This document provides tips for improving writing skills such as hooks, transitions, endings, and developing a thesis statement. It encourages showing ideas rather than just telling about them. Various transition words are presented for addition, sequence, cause and effect, comparison, contrast, and examples. The importance of a strong conclusion that draws from the initial thesis is emphasized. Readers are advised to visualize their topics and use techniques to engage the audience.

1. WRITING MADE BETTER
Great hooks, fantastic transitions and phenomenal
endings!

2. HOW TO BEGIN…
 When some one wants to come and rob you, they
don’t hand you a note…

3. ACTION, NOT TELLING
 To focus on the main idea and show your audience,
organize and produce.
 Use an organizer to write down your topic and the
points you want to make.
 Select the most important point of the three.
 Now close your eyes and take a picture.

4. WHAT DO YOU SEE?

5. PRACTICE
Main Idea and Supporting Details
Main Idea
•Smoking is not healthy and can take years off of your life.
•Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer in the U. S. A.
•Smoking causes heart attacks
•Smoking causes respiratory problems
Main Idea
•Smoking is not cool
•People who smoke look filthy
•People who smoke stink
•People who smoke pollute the air we breathe
•smoking stains your teeth, your fingers and your hair.
•walking around with a cigarette in your hand or mouth does not
really look cool.
© Scott Foresman-Addison 2

6. WHAT DO YOU SEE?

7. NOW, WRITE WHAT YOU SEE
 Practice…

8. THE THESIS STATEMENT:
 The thesis statement is very important since it tells
the audience what to expect from your paper. You
want to “hook” them in right away, so you need to
draw that word picture to do that. Then SHOW them
what you will discuss…do NOT tell them!
 Let’s Practice on the whiteboard.

9. TRANSITIONS…
 There are ways to link ideas in sentences &
paragraphs together effectively. There are specific
ways…
 One way is called Addition & sequence…
 Use these words when adding information:
 In addition, also, again, furthermore, then, next, first,
second, third, last, finally, moreover, and further.

10. ADDITION & SEQUENCE PRACTICE
 Smoking is a very disgusting habit.
 It makes your health suffer in many ways.
 It causes lung cancer
 It causes heart disease
 It causes other diseases too.
 It makes you smell bad

11. CAUSE AND EFFECT
 Words to show cause and effect include:
 As a result, because, consequently, for, for this reason,
hence, so , then, therefore, thus.

12. PRACTICE…
 Smoking is a dangerous habit that many people
take for granted.
 Many people eventually suffer from lung cancer,
heart disease and other health problems.
 People should not smoke.

13. COMPARE OF CONTRAST…
 When you compare (similarities), you should use
words like:
 Also, in the same way, likewise, or similarly.
 When you use contrast (differences), use these:
 Although, at the same time, but, conversely, even so, however,
in contrast, nevertheless, on the contrary, otherwise, still, yet.

14. COMPARISON PRACTICE:
 Lungs turn dirty brown rather than pink.
 The blood vessels become clogged with plaque.
 The heart pumps harder to get oxygen into the
blood.

15. CONTRAST PRACTICE…
 Teens think that the effects of smoking will not harm
them now.
 That does not mean they will not be harmed later
on in life.
 They are being harmed now whether they realize it
or not.

16. EXAMPLE…
 So we want to add an example to help support our
points. Use the following:
 For example, for instance, in fact, indeed, of course,
specifically, that is, to illustrate
 Let’s tie the sentence from the previous slide to some
facts by example.

17. PRACTICE
 They are being harmed now whether they realize
it or not.
 Sexual function is affected by smoking
 Breathing is affected by smoking
 Playing sports is not as easy
 They need a job to support their habit

18. SUMMARY OR CONCLUSION:
 You will need to write a strong conclusion that
leaves your audience thinking, challenged, afraid.
You want them to act on what you said. There are
techniques for doing this and we will look at those
next, but to lead into the conclusion use these:
 As I have said, consequently, in any event, to
summarize, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, to
sum up, on the whole, that is, therefore.

19. PRACTICE
 Final paragraph:
Too many teens think that smoking looks cool.
 Conclusion:
 Smoking causes health related issues and affects young
people in many negative ways. Why would any one
want to start this filthy habit when they know all of this?
Think about it before you try it.

20. WRITING A STRONG CONCLUSION:
 Good endings grow from good beginnings. You take
what you said in the first sentence or thesis and
draw a conclusion based on that.
 Let’s say this was your thesis…
 Imagine waking up one day and gasping for breath
because you have had bronchitis every winter for
the past few years. Perhaps that is because you
are a smoker and this never happened before.

21. HOW TO BUILD OFF OF THE THESIS…
 You want to conclude, so draw a conclusion based
on the beginning of your essay. Picture some one
waking up coughing and hacking away.
 Now, what conclusions can you draw?

22. TRY IT OUT…

23. SO WHAT?
 With the proper techniques for writing, you can
make your work shine even if you don’t think you
are the best writer. You need to draw pictures for
your audience, not be a robber who hands the
audience a note telling them he’s going to rob their
house.