1. The Essay Structure
• How many paragraphs should your essay
have?
• What are those paragraphs called?
• What do we write for each of those
paragraphs?

2. The Essay Structure
• Introduction Paragraph
• Hook: 1st sentence. Needs to grab the attention of your reader.
Consider asking a question relating to your prompt.
• Provide background information about your topic. Introduce the topic
to your reader, but don’t provide specific details (save those for the
body paragraphs)
• Last sentence should be your thesis or claim.
• Body Paragraph 1
• Body Paragraph 2
• Body Paragraph 3
• Should provide specific details/opinions about your topic backed up by
textual evidence.
• 1st Sentence should be a topic sentence clearly stating the topic that
will be discussed in this paragraph.
• Next, provide textual evidence that supports your topic sentence. You
must properly cite your evidence.
• Next, offer your opinion or commentary on that evidence and how it
relates/proves your topic.
• Repeat as necessary
• Conclusion Paragraph
• You should focus on briefly restating your thesis and each topic
sentence.
• Be sure to tie up all loose ends
• Be sure you have completely answered your prompt

3. Narrative Background Information
• Set the Scene
1. Provide the information the reader will
need to understand the story:
2. Who are the major characters?
3. When and where is it taking place?
4. Is it a story about something that
happened to you, the writer, or is it
fiction?

4. Narrative “Thesis”
• The thesis of a narrative essay plays a slightly
different role than that of an argument or
expository essay.
1. A narrative thesis can begin the events of the
story: “It was sunny and warm out when I
started down the path”;
2. offer a moral or lesson learned: “I’ll never hike
alone again”;
3. or identify a theme that connects the story to a
universal experience: “Journeys bring both joy
and hardship.”

5. Informative Background Information
• Facts about topic of essay
• Introduce the topic after the hook
• Definitions
• Explain why you are writing about a certain
topic or person
• Pretend your reader knows nothing about the
topic—provide descriptive details and info

6. Informative Thesis
• Your thesis statement should be specific—it should cover only
what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported
with specific evidence.
• The thesis statement usually appears at the end of the first
paragraph of a paper.
• do not use personal pronouns (I, he, she, we)
• do not use second person pronouns (you, yours, your,
yourself)
• write it as one sentence
• Thesis must address the prompt. Thesis must include all
parts of the prompt.
• do not include your opinion
• do not use small details (numbers)

7. Argument Background Information
• Introduce the controversy
• Explain the controversy
• Introduce the topic
• State your opinion as fact

8. Argument Claim
1. Claim
An argument is usually a main idea, often called a
“claim,” backed up with evidence that supports the
idea.
2. Claim (your argument)
3. This is what you intend to prove in your essay stated in
a very direct and concise way. (keep it simple!!)
4. • Should answer question posed in one sentence
5. • Should NOT start in “yes” or “no” (even though you
are answering a question!)
6. • Should state the response in one sentence using
words such as DOES or DOES NOT
7. • Should NOT end in a colon
8. • Should not be wordy