4. Lead-In
Thesis Statement
Hamburgers are a healthy food choice.MAIN IDEA
They have the protein, vegetables and
carbohydrates needed in a meal.
Many people can afford one or make one.
Hamburgers have so many tasty and healthy
options for the filling, making them an option for
many.
SUPPORTING
IDEA
SUPPORTING
IDEA
SUPPORTING
IDEA
They are the subject of criticism. They have been abused and
misrepresented. It is time for them to stand up.
LEAD-IN
THESISSTATEMENT
6. Topic Sentence
Supporting Detail 1
Supporting Detail 2
Supporting Detail 3
Closing Sentence
TOPIC
SENTENCE
Fat and salt may be the prevailing image; however,
well-made burgers contain the needed nutrients
from the three recommended food groups.
Firstly, burgers contain the carbohydrates needed for the day’s
energy production. A whole wheat grain bun provides those
carbohydrates along with the fiber to aid its digestion.
Secondly, burgers provide vegetables for taste and nutrition.
Spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms provide the vitamins needed for
growth and maintenance of organs and tissue.
SUPPORTING
DETAIL 1
SUPPORTING
DETAIL 3
CLOSING
SENTENCE
SUPPORTING
DETAIL 2
Lastly, the beef in the burger contributes the needed protein. Lean
ground burger provides over 30% of an average adult male’s protein
requirement. This amount supports brain development, muscle
growth repair and energy production.
In the course of the day, you can count on that
truly nutrient-rich burger, the one stacked with
carbs, veggies and meat, to push you through.
HEALTHY
FOOD GROUPS
HEALTHY
FOOD GROUPS
10. Lead-Out
Thesis Re-Statement
Without doubt, hamburgers present a healthy food
selection.MAIN IDEA
With hamburgers as an option, you can buy or
make a meal covering the food groups while
meeting your taste choices.
SUPPORTING
IDEAS
So eat the hamburger. It’s good for you. Don’t let anyone tell
you otherwise.
LEAD-OUT
THESISRE-STATEMENT
HEALTHY
This video will cover essay structure so that you can write that essay that makes your reader’s minds drool with anticipation.
An essay is an ATTEMPT to convince or persuade your audience of your main idea. The essay structure is an accepted convention because it organizes our details so that readers can focus on the big picture main idea, focus on the smaller, specific details, and then connect them back up to the main idea. In short, they can comprehend what you are trying to convey more easily.
The essay structure is typically five paragraphs. Three body paragraphs sandwiched in between an introduction and conclusion. In this way, the essay resembles a hamburger. The real tasty stuff is in the middle. The bun just holds it together. The body paragraphs contain the tasty examples and evidence to support the main idea. The introduction and conclusion introduce and remind us of what will be covered, holding the body together in one coherent whole. A well-written essay, like a well-stacked burger, will hold together and not fall apart as you go and take a bite.
All this talk of hamburgers is making me hungry. Oops, sorry.
The top bun, the introduction, lets the reader know the main idea and the supporting ideas. And tries to sell them.
Like any good sales pitch, it begins with a lead-in to capture the reader’s attention. In essence, the lead-in is the sesame seeds and the outer texture that says, “Hey, this is a really good angus burger.”
Now that you have whet their appetite, you must get to the point: the main idea. You do this in the thesis statement. The thesis statement has two parts: the main idea statement and a list of supporting ideas.
The main idea will be repeated throughout the essay to stay clear. The subordinating ideas will form the basis of each of the body paragraphs.
Let’s try this one out. Let’s say that my main idea is that hamburgers are a healthy food choice. My three reasons, my supporting ideas, are as follows: they have the protein, vegetables and carbohydrates needed in a meal; many people can afford one or make one; and hamburgers have so many tasty and healthy options for the filling, making them an option for many. We want to list them from least to most important. Our last supporting idea will be the meat of our essay. The beef is why we really want to eat that burger
Now how do I sell it? I need to say something surprising or emphatic to draw the reader in. Hamburgers are important, after all. Let’s try, “They are the subject of criticism. They have been abused and misrepresented. It is time for them to stand up.” That should grab their attention.
We are off to a good start if we can write that thesis statement. We know what we need to prove and how to do it. And we sound pretty serious about hamburgers
The top bun, the introduction, lets the reader know the main idea and the supporting ideas. And tries to sell them.
Like any good sales pitch, it begins with a lead-in to capture the reader’s attention. In essence, the lead-in is the sesame seeds and the outer texture that says, “Hey, this is a really good angus burger.”
Now that you have whet their appetite, you must get to the point: the main idea. You do this in the thesis statement. The thesis statement has two parts: the main idea statement and a list of supporting ideas.
The main idea will be repeated throughout the essay to stay clear. The subordinating ideas will form the basis of each of the body paragraphs.
Let’s try this one out. Let’s say that my main idea is that hamburgers are a healthy food choice. My three reasons, my supporting ideas, are as follows: they have the protein, vegetables and carbohydrates needed in a meal; many people can afford one or make one; and hamburgers have so many tasty and healthy options for the filling, making them an option for many.
Now how do I sell it? I need to say something surprising or emphatic to draw the reader in. Hamburgers are important, after all. Let’s try, “They are the subject of criticism. They have been abused and misrepresented. It is time for them to stand up.” That should grab their attention.
We are off to a good start if we can write that thesis statement. We know what we need to prove and how to do it. And we sound pretty serious about hamburgers
We have come to the tomato, our first body paragraph. It is sweet and moist. It rounds off the taste.
This paragraph will focus on our first supporting idea and provide supporting details as evidence.
The topic sentence restates our first supporting idea as it connects to our main idea. To do so, it will restate the supporting idea from the thesis and include a keyword from the main idea.
We have come to the tomato, our first body paragraph. It is sweet and moist. It rounds off the taste.
This paragraph will focus on our first supporting idea and provide supporting details as evidence.
The topic sentence restates our first supporting idea as it connects to our main idea. Notice that “needed nutrients” is another way of saying “healthy”. The word “food groups” substitutes for “vegetables, carbohydrates and protein.”
Next we have those supporting details. Here we try to write a specific example. We may pull from experience or do some reading to find examples that relate to our supporting idea. For supporting detail 1, we might write about the carbs found in the bun. We then go on to list the benefits of carbs to the body. And that is the key piece: we give the example and then we explain how it relates to the supporting idea. Notice that it took a couple of sentences. Also notice I mention the keyword carbohydrates throughout. This repetition keeps my supporting detail on track. Secondly, notice that I mention nutritional benefits in my explanation: energy production and fiber.
Now, we have to hit our point home. We need to remind the reader of our main idea and the supporting idea. We have to re-state the topic sentence in an emotional or impactful way. It’s kind of like we’re saying, “Hey, Mrs. Reader, you’ve heard all the details. You must be convinced. Now you must know beyond any doubt burgers are nutritious with veggies, carbs and protein. And don’t you forget it.”
By the way, after making this video I went and made myself the burger described here. Even if I do not convince my reader, I am a burger believer.
Now, we move onto the second body paragraph: the greens, that provide the roughage and vitamins.
We rinse and repeat what we did for the first body paragraph. We restate the main idea, “healthy”, and the supporting idea, “people can buy or make one easily.” We connect back up to that introduction.
We then provide specific supporting details with explanations on how they relate to the supporting idea.
Lastly, we emphatically restate the main and supporting idea to convince our reader irrevocably. We need burgers to continue.
Another body paragraph? You bet. This one contains our most important supporting idea. This paragraph is where we must provide the strongest supporting details. The beef.
Here we would talk about the options available, making burgers accessible. We would provide examples of how these options would allow just about anyone to eat a burger. We might cite that gluten free buns are available for those suffering from celiac. We might identify vegetarian burger options. Lastly, we would exclaim that burgers with options can free the world from the tyranny of unhealthy food without eliminating taste.
By now, you have realized that writing an essay is not a jog in a park. It requires a commitment. It requires that you feel passionate about the topic. It requires that you can connect with it on a personal level. Keep going. Take that third cup of coffee. Walk away from the essay and return to it in 20 minutes.
All that we have left to do is write that conclusion. Because this paragraph is at the end, it tends to be written as an exercise. However, this is the paragraph where you punch home your main idea and call the reader to action. Here is where your essay succeeds or fails.
We begin with a re-statement of the thesis. We do not want it to be robotic or sound automated. We find a way to make it succinct and impactful.
Finally, we end with a lead-out. This lead-out may be one or more sentences. Here, we tell the reader the importance of our main idea in their world. We may make a call to action or a recommendation. Whatever we do, we need to share our passion for our topic.
For our keep-burgers-alive campaign, we need to restate the thesis. We might write that burgers are a “healthy food selection” – another way of rephrasing our “healthy” main idea. In this way, we connect with the introduction, creating unity.
Next, we must refer to our supporting ideas. We could write one sentence that combines them. We mention that your reader can make or buy one, that the burger matches the food groups, and that the burger allows for choices. In doing this, we connect to the body paragraphs.
Finally, we end with a lead-out. This lead-out may be one or more sentences. Here, we tell the reader the importance of our main idea in their world. We may make a call to action or a recommendation. Whatever we do, we need to share our passion for our topic. We might tell our reader to eat burger and not accept any abuse.
To recap, we assembled our hamburger, knowing the parts. We made the top bun, the introduction, and the bottom bun, the conclusion to hold the main idea and supporting ideas together. Our readers know it’s a hamburger. They know it’s an essay.
We spared nothing on the ingredients. We chose the best tomato, spinach and angus beef. As we move forward, we will add Dijon mustard, jalapenos, and lite mayonnaise.
But for now, I am hungry. I am going to go eat that burger we’ve been talking about.
MMMMMM. Very good. Until next time, keep flipping those burgers.
