This document provides examples of introductions, thesis statements, and topic sentences for a midterm essay about the Constitutional Convention. It includes warm up questions to assess if the essay is persuasive or informative. The focus is on organization, content and conventions. Students are instructed to find a partner to exchange and grade rough drafts, and complete a worksheet.

1. Midterm Essay
Workday and Examples

2. Warm Up

3. Warm Up
• Is this the midterm a persuasive essay or an
informative essay?

4. Warm Up
• Is this the midterm a persuasive essay or an
informative essay?
• In light of the above question, what is the
primary focus of the essay and the rubric?

5. Warm Up
• Is this the midterm a persuasive essay or an
informative essay?
• In light of the above question, what is the
primary focus of the essay and the rubric?
• When is the rough draft due?

6. Introduction

7. Introduction
Grabber Examples

8. Introduction
Grabber Examples
“In 1787 the Constitutional Convention was
held. The war had been over for a few years and
the colonists were arguing now about what type
of government to form.”

9. Introduction
Grabber Examples
“In 1787 the Constitutional Convention was
held. The war had been over for a few years and
the colonists were arguing now about what type
of government to form.”

10. Introduction
Grabber Examples
“In 1787 the Constitutional Convention was
held. The war had been over for a few years and
the colonists were arguing now about what type
of government to form.”
Good, Bad, or Okay?

11. Introduction

12. Introduction
Grabber Examples

13. Introduction
Grabber Examples
“A bunch of guys got together in Philly to talk
politics and stuff. It was a Convention. They
argued.”

14. Introduction
Grabber Examples
“A bunch of guys got together in Philly to talk
politics and stuff. It was a Convention. They
argued.”

15. Introduction
Grabber Examples
“A bunch of guys got together in Philly to talk
politics and stuff. It was a Convention. They
argued.”
Good, Bad, or Okay?

16. Introduction

17. Introduction
Grabber Examples

18. Introduction
Grabber Examples
“The year of 1787 was a dark, tense time in the
newly created United States. The sweat and
blood of sons, fathers, and families had
purchased sweet freedom from Britain, but
internal arguing now threatened the former
colonies.”

19. Introduction
Grabber Examples
“The year of 1787 was a dark, tense time in the
newly created United States. The sweat and
blood of sons, fathers, and families had
purchased sweet freedom from Britain, but
internal arguing now threatened the former
colonies.”
Good, Bad, or Okay?

20. Introduction

21. Introduction
Thesis Lead-in Examples

22. Introduction
Thesis Lead-in Examples
“The men argued a lot at the Convention. The
new government was impacted by the Great
Compromise, the Three-fifths Compromise, and
the slave trade compromise.”

23. Introduction
Thesis Lead-in Examples
“The men argued a lot at the Convention. The
new government was impacted by the Great
Compromise, the Three-fifths Compromise, and
the slave trade compromise.”

24. Introduction
Thesis Lead-in Examples
“The men argued a lot at the Convention. The
new government was impacted by the Great
Compromise, the Three-fifths Compromise, and
the slave trade compromise.”
Good, Bad, or Okay?

25. Introduction

26. Introduction
Thesis Lead-in Examples

27. Introduction
Thesis Lead-in Examples
“Amidst the hot stifling room the men realized they must
each give something up, that they must all compromise or
nothing will be accomplished. Putting aside their differences,
the men agreed on the Great Compromise, the Three-Fifths
Compromise, and the Slave Trade Compromise, all of which
impacted the new emerging government in a tremendous
way.”

28. Introduction
Thesis Lead-in Examples
“Amidst the hot stifling room the men realized they must
each give something up, that they must all compromise or
nothing will be accomplished. Putting aside their differences,
the men agreed on the Great Compromise, the Three-Fifths
Compromise, and the Slave Trade Compromise, all of which
impacted the new emerging government in a tremendous
way.”
Good, Bad, or Okay?

29. Midterm Essay
Workday and Examples

30. Warm Up

31. Warm Up
• Is this the midterm a persuasive essay or an
informative essay?
• Which of the following areas is the focus of
this essay: organization, content, conventions
• When are we taking the essay?
• What can I use to take the essay?

32. Body Paragraphs

33. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence

34. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
“The Great Compromise was this thing that
happened.”

35. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
“The Great Compromise was this thing that
happened.”

36. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
“The Great Compromise was this thing that
happened.”
Good, Bad, or Okay?

37. Body Paragraphs

38. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence

39. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
“The Convention was about to implode over
the issue of state representation when men
from both sides at last agreed on The Great
Compromise.”

40. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
“The Convention was about to implode over
the issue of state representation when men
from both sides at last agreed on The Great
Compromise.”

41. Body Paragraphs

42. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence

43. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
“The first agreement the men came to that
shaped America’s new government was the
Great Compromise.”

44. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
“The first agreement the men came to that
shaped America’s new government was the
Great Compromise.”

45. Body Paragraphs
Topic Sentence
“The first agreement the men came to that
shaped America’s new government was the
Great Compromise.”
Good, Bad, or Okay?

46. Rough Draft Pair-Share

47. Rough Draft Pair-Share
• find a partner

48. Rough Draft Pair-Share
• find a partner
• exchange and read papers

49. Rough Draft Pair-Share
• find a partner
• exchange and read papers
• grade your partners rough draft

50. Rough Draft Pair-Share
• find a partner
• exchange and read papers
• grade your partners rough draft
• complete the “pair-share” worksheet