2. Every essay has a beginning, a middle, and an end. In a
five-paragraph essay, the first paragraph is called the
introduction. The next three paragraphs consist of the
body of the essay. The fifth and final paragraph is the
conclusion. This structure is not written in stone,
however.
Look in a newspaper or magazine; you'll rarely see an
essay that follows this exact formula. On the other
hand, it's a good place for beginners to start. When you
feel more
confident, you can get more creative and break free of
the five paragraph formula.
3. Dramatic Opener or Hook
Transitional Sentence
Thesis Statement
Topic Sentence
Details and Examples
Concluding Transition Sentence
Summary Statement (restate
your thesis)
Clincher
The body of your
essay can be three
or more
paragraphs long.
4. There are THREE important things to consider as you write your essay:
subject, audience and purpose.
SUBJECT
Throughout your educational career, teachers will be giving you writing
assignments. They want to see if you understand material covered in class, they
want to know your opinion on a particular topic, and they want to determine if
you can express ideas clearly.
There will be occasions when you will want to write an essay in other situations
as well. Maybe you want to write a letter to the editor of a newspaper, or
perhaps the boss at a job you're applying for wants you to write why you think
you're qualified for the position.
In any case, most of the time, the subject of the essay will be given to you. Even
if it's not, the primary thing you want to remember is to write about what you
know.
5. AUDIENCE
Many times your audience will be your teacher. Sometimes, even though your
teacher will be the primary reader and grader of your essay, he or she will ask
you write to a different audience. Other times your audience will be your peers,
parents, employers, newspaper editors, or the community.
Your audience should determine how you will write and what you will say in your
essay. Before you start writing you should do the following.
1. Understand your audience's interests and perspectives.
2. Evaluate your topic in relation to your audience.
3. Adapt your topic, examples, and language so that they are
appropriate for your audience.
6. PURPOSE
• The purpose of your essay will determine what type of essay you write. Each type
has certain uses and styles. Below are five types of essays you will write in 4th
grade.
Narrative - recalls an event or series of events
Expository - explains, clarifies, or illustrates
Response to Literature – shows that you understand a literary work (poem,
book, story) and can make judgments about the text with evidence to support it.
Summaries - write summaries that contain the main ideas of the reading
selection and the most significant details
Information Reports – a report where you do research, and you cite facts from
different sources (books, magazines, on-line articles).
7. Every essay has three parts: a beginning, a middle, and an end. The
beginning is also called the introduction. The introduction has two main
purposes: to draw the reader in and make him/her want to read more
and to prepare the reader for the direction that the essay is going to take.
The introduction usually has three parts:
1. The hook (or dramatic opener) consists of several sentences
that pull the reader into the essay.
2. The transitional sentence connects the hook to the thesis
statement.
3. The thesis statement is one or two sentences that states the
idea of the essay.
8. Hooks (dramatic openers) are used to grab your reader’s attention at the
beginning of a paragraph or in a report or essay. The hook is often a short
sentence and is placed before the topic sentence. You can also use another very
short sentence at the end of the essay or report to remind the reader of the
opening. These would frame your essay. Here are some examples of some hooks
that you could use.
QUESTION What is more valuable than gold? (essay on friendship)
Possible closing: A man with many friends is rich.
AN IMPERATIVE Look into the heavens and count the stars if you can.
(a command) (Report on outer space)
Possible closing: We will always wonder about the size and
greatness of our universe.
9. QUOTE: “Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!”
(Report on the Gold Rush )
Possible Closing: Many people during the Gold Rush thought they were
going to get a lot of gold; instead, a lot received a new
home instead!
STATING A FACT In 1850, 92 percent of California was male.
OR OPINION: (Report on the Gold Rush)
Possible closing: Now a 160 years later, the gold is gone and so are the men
who came to mine it.
ANECDOTE: Bob Ellis was sad to leave his family in New York, but gold
fever was strong in his blood.
(Report on the Gold Rush)
Possible closing: Bob Ellis didn’t win a fortune in gold mining, but he did
earn enough money to bring his family to California.
10. A very basic thesis statement is one or two sentences at the end of the first
paragraph that tells the reader the main idea of your essay.
A thesis statement should do these three things:
1. It should clearly express what the essay is about.
2. It should make a discussible point.
3. It should indicate the structure of the essay.
Here is an example of a thesis statement for an essay about why a dog would
make a great pet. My three major points will be that dogs are loyal, easy to train,
and make good companions. (these are your topics for the BODY of the essay).
Here is an example of a thesis statement that I could use for my essay.
Thesis Statement: A dog would make a great pet for me because they are very
loyal, they are easy to train, and they make good companions.
11. Now you are ready to put the introductory paragraph together. Remember that the
transitional sentence acts like a bridge to make a smooth connection between the hook
and the thesis statement. You don't always need to include a transitional sentence, but
you should always evaluate your introduction to see if one is necessary.
Here's an example of an introductory paragraph for the "favorite pet" essay using a
quotation for the hook.
The author Aldous Huxley once said, “To
his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the
constant popularity of dogs.” As I consider
the pet I would like to have share my life,
it’s Huxley’s quote that sums up why a dog
would be the best choice. Because of its
sense of loyalty, its ability to protect you
and its great companionship, a dog is the
perfect pet.
THESIS
HOOK
TRANSITION
12. What is the body of an essay?
The body of an essay is the part between the introduction and the conclusion. It contains
the evidence. So far, we have used the example of three paragraphs, but there can be a
hundred or more paragraphs to an essay. It all depends on the subject of your essay. If
you have a lot to say about your subject, you will probably have more than 3 body
paragraphs. Each paragraph in the body of the essay contains the following sentences:
TOPIC SENTENCE: This sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is going to be
about.
DETAIL SENTENCE: Your paragraph can have many detail sentences. The detail
sentence tells your reader a little more about your topic. Each detail sentence must
include an EXAMPLE.
CONCLUDING/TRANSITIONAL SENTENCE: This sentence wraps up what you have
already told the readers and gets them ready for the next paragraph.
13. Just as every essay has a clear beginning, it should have a clear ending.
The last paragraph, also know as the conclusion, should make your
essay sound finished.
The concluding paragraph typically has two parts:
1. The summary statement is one or two sentences which restate the
thesis in a fresh way to reinforce the essay's main
idea.
2. The clincher is a final thought which should create a lasting
impression on the reader.
14. The summary statement is an effective way to start your concluding paragraph
because it helps to drive home the ideas you've expressed in your essay.
Look at your thesis statement again and rework it in a new way. Avoid repeating
key words and phrases from the thesis statement because you don't want the
summary statement to sound boring or repetitive. Using a thesaurus is a good
way to find new, interesting words.
Here is an examples of thesis statements and summary statements:
Thesis Statement: Many Americans are buying the Toyota Corolla because of
its competitive price, fuel economy, and high resale value.
Summary Statement: Reasonable pricing, low miles per gallon, and an
attractive resale value have all contributed to the popularity of the Toyota
Corolla in today's market.
15. The clincher, also referred to as the closer, is your last opportunity to connect with the
reader. One way to make the most of this moment is to return to the technique you used
for your hook. Here is a list of clinchers.
Complete the Anecdote (the story you told at the
beginning.
Ask a final rhetorical question.
Use a new quotation or refer back to the opening quotation.
Continue the original description of a character, setting, or object.
Make a prediction or recommendation based on the facts you
researched.
16. Now let’s put it all together. Here's an example of a
concluding paragraph for the "favorite pet" essay that
uses a quotation as the clincher.
Nothing can compare to a dog’s dedication,
intelligence, and friendship. Because a dog
offers all these wonderful qualities and more,
it is once again clear why people say that
“a dog is man’s best friend.” Dogs not only
make great pets but also wonderful companions.
Summary
Statement
Clincher
17. Revision is actually something a good writer does throughout the writing
process. Every time you consider which ideas to add or delete, every time you
change a word or phrase to make your essay sound better, you are revising.
Revision does not mean "recopying" what you've already written. Revision
means making changes to the content of the paper so that every word,
sentence, and paragraph makes sense to the reader.
Many students tend to rush through revising; they're anxious to get done with
the assignment, but a good writer will revise as much as necessary before the
deadline to get the best possible result.
Three areas in particular to examine as you consider how to improve the content
and style of your essay are as follows:
1. Clarity: Is the essay clearly and logically written?
2. Unity: Do all the paragraphs relate to the central idea?
3. Coherence: Do the ideas flow smoothly?
18. Revision Questions
(Ask yourself these questions
as you read your essay)
YES NO
1. Did I answer the prompt?
2. Does each paragraph do what it’s
suppose to do (Introduction, Body,
Conclusion)?
3. Will a reader be able to understand and
follow my essay?(transition words, ideas
should be in logical order)?
4. Do all the facts and examples support my
thesis (the main idea)?
5. Are sentences clear and effective (do I
use a variety of sentence types and dress
ups)?
19. Proof reading is different from revision. Whereas revision focuses on
improving the content of the essay, proofreading deals with recognizing
and correcting errors or punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and
grammar.
PROOF READING CHECKLIST
1. Have all fragments and run-on sentences been eliminated?
2. Does the essay use correct paragraphing and indentation?
3. Is there agreement between subjects and verbs?
4. Are pronoun references clear?
5. Has correct verb tense been used correctly and consistently?
6. Have commas, apostrophes, and semicolons been used correctly?
7. Have words been capitalized correctly?
8. Are there any sentences that could be combined to provide sentence
variety?
9. Does the essay show interesting and accurate word choice?
10. Has a dictionary or spellchecker been used to correct spelling
errors?
20. Set your essay aside for awhile if you have time. Come
back to it later. You will notice ways to make your
essay better, and you'll see more errors to correct.
Read the essay aloud to yourself. Often you can hear
errors that you may not catch while reading silently.
Another trick is to read your essay backwards. You will
able to catch errors more easily.
Have an adult or peer read your essay and give you
suggestions about confusing parts.
