Academic English - Writing a process essay

1. THE PROCESS ESSAY
CHANELLA CUBBINS
ACADEMIC COORDINATOR

2. CHRONOS = TIME
Chronological order is a way of
organizing ideas/events/incidents in
order of their occurrence in time.

3. EX. OF CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF WALT DISNEY
 Born December 5th 1951, Chicago
 Family moved to Missouri, spent childhood there
 Attended McKinley High school in Chicago
 1918 – joined the Red Cross and was sent to France
 Returned to pursue career in commercial art
 Recognition in Hollywood for “Alice Comedies”
 1925 – married Lillian Bounds
 1932 – first color cartoon “Flowers and Trees” won
Academy award

4. BIOGRAPHY CONTINUED
 1937- released “The Old Mill”
 1937 December 21st – first full length
animated film “Snow White and the Seven
Dwarfs” premiered in Los Angeles
 1938 to 42 – completed full length classics
(Pinocchio, Bambi, Dumbo & Fantasia)
 1954 – began Television production
 1955 – Disneyland Park opened

5. Chronological order in Essay writing
is used -
 To tell stories
 To relate historical events
 To explain processes & procedures such as
– how to take a picture, perform an
experiment etc

6. The Process Essay
The process essay, like any other essay has
three parts.
 The Introduction (Funnel/Attention getting)
 The multi paragraph body
 The conclusion (summary of main points &
the solution or resolution if any)

7. The THESIS Statement
(refer to handout)
The Thesis statement clearly states the
purpose of the essay or the direction it is
going to take. (It is usually the last statement
of your introduction)
“To understand how the accident at Chernobyl
happened, it is necessary to understand how a
nuclear power plant is constructed and how
one operates.”

8. THE THESIS STATEMENT
 A very basic thesis statement is a single sentence
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.

9. Examples of THESIS statements
Original Thesis: Many Americans are
buying foreign cars.
Revised Thesis: Many Americans are
buying the Toyota Corolla because of its
competitive price, fuel economy, and high
resale value.
(indicative of 3 reasons for the car’s popularity & the focus of
the essay)

10. Examples of THESIS statements
Original Thesis: San Francisco is an
interesting place to visit.
Revised Thesis: San Francisco is a
stimulating place to visit because of its
magnificent location, its theaters and art
galleries, and its many fine restaurants.
(indicative of 3 reasons why San Francisco is popular & the
focus of the essay)

11. The Body
 The body of the essay is where all details,
examples and generally all information is
given.
 Information is divided into paragraphs
based on the nature of the content and the
writer’s style of writing.

12. WRITING A GOOD CONCLUSION
• 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.

13. THE SUMMARY STATEMENT
• 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.

14. Examples of THESIS & SUMMARY Statements
T- Many Americans are buying the Toyota
Corolla because of its competitive price, fuel
economy, and high resale value.
S- 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. Examples of THESIS & SUMMARY Statements
T - San Francisco is a stimulating place to visit
because of its magnificent location, its
theaters and art galleries, and its many fine
restaurants.
S - If you love beautiful surroundings, world
class theater and art, and an exquisite meal,
then San Francisco is the place for you.

16. The clincher
As you write your conclusion, try to avoid
the "so-as-you-can-see" ending and the "in
conclusion my thesis statement proves that"
or "states that" ending. All of these are
overused and worn out. You've already
made your thesis and reasoning clear. You
don't need to tell us that you've just told us
something.

17. SAMPLE ESSAY
Refer to handout

18. Ceramics
Ceramic pottery dates back to ancient Greek times
and was used for varied purposes. Ceramic vases
are beautiful, and useful for holding your favorite
cut flowers as well. Luckily, you don't have to be a
master potter or even own a pottery wheel to craft
your own unique, personalized ceramic vase. With
these easy-to-follow instructions, you create a
simple vase that can be decorated however you
like.

19. The THESIS statement
Ceramic pottery dates back to ancient Greek times
and was used for varied purposes. Ceramic vases
are beautiful, and useful for holding your favorite
cut flowers as well. Luckily, you don't have to be a
master potter or even own a pottery wheel to craft
your own unique, personalized ceramic vase. With
these easy-to-follow instructions, you create a
simple vase that can be decorated however you
like.

20. THE BODY
(Divided into paragraphs)

21. STEP 1
Choose a smooth
working surface
that can be cleaned
easily.

22. STEP 2
Knead a large handful of clay
for a few moments until it is
soft and pliable.

23. STEP 3
Form the clay
into a ball, and
flatten slightly.

24. STEP 4
Use the rolling pin to roll the
clay to about 1/4 inch thick.

25. STEP 5
Cut a large
rectangle out of the
clay.

26. STEP 6
Form the rectangle
into a cylinder,
pinching and
smoothing the edges
together.

27. STEP 7
Place one hand inside the cylinder,
and with the other hand, hold the
plastic scraper gently on the
outside of the cylinder. Use your
hands and the scraper to
manipulate the clay into the
desired shape. Set aside.

28. STEP 8
• Knead the leftover bits
of clay into a ball, and
flatten it slightly. Roll
the flattened ball to
about 1/2 inch thick.

29. STEP 9
Gently set the vase
onto the rolled out
piece of clay, and
cut around the
bottom of the vase.

30. STEP 10
Dip your finger in some
water, and run it along the
bottom edge of the vase. Join
the clay piece that you've just
cut to the bottom of the vase
cylinder by gently pinching
and smoothing the clay
together at the joint. This will
form the base of your vase.
This step may take some time.

31. STEP 11
Place the vase into
a kiln or oven to
harden. When
finished, you can
glaze, paint or
decorate your vase
as desired.

32. WRITING THE PROCESS ESSAY
 Elaborate steps 1 to 11 to constitute the body
of your essay
 Group the points and divide into paragraphs
 Provide examples wherever possible – it
helps you achieve your word count and
makes for interesting reading
 Write a concluding paragraph

33. But that isn’t all! 
There’s more to come…

34. Revise and Proofread
REVISION
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.

35. Check for:
 Clarity: Is the essay clearly and logically
written?
 Unity: Do all the paragraphs relate to the
central idea?
 Coherence: Do the ideas flow smoothly?

36. Proofread your work
Proofreading 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.

37. The FINAL draft
• Typed/Word Processed
• double line spacing
• 1" margins
• a simple size 14 font
• title on top line (without quotation marks or
underlining)
• dark and readable printing

38. • http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/biography/w_bio_short.html
• http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/photogalleries/chernob
• How to Make a Ceramic Vase | eHow.com
http://www.ehow.com/how_4828653_ceramic-vase.html#ixzz1n4vtaVRA
• http://home.earthlink.net/~khatzi/essay/concl.htm