main points to support the topic all in once sentence • These 3 main points become the foci for your 3 body paragraphs

6. Examples of Thesis Statements • A bully is someone who intimidates another person physically, mentally, or socially. • In order to be a successful student it is important to listen in class, do your homework and study for tests. • Magic Johnson’s ability to score, pass and rebound during basketball games has made him a very famous player in NBA history. • My favourite animal is a dog because they are beautiful and easy to care for, fun to play with and good company.

7. I have my thesis statement...now what? • It is now time to start writing your 3 body paragraphs (***note: writing your introduction and conclusion comes after writing the body paragraphs) • Each of your body paragraphs represents 1 of the 3 main points that you presented in your thesis statement • You may choose to use a graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas for your writing

8. For example… • If your thesis statement is, “My favourite animals are dogs because they are beautiful and easy to care for, fun to play with and good company.” • You would have one paragraph about dogs being beautiful and easy to care for, one paragraph about playing with dogs, and one paragraph about dogs being good company. • Now onto the paragraphs…

9. Writing an Effective Paragraph • You’ve got your topics, now you have to start writing your paragraphs • In each paragraph you are trying to convince the reader that the point you’re making is right • A paragraph should be at least 5 sentences long • Follow the rules on the next slide for each of your 3 body paragraphs

10. Writing an Effective Paragraph (continued) • It is easiest to think of paragraphs as mini essays...you start with a topic sentence or sentences (that introduce the main idea of your paragraph), then give three supporting pieces of information (proof supporting your topic), give a comment on the information presented in the proof (this can be before or after the proof), and finish up with a concluding sentence (that summarizes the ideas in your current paragraph and emphasizes the main point once more), which should link to your next paragraph • Do this three times for your body paragraphs

11. Example of Body Paragraph 1 • This follows the THESIS STATEMENT in the introductory paragraph • Dogs are beautiful and easy to care for. I know this because I have a pet dog named Tyson. He is a tricolor Sheltie, mostly tan with white and a bit of black. Caring for him is easy because I simply have to make sure he has fresh water and food every day. I exercise him by throwing his toys and going for daily walks. Tyson is a good pet because he is good looking and the care he requires is not very difficult to do, it is actually pretty fun.

12. Taking a Look at Body Paragraph 1 • The topic sentence in body paragraph 1 is: Dogs are beautiful and easy to care for. • The comment on the proof is: I know this because I have a pet dog named Tyson. • The proof provided to support the topic sentence is : He is a tricolor Sheltie, mostly tan with white and a bit of black. Caring for him is easy because I simply have to make sure he has fresh water and food every day. I exercise him by throwing his toys and going for daily walks. • The concluding/linking sentence is: Tyson is a good pet because he is good looking and the care he requires is not very difficult to do, it is actually pretty fun.

13. Example of Body Paragraph 2 • This follows body paragraph 1, but still uses the second point presented in the THESIS STATEMENT • Dogs are lots of fun to play with. Tyson loves to play catch and tug-of-war. He often follows me around the house with a toy and drops it on my feet so I will toss it or play tug-of-war with him. He tries to catch things I throw for him, but he misses most of the time. His favorite toy to run after is his soccer ball, which is nearly as big as he is! I really have fun playing with Tyson and it helps to keep me busy when I do not have much else to do or if my friends and family are not around.

14. Taking a Look at Body Paragraph 2 • The topic sentence in body paragraph 1 is: Dogs are lots of fun to play with. Tyson loves to play catch and tug-of-war. • The comments on the proof are: …but he misses most of the time (1) and …which is nearly as big as he is! (2) • The proof provided to support the topic sentence is : Tyson often follows me around the house with a toy and drops it on my feet so I will toss it or play tug-of-war with him. He tries to catch things I throw for him... His favorite toy to run after is his soccer ball… • The concluding/linking sentence is: I really have fun playing with Tyson and it helps to keep me busy when I do not have much else to do or if my friends and family are not around.

15. Example of Body Paragraph 3 • This follows body paragraph 2, but still uses the third point presented in the THESIS STATEMENT • Dogs are great company and Tyson is no exception. He always follows me when I leave a room. When I am sitting on a couch he plops down right beside me. On sunny days when we are hiking in the woods or out in the backyard he always stays right with me. There is definitely a reason dogs are known as “man’s best friend”, because they are always there when you need them. I am never lonely when Tyson is around, he really keeps my life interesting!

16. Taking a Look at Body Paragraph 3 • The topic sentence in body paragraph 1 is: Dogs are great company and Tyson is no exception. • The comment on the proof is: There is definitely a reason dogs are known as “man’s best friend”, because they are always there when you need them. • The proof provided to support the topic sentence is : He always follows me when I leave a room. When I am sitting on a couch he plops down right beside me. On sunny days when we are hiking in the woods or out in the backyard he always stays right with me. • The concluding/linking sentence is: I am never lonely when Tyson is around, he really keeps my life interesting!

17. Re-writing the Thesis Statement • You might ask…”Why on earth would I re-write something I’ve already written?!” • We have to use a re-phrased version of our thesis statement to start our conclusion paragraph (this version is often summarized from the original version and may not include all of the details) • It becomes the first sentence in our conclusion and helps to wrap up our ideas as presented in our body paragraphs • Let’s re-phrase our thesis statement together as a class now…

18. Re-writing the Thesis Statement • Our original thesis statement: My favourite animals are dogs because they are beautiful and easy to care for, fun to play with and good company. • What we have re-stated it as: • ***Dogs make excellent pets and companions for many reasons and they are my favourite animal.***

19. The Final Paragraphs • Now that we have our thesis statement, our re-written thesis statement for the conclusion and our body paragraphs, it’s time to write our introduction and conclusion paragraphs • Using the paragraphs and thesis statement I have already written as well as the handout I am going to give you, write the introduction and conclusion paragraphs to this essay • Don’t forget to follow what we have talked about already (the format of an essay, and writing an effective paragraph) when you are writing!

20. Some Special Rules for Essay Writing • If you are writing about someone or something other than your own opinion, do not use the first or second person (I, we, you, us, etc.) • Do not use contractions (don’t, won’t, can’t, shouldn’t, couldn’t, etc.) • Avoid saying “The essay will discuss...” or “In my opinion...” • Try not to repeat yourself too often • Be specific. Do not use words such as “things” or “many examples”. Do not be vague! • Always type and double space • Use size 12 pt font, Times New Roman, and standard 1” margins