Writing A Good Essay

1. Writing A Good Essay Know: The structure of an essay Show: Design an outline for an essay

2. An Essay Is . . . • The origin of the word essaycomes from a French form of the Latin verb exigere, which means “to examine” • The etymology shows the essence of theacademic essay: to encourage students to test or examine their ideas concerning a particular topic.

3. The Purpose of an Essay • Descriptive - favorite place, an art masterpiece, your gourmet dinner • Expository (Informational) – compare/contrast two government systems, explain the rules of volleyball, select the greatest invention of all time and justify • Argument/Persuade – animal testing, year-round school, bans on assault weapons • Entertain (Narrative) – Halloween story, incident at 13th birthday • Essays are concise and require clarity in purpose and direction. There is no room for the student’s thoughts to wander or stray from her purpose; she must be deliberate and interesting.

4. The Introduction • Motivator/Hook to grab reader’s attention • Necessary background information • Thesisstatementto establish topic of essay; to establish the claim (main point_ • Blueprint to lay out major supporting body paragraphs Style will vary with essay genre

5. Body Paragraphs • Topic sentence (placement varies) • Reasons, facts, and support • Evidence of careful thought/research • Transitional devices both within and as segue to other paragraphs • Counter claim established if writing argument

6. The Conclusion • A logical ending based on essay type • Conclusions should… • Restate Thesis – remind reader what you set out to do without an exact replica • Briefly touch on some main ideas • End with a Clincher - leave reader with something memorable