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ISBN: 979-8-9864302-0-1 (Paperback)

 Table of Contents

Message for Teachers and Homeschooling Parents

Introduction
Step 1: Building a Foundation
Chapter 1: Laying Out the Foundation
Step 2: Prewriting
Chapter 2: Planning the Perfect Essay
Lesson 2.1: Choosing Your Essay Topic
Lesson 2.2: Getting a Grip on Your Prompt
Lesson 2.3: Identifying Your Audience
Lesson 2.4: Brainstorming
Lesson 2.4.1: Webbing
Lesson 2.5: Doing Your Research
Lesson 2.6: Stating Your Claim
Lesson 2.7: Backing Up Your Claim
Lesson 2.8: Coming Up with a Killer Thesis Statement
Chapter 3: Outlining Your Way to Success
Lesson 3.1: Formal Outline
Lesson 3.2: The Handy Hamburger
Lesson 3.3: Mind Maps
Lesson 3.4: Timeline Graphic Organizer
Lesson 3.5: Flowchart
Step 3: Drafting
Chapter 4: Getting to the Meat and Potatoes: Writing Your
Essay
Lesson 4.1: How to Write a Compelling Essay Introduction
Lesson 4.1.1: Write an Attention-Grabbing Hook
Lesson 4.1.2: Give Background Information
Lesson 4.1.3: Thesis Statement Review
Lesson 4.2: Adding the Patty to the Buns: How to Build
Body Paragraphs for Your Essay
Lesson 4.2.1: Tackling the Topic Sentence
 Lesson 4.2.2: Establishing Evidence
Lesson 4.2.3: Analysis
Lesson 4.2.4: Concluding Sentence
Lesson 4.2.5: Counterarguments
Lesson 4.3: How to Write an Intriguing Conclusion
Lesson 4.3.1: Rephrase Your Thesis Statement
Lesson 4.3.2: Wrap Up and Review Your Main Points
Lesson 4.3.3: Tie It All Together and Close It
Lesson 4.4: Transitions
Lesson 4.5: How to Come Up with an Effective Title for
Your Essay
Lesson 4.6: Citing and Referencing Your Work
Step 4: Polish and Shine
Chapter 5: Cleaning Up Your Essay
Lesson 5.1: Revising
Lesson 5.2: Editing
Lesson 5.3: Proofreading
Step 5: Going Above and Beyond
Chapter 6: Types of Five-Paragraph Essays to Master
Lesson 6.1: Expository Essay—Stick to the Facts
Lesson 6.2: Narrative Essay—Story Time
Lesson 6.3: Descriptive Essay—A Vivid Portrayal
Lesson 6.4: Persuasive Essay—Change My Mind
Chapter 7: Going Pro with Essay Writing
Lesson 7.1: Making Your Writing More Creative
Lesson 7.2: Adding Your Voice
Lesson 7.3: Reflecting on What You’ve Done
Lesson 7.4: Reading the “Write” Way
Final Thoughts
Essential Evaluation Guide for Teachers (and
Homeschoolers!)
Eight Must-Dos When Evaluating Student Essays
References
 Message for Teachers and
Homeschooling Parents
Teachers
When you’re standing in front of a class telling students they can
have a blast while completing an assignment, you’re often met
with derision.

It can be exhausting trying to convince your students writing is fun.

You could go on and on until you’re blue in the face, and you still
won’t get your students to listen and engage with the material you
are teaching.

It’s no secret. Being a teacher is exhausting, especially when you

spend endless weeknights and weekends lesson planning,
prepping, and grading. There seems to be no end, and you must
sacrifice your personal life and relationships to give your all to the
role of being a teacher. The burnout is real, and that is OK.

Writing, especially coherent essay writing, is one of the most

difficult concepts to teach. If you have pulled your hair out trying
to create engaging lessons or have gone down the slippery slope
of searching for “perfect” online, ready-made resources to no
avail, then take a seat and relax. Let us do the heavy lifting, so you
don’t have to.

Use a fool-proof method on essay writing which shows your

students the pleasure of the process. This book is here to make your
life easier. It’s a self-teaching guide, so give it to your students and
let them take some control over their education. After all, when
students have independence over their learning, you see the
following:
 Increased motivation
Higher academic performance
More self-awareness of their academic strengths and
weaknesses (Meyer et al., 2008)

Alternatively, you could use the content within this book to

generate your lesson plan. You can even make photocopies of
the exercises within this book and hand them out as worksheets!
Any way you choose to use it, all the information your students
need is right here!

Homeschooling Parents
Homeschooling is no walk in the park. Getting your child to sit
down and do anything can be hard and convincing them to write
an essay can be harder. It can sometimes cause anxiety and
frustration for both of you.

It’s challenging to maintain a structured teaching method and

instill discipline when you’re around each other 24/7. We hear you.
You need resources that will engross and excite your child,
particularly on topics they don’t enjoy. Maybe then, some of the
heat will be taken off of you!

You may be concerned your child struggles with essential writing

techniques and they’re falling behind some of their peers.

If your child lacks confidence, they may need some extra tools to
give them a boost and remind them they are capable.

All of these are reasonable and normal frets. There are many
hurdles young people must overcome in essay writing. This is what
you need to focus on—supporting them to knock down these
barriers.
P.S. We’ve provided an evaluation guide near the end of the book
to help you gauge your student’s or child’s performance and
apply a grade to their work.
 Introduction
Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only way
you can do anything really good.
—William Faulkner, A Faulkner Perspective

Stresses for Students

Picture this. You’re given the essay topic. Immediately, panic strikes
—your breathing quickens, your heartbeat rises, and your palms
get clammy. Next, the negative mindset kicks in. You tell yourself
there’s no way you can do it. You don’t know enough. You think to
yourself, Why didn’t I pay attention in class?

By the time you actually write the thing, you’re so stressed you
can’t think straight. Does this sound about right?

Maybe that’s not it. Perhaps you hate essay writing because you
just think it’s plain dull. Whether you get anxious or bored, you’re
not alone. Most people dread essay writing for one reason or
another.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Stress and sleepy eyes aren’t
what we want here. What you need: simple steps and deep
breaths.

Non-Native English Speakers

What if English isn’t your first language? Essay writing is hard
enough for native speakers, let alone when you’re tackling a
language barrier, too.

What are the main problems?

 1. English isn’t written in the same way it’s spoken. This causes all
sorts of confusion when you’re asked to write an essay.
2. Essay writing isn’t like sending a text or writing a letter; it has
different rules that can be difficult to understand.
3. It’s quite a long process, and it can be exhausting if you’re
attempting to understand the language while also trying to
write a perfect essay (North Carolina State University, 2021).

But don’t worry! This guide is jam-packed with lessons everyone

can understand.

We’ve given you easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions that will

support you through every part of essay writing. We leave nothing
out! By the end of it, you’ll be able to write a flawless English essay
as if you’ve been doing it your whole life.

Returning Students
Have you been out of the game for a while? Feeling rusty? Well,
shake off those cobwebs and get writing! Not writing for a time
doesn’t mean everything you’ve learned is lost or that you’re
incapable.

However, it’s normal to have concerns. Maybe you’re worried that

all the rules have changed since you left school. You might be
stressing out because you don’t think you can get back into the
swing of things.

Are you worried that since now you have a lot more going on, and
you won’t be able to fit in essay writing?

That’s where we come in. This guide is filled to the brim with helpful
tips and tricks to get you back into the rhythm of essay writing.
What’s more? We teach you essay writing doesn’t have to be a
long, arduous task, and we give you techniques to speed up the
process.
This guide will hopefully spark some pre-existing knowledge. If not,
you’ll learn something new! Win, win.

What Makes Writing Essays Tricky?

For one, they can be tedious. They often take a lot of time, and
they take effort. If you’re an expert at putting off work, you may
struggle even to sit down and get started.

Chances are, you’re focusing on the wrong things. It’s all too easy
to set your heart on earning an excellent grade or making others
proud. These rewards are extrinsic . They won’t motivate you to
pick up that pen or open that laptop.

Instead, try focusing on the enjoyment of writing itself (intrinsic

rewards). In other words, stay thinking about the current moment,
not the future prize. Once you start this, all those other rewards are
likely to follow.

Another common hiccup is telling yourself you can’t do it. Thinking

in this way assumes your talents are set. This is called a fixed
mindset . It’s the belief you’re either naturally good at something or
not, and this can’t change (Dweck, 2017). This simply isn’t true!

Thinking in this way could be what’s holding you back. It may

cause you to

avoid challenges because you worry you’ll fail,

believe practicing and putting in the effort is pointless,
give up easily,
be jealous of other people’s success, and
feel hurt when you receive feedback (Ackerman, 2021).

It’s better for your writing (and your sanity!) if you have a growth
mindset . This is all about remembering that your intelligence and
talents can grow (Dweck, 2016). Like they say, practice makes
perfect!

So, how can a growth mindset help you? Well, students who think
in this way typically do the following:

Get better grades

Show more confidence (Curtis, 2019; Dweck, 2016)
Have more motivation
Learn better
See challenges as a way to improve, not as a risk of failure
(MacArthur & Moxley, 2020)

It’s all about saying, “I can do this,” rather than immediately

believing you can’t. This isn’t easy, especially if you’re used to
having a fixed mindset. It’s common to struggle with confidence
when you’re learning. After all, writing is hard, and there’s a bunch
to remember.

By following this guide and using the helpful step-by-step

instructions, you will gain the confidence you need to think more
positively about essay writing!

Just remind yourself to focus on enjoying the process and to keep

practicing.

What’s This Book About?

This book breaks down all the difficult parts of essay writing into
simple, straightforward steps. You’ll learn about writing challenges,
such as creating an exciting introduction and a thoughtful thesis
statement. We’ll also venture into the different types of essays, so
you can perfect each one.

You’ll uncover ways to keep yourself chill while writing stellar

essays. You’ll even learn to enjoy the process! We provide
exercises with answers to get you involved and allow you to check
your hard work along the way.

We will also introduce you to outlining techniques and graphic

organizers to make writing an ace essay easy.

The Steps
When a song comes on, and everyone knows the moves but you,
terror creeps in. Don’t let that be you in essay writing. Just like
dance moves, you can break essay writing down into steps. We’ve
done this for you!

There are five main steps, which the chapters of this guide follow:

1. Building a Foundation
2. Prewriting
3. Drafting
4. Polish and Shine
5. Going Above and Beyond

Chapter 1 (“Laying Out the Foundation”) focuses on the first step.

Here, we run through what a five-paragraph essay is and its
importance. We talk about basic essay structure.

The second step, Prewriting , is covered in Chapters 2 and 3.

Chapter 2 looks at planning. Here, you’ll pick a topic, make sure
you understand it, and identify your target audience. You’ll learn
how to brainstorm and research your topic, how to state your
points confidently, and how to write effective thesis statements.

Chapter 3 is all about organization. Here, we look at outlines and

graphic organizers to speed up the writing process, so you’re not
stuck writing this essay forever!
Next, in Chapter 4 we discuss the third step, Drafting . This section
goes over every part of the essay. We talk about grabbing the
reader’s attention, getting your points across clearly, and backing
your claim up with trustworthy research. You’ll also learn how to
wrap this all up in a compelling conclusion.

In Chapter 5, we talk about how to Polish and Shine your essay, the
fourth step. It has three sections:

1. Revise
2. Edit
3. Proofread

This is the chapter that will make the difference between a good
essay and a great one. It has all the information you need to make
your essay really shine!

The fifth and final step, Going Above and Beyond , is a bonus. We
cover this in Chapters 6 and 7. Chapter 6 goes over the different
types of essays you’re sure to come across and gives you a
detailed explanation on how to tackle each one. You will use the
basic structure and process of writing a five-paragraph essay
learned in Chapters 2-5 and apply it to the different essay types we
go over in Chapter 6.

In Chapter 7, we look at boosting your creativity, finding your

voice, and reflecting on all that you have achieved.

It’s All About the Layers

Looking at the chapters closely, you’ll see plenty of smaller, bite-
sized steps (called lessons ) within each bigger goal. We’ve
designed it this way, so you can keep having little wins throughout
the book.
It may be tempting to skip past one section if you’re only
particularly worried about one area. Don’t do it! Every step builds
on the one before, and the only way to achieve a fantastic essay
is to follow them one after the other.

Why This Guide?

If you’re like most, you’ve tried many resources with no success.
This guide provides something slightly different. It takes the drab
and the dreary and makes it exciting and inviting.

To learn an “uninteresting” topic, you need simple language, easy

steps, and someone who knows what they’re talking about!

We are Successful Student Publications, a team of ambitious

collaborators pioneering the world of writing by offering easy-to-
use and accessible information for students and individuals of all
proficiency levels to improve their writing skills. We provide books to
guide students (like you!) through topics many people find tricky.

We’ve pinpointed what’s needed to triumph in essay writing

through extensive research, working with both students and
teachers.

So, we’ve created a guide to help everyone achieve their best,

whatever their age or grade. We’re not called Successful Student
Publications for nothing! We want all students to succeed.

Our easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and comprehensive

resources will help you feel more confident about essay writing,
and you might even discover you enjoy it! Everything you need is in
one place—within these pages.
 STEP 1
Building a Foundation
 CHAPTER 1
Laying Out the Foundation

Have you ever tried to build a tower out of paper? Whether you
have or have not, you are probably curious about why we are
mentioning this random activity in a book about essays. The
challenge requires you to construct a tower, as high as you can,
with only paper. That is essentially the only rule. When students
participate in this challenge, their towers often look very different
from each other. Even though they are all given the same
materials—several sheets of paper—their end products are not the
same. Some students fold the paper, some students roll it up, and
some tear it into pieces, all trying to complete the challenge with a
slightly different approach.

There is one thing all the towers have in common:

A foundation.
No matter how tall or wide the towers are, they all have a solid
foundation at the bottom that holds them in place. Without this
foundation, the towers are doomed to fall from the start. Imagine
trying to build one of these towers in midair. Unless it defies the laws
of gravity, it would collapse to the ground as soon as you let go.

Now, imagine trying to write a five-paragraph essay without a solid

foundation. You may create something that looks good, but take
a step back. Your essay will look very different. Without a
foundation, you wouldn’t even know where to begin. Before
tackling the essay, you need some knowledge on what a five-
paragraph essay actually is. You also need to know its
components!

Rather than throwing you into the deep end, this chapter is here to
help you dip your toes in the water. We’ll just touch on things here.
The later chapters will explore everything in much, much more
detail! Let’s begin with why learning to write a five-paragraph
essay is important.

Why Should You Learn How to Write a 5-Paragraph Essay?

You might be thinking, Why do I have to learn how to write a five-
paragraph essay? I’m never going to write one outside of school
anyway .

We hear you. But frankly, this is an outdated way of thinking. The

five-paragraph essay is absolutely applicable to different areas of
your life, and you need to understand why.

Writing any essay strengthens your research and critical thinking

skills. These are two skills you will need no matter where you go in
life. You will need to discover and be open to learning new
information, process and understand information, and make
informed decisions based on what you have learned.
In today’s day and age, with a vast array of information at your
fingertips, it is also important to know how to research and filter
information. You need to determine what information is reliable,
and knowing how to write a five-paragraph essay helps you
sharpen this skill by putting it into practice.

Essay writing also gives you a way to communicate with an

audience by providing a platform to express your thoughts, beliefs,
and opinions. To communicate with an audience effectively, you
must learn how to use words effectively and relate to your
audience. You’ll come to realize it is not possible to communicate
with everyone in the same manner and tone. You need to
communicate with people in a way which makes sense to them or
else you may not get the response you want.

Now, it is unlikely you will write your parents a five-paragraph essay

to convince them to buy a dog or send your boss a five-paragraph
essay explaining why you should get paid more. And even if you
decide to write an essay, it may not end up being exactly five
paragraphs. However, learning how to write a five-paragraph
essay now helps prepare you for those situations. You may find
yourself asking, “How will I convince my parents to buy a dog if I
don’t know where to get one?” or “How will I ever get paid more if
I don’t know how to show my worth?” These types of questions,
believe it or not, will become much easier to answer as you
develop your research and communication skills through ample
practice with five-paragraph essays.

As you can see, there are endless ways learning how to write a
five-paragraph essay may be beneficial to you and may be
applicable for years to come. Keep this in mind, and it will keep
you motivated for the rest of the book!

What Exactly is a 5-Paragraph Essay?

A five-paragraph essay is a form of prose writing that follows an
organized structure composed of five distinct paragraphs: an
introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion (Fleming,
2019a). Let’s look at the table for an overview.

What is it What is it? Why is it important to me?

called?

Introduction The first You need to grab the reader’s

paragraph attention and introduce your main
of your ideas. You will also present your thesis
essay statement with three distinct points.

Body The three You need to present your ideas and

paragraphs middle expand on them with evidence and
paragraphs analysis.
of your
essay

Conclusion The final You need to remind the reader of

paragraph your main ideas and provide a
of your summary of what you’ve discussed in
essay the rest of your essay. It should
connect back to your introduction.

As the table mentions, the introduction is the first paragraph of

your essay. It sets the stage for the rest of your essay by grabbing
the reader’s attention with a captivating hook, introducing your
main ideas with well-developed background information, and
stating a three-point thesis statement which outlines the points you
will talk about in the subsequent three body paragraphs.
Each body paragraph will cover one of the three points from your
thesis statement. You will start with a topic sentence that tells the
reader what the main idea of the paragraph is. Then, you will
follow up the topic sentence with supporting sentences, evidence,
and analysis.

Lastly, you have the conclusion. The conclusion is usually a short

paragraph that rephrases the thesis statement and summarizes the
main ideas from each body paragraph. Its purpose is to close off
the essay with key takeaways and a final message for the reader.
You should not introduce new ideas in this paragraph (The Writing
Center, 2009).

Don’t worry if this seems overwhelming right now. We are just briefly
going over the main components of a five-paragraph essay to
give you a sturdy foundation to work from. If you are not familiar
with some of the terms mentioned, don’t fret! You’ll become
familiar with these terms as we move along in the book.

In the coming chapters, everything will be broken down step by

step into manageable pieces that are easy to understand. Next,
let’s go over how this book is organized, so you can get the most
out of it.

The Basic 5-Paragraph Essay Blueprint

Now you should have a preliminary understanding of the different
components of a five-paragraph essay. This will make the coming
chapters a bit easier to understand and absorb.

Chapters 2-5 are dedicated to providing you with an

organizational blueprint of the basic five-paragraph essay. What
this means is you will learn how to properly plan for and write a five-
paragraph essay through a step-by-step process. You will also
learn how to edit, revise, and proofread your essay to perfection.
These are the most rudimentary steps you need to master before
moving onto more complex pieces of essay writing as you
advance in your career as a student.

Once you have finished going through Chapters 2-5 and have a
grasp of the concepts, you will soon come to realize this
preparatory blueprint carefully lays out a solid structure and
framework that can serve as the basis for many, specific types of
essays and literary works (Zile, 2006, pp. 4–5).

That is when Chapter 6 comes into play, and things get a little
spicy! You will use the basic five-paragraph essay blueprint and
apply it to the different essay types we go over in Chapter 6.

There are many kinds of essays which are more focused,

elaborate, and layered than the basic five-paragraph essay, and
you will likely get more exposure to these different types of essays
and literary works as you mature as a student and take on more
complex writing assignments. For the purposes of this book, we will
only touch on a few different types of essays in Chapter 6.

To make sure it is not too much of a shock later on, let us briefly go
over the four different kinds of essays we explore in Chapter 6:

Type of
Description
Essay

Expository Serves to explain and elaborate on a topic using

factual information

Narrative Serves to tell a story with a moral, usually pulling

from life events

Descriptive Serves to provide a detailed description about a

place, object, situation, person, character, or
 event. Uses descriptive words to paint a picture in
the reader’s mind.

Persuasive Serves to persuade or convince the reader of the

author’s viewpoint.

We’re not going to provide any more information than that right
now. Why? Getting started can be overwhelming, and we want to
make it as simple as possible. It’s easy to get lost in the weeds of
every single detail. Taking a step back and looking at the bigger
picture is sometimes the best thing you can do.

As you head into the rest of this book and start writing your five-
paragraph essay, we hope the process will be a little easier than
trying to build that high tower. We’ve given you a head start by
giving you a foundation of knowledge about five-paragraph
essays. Throughout the following chapters, we will incrementally
provide you with the content and materials you need to write an
essay. Just as each one of those paper towers is one-of-a-kind,
your essay will also be unique. We want you to take what you learn
in this book and apply it in your own creative way. There’s only so
far rules and guidelines can take you. Throughout the entire writing
process, think about yourself and take ownership of everything you
do. This is your essay, and you will make it amazing.
 STEP 2
Prewriting
 CHAPTER 2
Planning the Perfect Essay

This chapter is part of Step 2: Prewriting. Follow these eight lessons,

and you’ll be off to a great start planning your essay:

2.1. Choosing Your Essay Topic

2.2. Getting a Grip on Your Prompt
2.3. Identifying Your Audience
2.4. Brainstorming
2.5. Doing Your Research
2.6. Stating Your Claim
2.7. Backing Up Your Claim
2.8. Coming Up with a Killer Thesis Statement
If you’ve already been given your essay topic, you should still read
through this lesson.
Lesson 2.1: Choosing Your Essay Topic
We’ve reached the first step in this chapter: choosing the topic of
your essay.

Everything starts with an idea! Think about your phone (if you have
one). It didn’t magically come about; someone came up with an
idea of how it would look and what it would do. If we didn’t have
people cooking up new ideas, phones might still look like this!

Writing an essay is no different. It needs to start as an idea. You

then turn this big idea into a topic by making it more specific.
Don’t worry; we’ll coach you through this!

It’s OK if you find this task overwhelming. Most people do. In fact,
there are two common problems people have when picking a
topic:

1. The topic isn’t interesting.

2. The topic is too big.

We’ll go through each of these dilemmas and show you how to

avoid them!

Interesting = Easier!
When it comes to deciding on your topic, it’s good to choose
something that excites you and you want to learn more about.
You’ll be a lot more motivated to write your essay (and do it well!)
if you actually enjoy the topic you’re writing about (Lo & Hyland,
2007).

Being interested in what you’re learning has many benefits:

Better focus
More energy when learning
Improvements in academic performance
Increased motivation to dig deeper and learn more
(Harackiewicz et al., 2018)

So, pick a topic that excites you and witness these positives for
yourself!

Too Much Information!

It’s important to remember you’re only writing five paragraphs. You

can only cover a small topic (Arquilevich, 1999, pp. 8–9).

Say you want to write about America. That’s one big topic to
cover, so you may be flooded with information when you go to
research it. How about the United States? You would find it hard to
write about all 50 states in just five paragraphs. Choosing one
state, like Massachusetts, might be easier to write about, but it’s still
not specific enough. We can dig into the history of Massachusetts
and write about a specific event. How about the Boston Tea
Party? Now that’s a topic!
In the diagram, we show the stages of turning your big idea into a
specific topic. Imagine you’re up at the top of the vines, wanting
to get down. The thing is, there are so many vines where you are,
you can barely see the ground!

To get to the ground, you need to travel down the vines, which get
smaller and smaller as you go.

Just like the vines, when deciding your topic, you start with a big
subject where there’s an enormous amount of information. You
need to make this subject smaller and smaller to get to your essay
topic.

If you need inspiration, check out our “universe” example.

From Topic to Prompt

Once you’ve narrowed your big idea down into a topic, there’s
one more step to take. For your topic to be essay ready, you need
to transform it into a prompt. A prompt is a question or statement
your essay answers. Questions are what most people use and what
we recommend, but if a great statement pops into your head,
brilliant! Use it.

If you pick a statement, make sure it includes words like “explain,”

“compare,” or “contrast.” These are called command words, and
they will make your life easier when it comes to writing your essay.
We will go over command words in the next lesson.

Going back to our example about the United States, a good

prompt in the form of a question could be: What are the favorite
foods of people living in Massachusetts? A good prompt in the
form of a statement could be: Describe the favorite foods of
people living in Massachusetts.

Let’s use the topic from the earlier example to show you how to go
from topic to prompt:

Topic: Role of the sun during an eclipse

Prompt: Explain the role of the sun during an eclipse.

There is more than one way to write a prompt. Here are a few
more options to show you what they could look like:

Option 2: What is the role of the sun during an eclipse?

Option 3: Describe the role of the sun during an eclipse.

Option 4: What is the role of the sun during an eclipse? Explain your
reasoning.
Lesson 2.2: Getting a Grip on Your Prompt

Have you ever tried playing a new sport without knowing the rules?
Well, essay writing is like that if you don’t understand your prompt.

If you haven’t come up with the prompt yourself, pay extra

attention here. You may find it harder to understand if you haven’t
chosen it.

Prompt: the question or statement you need to answer in your

essay

Take a look at the definition of a prompt shown above. When

trying to understand your prompt, you need to ask yourself the
following:

1. What is the topic of the essay?

2. What am I being asked to do?

Luckily, every prompt has keywords you can pick out to help you
understand what it’s asking for. There are two types of keywords:

Subject words
Command words

Subject words tell you what you need to write about (the subject).
Command words tell you what you need to do. Look out for words
like “describe,” “compare,” and “analyze.”
Command words, in particular, can be tricky to understand. Take
a look at the table. It shows you the type of command words you
might come across and what they’re asking you to do (Matthews,
2020, pp. 10–11).

Compare Show how two or more things are similar.

Contrast Show how two or more things are different.

Explain Write in detail about the topic. Imagine the reader

knows nothing about it. What are the most important
things to tell them?

Describe Give a detailed description of the topic.

Analyze Break your topic down into smaller parts and look at
these in detail. Ask “why” and “how.”

Discuss Write your point of view and give evidence for this.

Here’s an example of a very simple essay prompt with the subject

and command words picked out for you.

Essay Prompt: Discuss basketball.

Subject Word: basketball

Command Word: discuss

It’s important to remember subject words can also be phrases, not
just one or two words. Here’s an example:

Analyze the effects of climate change.

For this prompt, the subject words would be “the effects of climate
change.” This means you’re looking at the impact of climate
change rather than just looking at climate change in general. The
command word here is “analyze.”

Here’s another example:

Essay Prompt: Describe the water cycle and why it is essential to

life on Earth.

Subject Words: the water cycle and why it’s essential to life on
Earth

Command Words: describe

Example:

Essay Prompt: How does eating fruit help your skin?

Subject Words: how eating fruit helps your skin

Command Words: No command word. Explain your thoughts on

how eating fruit helps your skin.

Clashing Phrases
Sometimes, your prompt will contain a phrase with two words that
oppose or clash with one another by asking you for different things.
We call these clashing phrases . It’s important that you are easily
able to identify these phrases so you fully understand your prompt.

Here are some examples of possible clashing phrases within your

prompt:

Advantages and disadvantages

Positives and negatives
Pros and cons
Compare and contrast
Benefits and drawbacks
For and against
Similarities and differences

*This is not an exhaustive list of all existing clashing phrases.

As you can see, clashing phrases ask you for two sides of an
argument. For example, if you see “advantages and
disadvantages” in your prompt, you know you are being asked to
consider the upside and downside of something. That’s what
makes these phrases special when analyzing your prompt.

Pay close attention to the word “and” in these phrases. If you see
the word “or” instead of “and,” this is no longer a clashing phrase
because you are not being asked to consider two sides of an
argument. The word “or” implies that you consider one side while
the word “and” implies that you consider two sides.

You may have noticed that “compare and contrast” is on this list
of clashing phrases . Let’s not forget, however, that “compare”
and “contrast” (as individual words) are also command words,
which we discussed earlier in this lesson. In every other case, a
clashing phrase is part of the subject words in a prompt (Matthews,
2020, p. 15).
Let’s look at an example:

Essay Prompt: Describe the benefits and drawbacks of brushing

your teeth.

Subject Words: the benefits and drawbacks of brushing your teeth

Command Word: describe

In this example, “benefits and drawbacks” is a clashing phrase , so

we have underlined it. The phrase “benefits and drawbacks” is also
part of the subject words.

In this next example, you’ll observe that “compare and contrast”

can be both a clashing phrase and the command words of the
prompt.

Essay Prompt : Compare and contrast the seasons of the year.

Subject Words : the seasons of the year

Command Words: compare and contrast

*The phrase “compare and contrast” is underlined because it is also a clashing phrase in
this prompt.
Lesson 2.3: Identifying Your Audience

What Audience?
You now know what your prompt is asking you to do. The next step
is thinking about whom you’re writing the essay for. Who is your
target audience?

Audience: the people (or person) your essay is directed toward

When writing an essay, it’s easy to forget you’re writing to

someone. This is an important thing to remember if you want to
write a great essay. But why?

Identifying your audience will help you do the following:

→ Decide what vocabulary to use in your essay

If you’re writing to your friends, the words you use may be casual
(aka informal). You may even use some slang words. If you’re
writing to your teacher, you will need to use more serious words
(aka formal).

→ Choose the tone of your essay

Tone is the writer’s attitude toward the reader. For example, if you
were trying to persuade the reader, you may use a lot of
command words that tell them what to do.
Who Is Your Audience?
If your teacher has given you the prompt, they’re likely your
audience. However, this might not always be the case. It would
help if you thought about who your prompt relates to.

Say you’re writing a persuasive essay, trying to encourage your

classmates to raise money for charity. Here, your audience is your
classmates, and you need to use solid and convincing words
because you’re trying to get them to follow your instructions.

If you’re writing your essay for a competition or a blog, you’ll have

a bigger audience (Arquilevich, 1999, p. 21). In this case, you may
want to consider the following specific information about your
audience:

Age
Gender
Background
Interests
Beliefs
Education level

Thinking about these factors helps you adjust your writing style so
your essay entices the reader.
Lesson 2.4: Brainstorming
When writing an essay, it’s hard to know where to begin. Do you
feel like you have nothing to write about? It can feel like there’s an
angry storm in your head, but this isn’t what we mean by
brainstorming .

Your brain is a muscle, and just like any other muscle in your body,
it needs warming up. Brainstorming forces those rusty gears in your
head to turn and takes the focus off writing, so your creative ideas
can break free.

When you brainstorm, you come up with a whole heap of different

ideas related to your prompt. You may not use them all, but this is
how you get the big ideas that your essay will be based on (
Arquilevich, 1999, p. 10).

There are plenty of methods used to brainstorm. We’ll talk about

two here:

1. Brainwriting
2. Idea Listing

Brainwriting
This method is as simple as grabbing a piece of paper, putting your
prompt in the middle, and writing as many ideas as you can that
connect to it (Wilson et al., n.d.).
Using this method may help you get your ideas out quickly. You
can scribble them down as they come to mind. This way, you
won’t forget any of your fantastic ideas. Take a look at the
example.

Idea Listing
If you like to keep your thoughts more organized, idea listing may
be the best method for you (Purdue Writing Lab, n.d.-a).

It’s an easy technique with just two steps:

1. Write your prompt at the top of the page.

2. List your ideas below your prompt.

Writing your prompt at the top of the page helps remind you of the
focus of your essay, and it will bring you back on task if you get
distracted. List your ideas in the order they come to mind.

This method may make it easier for you to pick out the main ideas
you want to use in your essay later on.
The Five W s
What if no ideas immediately spring to mind? This happens all the
time, so don’t worry!

If you’re finding it difficult knowing where to begin, try thinking

about the five W s:

1. Who?
2. What?
3. Where?
4. When?
5. Why?

Asking these questions in relation to your prompt may help you get
started. But beware! You might find some questions don’t relate to
your prompt. That’s OK! Just skip those and move onto one that
sparks some ideas for you.
Take a look at the example. Use it as a guide when trying this
method yourself!

Prompt: Describe the discovery of DNA.

What? Discovery of DNA

Who? Johann Friedrich Miescher

Where? In a laboratory in Tübingen castle. The room used to be a

kitchen.

When? The 1860s

Why? To better understand the human body

Lesson 2.4.1: Webbing

You have a whole load of ideas from your brainstorming, but this
alone won’t give you a great essay. To be able to make an essay
plan out of your ideas, you need to connect them.

That’s where webbing comes in. Webbing is a great way to

connect your thoughts about your prompt. Just like a spider’s web
going from one surface to another, you draw lines between ideas
that are related or similar in some way.

In a recent scientific study, 91.7% of students who took part said

webbing would help them improve their writing. And in fact, it did
(Ariana, 2015)! So, it’s well worth giving it a go.

You may find that some ideas become grouped together because
they are related, and you may notice a common thread between
them. This is called clustering . Clustering is a great way to see what
ideas are most important when it comes to your prompt.

Do some ideas have no connections at all? These are unlikely to

be useful ideas when writing your essay (Arquilevich, 1999, p. 13).
However, that doesn’t mean get rid of them! Keep them, just in
case.

Let’s revisit the “how nature helps mental health” example we

used when idea listing. Here, you can see it in web format!
Lesson 2.5: Doing Your Research

If you picked your own prompt based on one of your interests,

chances are you know some stuff about it already. If your teacher
chose it for you, however, you may know very little about it.

Whatever the situation, researching is a great tool to improve your

knowledge of your essay subject. This makes writing your essay a
lot easier!

Researching for essay writing is important for many reasons:

Your brain will be overflowing with knowledge, which will show

in your essay.
Knowing more about your topic will give your writing clarity.
You’ll find interesting facts about your topic that not everyone
knows, which will make your essay more exciting to read.
Your essay will be based on fact, not fiction.
When you have lots of information, you can pick out the best
parts, which makes your essay more creative and effective.

As you can see, we could go on forever about the benefits of

research. But there are some important things to think about when
finding information.

Some sources are better than others. For example, you can’t use
information your mom’s friend’s nephew said about your prompt,
but you can interview an expert.

The easiest place to find information in a short amount of time is

the internet. But beware! Not all the information you see there is
factual or relevant to your prompt.

Books are a great way to find trustworthy information. Take a look

at different dictionaries. Perhaps there’s an encyclopedia on your
essay subject (Arquilevich, 1999, pp. 15–16)!

There are two worries students typically have when it comes to

research:

1. How to know what is fact and what is not

2. What to research

Let’s go through these in a bit more detail.

Separating Truth from Lies

There are some things you can do to make sure your sources are
reliable. Here are some tips to help you out:

1. Check out the author or publisher. Do a quick internet search

for them. Find their experience and education to be sure
they’re an expert on your essay subject.
2. Ask yourself: Why is the author writing this information? Is it to
help people learn about the subject? Are they trying to be
funny or over-the-top? Are they trying to sell something?
 3. Look at plenty of sources. If they all say the same thing, you
can probably trust them.
4. Check the date. If you’re talking about a historical event in
your essay, information may be more trustworthy if it’s from
that particular time period. If you’re focusing on a more
modern subject, you may want to stick to more current sources
so the information is still relevant.
5. Avoid social media posts, advertisements, and blogs, as these
aren’t usually reliable sources.

What Do I Research?
If you’re asking yourself, “What do I research?” don’t worry! This is
why we brainstorming and webbing. You’re already prepared for
this.

Go back to your brainstorm and webbing sheets. Take some

keywords from these and use them in your research.

Save Your Sources!

The last thing to remember is to write down your sources as you
find them. Showing where you got your information is an important
part of essay writing.

It’s so common for students to do brilliant research, then close the

tab (or close the book) and lose the source forever. What a waste
of time!

It’s a lot harder trying to go back to find your sources once you’ve
written your essay, so do it as you go along! It’s critical to give
credit to those whose information you used (Arquilevich, 1999, pp.
15–16).
Lesson 2.6: Stating Your Claim

Now that you have your research and sources all sorted out, we’re
going to explore stating your claim , an imperative step in the
essay planning process. Let’s get started with what a claim
actually is.

Claim: a statement that establishes the main idea or argument of

your essay (The Writing Center @PVCC, 2017).

In other words, a claim is usually a sentence that conveys a point

of view or opinion on which an essay is based (Matthews, 2020, p.
13). It determines the essay’s goal and direction. The claim is
always supported by evidence.

When we talk about evidence , we mean those trustworthy

sources you found in your research. These sources are going to be
your best friend when it comes to the next lesson, Backing Up Your
Claim.

Say your prompt is: “What is the most popular animal in America?”
During your research, you found reliable sources saying dogs are
the most common pet and evidence proving this. Using these
sources to back it up, you can claim that dogs are the most
popular animal in America.

How to Come Up with a Claim

For starters, your claim needs to be related to your essay prompt. It
should be a statement, not an instruction or a question (Matthews,
2020, p. 13).

Here’s an example to help you out:

Prompt: Describe the difficulties of getting good grades.

Claim: Getting good grades is difficult.

Remember earlier how we spoke about subject words? If you’ve

forgotten, these are the words in your prompt that tell you what
you need to write about. These aren’t always one or two words;
they can also be a phrase.

As well as helping you understand your prompt, subject words can

also help you generate your claim!

If we’re using the example above, the subject words would be

“difficulties of getting good grades.”

Can you see what we’ve done to make the claim? We’ve taken
the subject words and created a statement that can be proven.

Let’s do another one:

Prompt: What is the most successful NFL team?

Subject Words: most successful NFL team

Claim: The most successful NFL team is the New England Patriots.

What if You Have a Clashing Phrase in Your Prompt?

You might be wondering how you would state a claim for a
prompt that contains a clashing phrase. This might seem confusing,
but have no fear! Let’s break it down.

When a prompt contains a clashing phrase, it’s asking you for two
sides of an argument, like “for and against” or “advantages and
disadvantages.” However, when it comes to your claim, you will
only choose one side. The other side will come into play when you
gather evidence for your claim in the next lesson.

If your prompt is “discuss the pros and cons of watching the news,”
your claim could be “watching the news has an overall negative
effect on your brain.” Notice here your claim only makes one finite
argument. You’re arguing the news is bad for your brain (cons)
based on the research you’ve done and the sources you found.

Even though the pros of watching the news is not reflected in your
claim, don’t forget it’s of great importance later on. It will make
more sense in Lesson 2.7, as you keep moving forward in this
chapter.

Let’s go through an example:

Prompt: What are the advantages and disadvantages of taking

vitamin supplements?

Subject Words: advantages and disadvantages of taking vitamin

supplements

Claim: Overall, taking vitamin supplements is good for you.

In this example, we took the side of advantages in our claim.

Note: You can get creative with your claim. It doesn’t have to
include the same exact wording as your subject words.

Now that we’ve covered all the bases, you’re ready to try it out for
yourself with your prompt!
Lesson 2.7: Backing Up Your Claim
Unfortunately, just stating your claim isn’t enough. After all, if a
friend told you it’s going to rain candy tomorrow, you wouldn’t
believe them unless they could show evidence, right?

So, that’s what you need—evidence for your claim. This is called
backing up your claim , and it’s where your research comes in
handy.

What Are Supporting Points?

Supporting points are the key reasons you use to back up your
claim.

They show your reader why you believe in your claim and
demonstrate why the reader should believe it, too!

Supporting points need to directly relate to your claim or else they

won’t back it up (Matthews, 2020, pp. 15–16). Let’s take a look at
this example:

Prompt: Are interpersonal skills important when building a career?

Explain your answer.

Claim: Interpersonal skills are important when building a career.

Supporting Point: more likely to get a job

What makes this a supporting point?

It directly relates to the claim.

It explains why the claim is true.

Rule of Three
You may have noticed things often come in threes, especially in
writing. Have you heard the common saying, “blood, sweat, and
tears”? Maybe that’s what you felt you were putting into your
essay writing before!

Presenting things in threes, like in the phrase above, is called the

rule of three .

Put simply, we use threes because our brain finds this easier to
process and remember. This is because it forms a pattern. In fact, it
forms the smallest pattern possible, which is why our brains like it so
much (Gigasavvy, 2014). It’s easy to remember!

Why are we bringing this up now? Well, when you’re coming up

with your supporting points, it’s important to remember the rule of
three.

Rule of Three and Supporting Points

Using the rule of three in your essay will make the difference
between a good five-paragraph essay and a great one.

One way to bring the rule of three into your essay is through your
supporting points. Giving the reader not one, not two, but three
supporting points will really showcase why you believe in the claim
you’re making.

Let’s add two more supporting points to the previous example to

fully back up the claim:

Prompt: Are interpersonal skills important when building a career?

Explain your answer.

Claim: Interpersonal skills are important when building a career.

Supporting Point 1: more likely to get a job

Supporting Point 2: reduces stress

Supporting Point 3: makes you better at working in a team

Opposing Points
So, we’ve talked about supporting points, but what about
opposing ones?

Opposing points are reasons that argue against your claim. In

other words, they offer the counterargument, which is important to
show you are capable of understanding and addressing multiple
opinions. Now, not all essays will need opposing points , so how do
you tell?

You can often tell if you need opposing points when there is a
clashing phrase within the prompt. Remember, we previously
discussed clashing phrases in Lesson 2.2. To jog your memory,
here’s the list again:

Advantages and disadvantages

Positives and negatives
Pros and cons
Compare and contrast
Benefits and drawbacks
For and against
Similarities and differences

Recall the words in these clashing phrases oppose or clash with

one another by asking you for different things. Though your claim is
a single argument, as discussed in Lesson 2.6, you may need to
make points that support your claim and also a point that opposes
your claim. So, when you see a clashing phrase, recognize you will
need both supporting points and an opposing point (Matthews,
2020, p. 15).

The rule of three still applies when including opposing points in your
essay.

It may look like this:

Prompt: Discuss reasons for and against the following statement:

Interpersonal skills are important when building a career.

Claim: Interpersonal skills are important when building a career.

Supporting Point 1: more likely to get a job

Supporting Point 2: reduces stress

Opposing Point: interpersonal skills not important for some jobs

*Two supporting points and one opposing point*
Lesson 2.8: Coming Up with a Killer Thesis Statement
You may be sitting there wondering what on Earth a thesis
statement is. We have you covered!

Thesis statement: a sentence that brings together the central ideas

of your essay

You’ll include your thesis statement at the end of your first

paragraph, the introduction. It’s an essential part of your essay
because it shows the audience your main ideas and the order you
will present them in your essay.

A good thesis statement is

specific,
clear, and
concise.

Your thesis statement needs to be specific to your prompt.

Otherwise, it’ll confuse the reader. If it’s not specific, they won’t
know what your essay is really about!

It needs to present a clear argument for the same reason. You

want the reader to think, OK, this is what the essay is arguing for!

Making your thesis statement concise stops the reader from getting
bored. Use clear, simple language to keep them interested.

How Do You Do It?

For a thesis statement, we will combine the parts you’ve worked on
so far. That’s your claim and your three points. Add these together
in a simple sentence, and voila! You have your thesis statement
(Matthews, 2020, p. 22).
Let’s look at an example.

Essay prompt: Why is going to school important?

Claim: Going to school is important.

Supporting Point 1: to get an education

Supporting Point 2: to make life-long friends

Supporting Point 3: to gain social skills

Thesis Statement: Going to school is important because it allows

you to get an education, to make lifelong friends, and to gain
social skills.

If you need more clarification, here’s another example:

Essay prompt: Explain why potato chips make the perfect snack.

Claim: Potato chips make the perfect snack.

Supporting Point 1: They’re crunchy.

Supporting Point 2: They’re satisfyingly salty.

Supporting Point 3: They come in many flavors.

Thesis Statement: Potato chips make the perfect snack because

they’re crunchy, they’re satisfyingly salty, and they come in many
flavors.

If you include both supporting points and opposing points in your

thesis statement, you have multiple options for how you can write
it. The formula for your thesis in these cases is not complicated. You
will most likely include words similar to these:

Despite
In spite of
 Whereas
Even though
However
Although
But
Yet

If you’re still stuck, check out the example.

Prompt: “Bananas are one of the best fruits.” Argue for and
against this statement.
Claim: Bananas are one of the best fruits.
Supporting Point 1: They contain vitamins.
Supporting Point 2: They are generally inexpensive.
Opposing Point: They contain little protein.
Thesis Statement: Bananas contain little protein, but their high
vitamin content and their low cost make them one of the best
fruits.

However, you don’t have to stick to that exact sentence structure.

You can use other words to help you convey your argument! Take
a look at how we’ve adapted the thesis statement for this prompt.

Option 2: Despite bananas containing little protein, they are

inexpensive and rich in vitamins, making them one of the best
fruits.
Option 3: Although bananas contain little protein, because of
their vitamin content and low cost, they’re still one of the best
fruits.
Option 4: Bananas are one of the best fruits because of their
vitamin content and low cost, which make up for their low
protein levels.
Option 5: Even though bananas contain less protein than some
other fruits, their vitamin content and low cost make up for this
 disadvantage, so they’re still one of the best fruits.
Option 6: Although bananas contain little protein, they are one
of the best fruits because they are generally inexpensive and
contain vitamins.

See, there are so many ways to write a thesis statement when you
have an opposing point! Choose which way works best for you.
Get creative!
 CHAPTER 3
Outlining Your Way to
Success
You’ve successfully completed the first part of the Prewriting step.
Now, onto the next! This chapter is all about outlining and covers
these lessons:
3.1. Formal Outline
3.2. The Handy Hamburger
3.3. Mind Maps
3.4. Timeline Graphic Organizer
3.5. Flowchart
A sense of dread can begin to creep in at this point, knowing this is
the last step before actually writing your essay. You might feel a bit
lost, like you don’t know where to go next.

Don’t be afraid. Your outline is a guide that will point you in the
right direction.

In this chapter, we’ll teach you different outlining techniques. That

way, if one doesn’t work for you, just pick a different one!

We’ll go over the more traditional outlining technique first. Then,

we’ll explore some graphic organizer methods, which aren’t as
formal but are a lot of fun, especially for visual learners!
What is an Outline, Anyway?
Outlines are a way for you to organize your thoughts before you
begin writing. They map out your entire essay. By looking at your
outline, you’ll know the following:

What to say in your introduction

What each paragraph is going to be about
How you’re going to move from one paragraph to the next
The points you want to make to wrap up your essay

You need a prompt, a claim, three supporting points (an opposing

point if applicable), and a thesis statement for your outline. Would
you look at that? You already have those!

What Is the Purpose?

When you’re overwhelmed by the task of writing your essay, it’s
easy to come to the outline and think, What’s the point?

Well, a muddled head leads to a messy essay! Skipping this process

means your essay will most probably be unorganized and contain
unnecessary information that’s unrelated to your prompt. It may
also dart from one idea to another without any real structure.

And if all that isn’t bad enough, teachers can tell! They look for
whether an essay is organized or not.

There’s a whole host of benefits to outlining:

A good outline = less time spent writing your essay.

Better focus on the task at hand, rather than going off-course.
Your transitions between paragraphs will be smoother, giving
your essay better flow.
You will avoid unnecessary rambling, making your writing
clearer and more concise (Kittelstad, n.d.).
Now can you see why outlining is so essential?

Why Use Graphic Organizers?

Graphic organizers work in the same way as traditional outlines:
They organize your ideas so you can present a well-thought-out
and cohesive essay. They’re visual displays that bring together
facts and ideas about a prompt. In this case, your essay prompt!

You may have only used traditional outline methods up to this

point. Why bother with something new? Well, graphic organizers

simplify information, so it’s easy to understand,

make complex content fun and interactive,
trigger past knowledge you may not even realize you have,
improve concentration and understanding, and
get your brain working hard through visual prompts (Network
Support, n.d.).

If the thought of staring at a blank page terrifies you, graphic

organizers are here to help! With instructions to follow, you’ll finally
know where to start and which direction to go in.

But first, let’s look at a formal outlining method.

Different Types of Outlining Methods
Lesson 3.1: Formal Outline
Creating Your Outline!
Your essay outline doesn’t have to be long. It’s just a place where
you can summarize your main points. You can refer back to it while
you’re writing. That way, you’ll stay on track!

You’ll need the following for your outline:

Prompt
Claim
Thesis statement
Supporting points (with possible opposing point)

So, here’s the basic flow of an outline:

This is the order in which your outline will be presented. The

introduction section is where your killer thesis statement goes.
Remember, your thesis statement is made up of your claim and
supporting points (with possible opposing point) put together.

For the supporting point sections in your outline, you’ll need to write
your supporting points. Each supporting point corresponds with
one of the three body paragraphs in your five-paragraph essay.
Put some thought into how each supporting point relates to your
claim. How does it reinforce and support your claim? Why is your
supporting point important or true?

In your outline, you will consider these thoughts and briefly bullet
point any ideas that come to mind in the supporting point sections.
The research you’ve previously done should help you here. This
part of the outline is crucial to setting you up for success when you
write your body paragraphs, but try not to stress about how many
bullet points you are adding. You may have one in-depth bullet
point you want to talk about or three you think are worth
discussing. As you develop your thoughts in the later lessons, you
will have a better sense of what works best for proving your thesis.

If your prompt contains a clashing phrase, remember instead of

having three supporting points, you need two supporting points and
one opposing point. Swap Supporting Point 3 out and replace it
with your opposing point, like in the example!

You will still consider how your opposing point relates to your claim.
However, clearly your opposing point does not support your claim.
Rather, it acts as a counterargument that refutes your claim.

You must think about why your claim still holds true despite your
opposing point. Think about why your opposing point is not a big
deal. Why is your opposing point not an issue? Consider why it isn’t
important.
Again, briefly bullet point any ideas that come to mind in the
opposing point section, which would correspond with Body
Paragraph 3.

The last step is the conclusion. Here, you simply rephrase your thesis
statement for the purpose of the outline. You can use more than
one sentence if necessary. New information and ideas are not
appropriate in this section, so don’t add anything extra. The
conclusion is supposed to tie your essay together.

Let’s check out an example of a formal outline:

If you’re all done here, let’s crack on with your outline!
Lesson 3.2: The Handy Hamburger
The five-paragraph essay has another name—maybe you’ve
heard it before? It’s called the “hamburger” essay. You might not
like essays as much as you like hamburgers, but you’re about to!

Why the Name?

Well, you know there are different parts to a hamburger. You have
the bottom bun, the mouth-watering fillings in the middle (like the
meat, tomato, and lettuce), and then the top bun. Each part of
the hamburger represents a paragraph in your five-paragraph
essay.

The top bun is your introduction. It’s the thing you taste first. The
bottom bun is your conclusion. Together, they hold the meat,
tomato, and lettuce in place. If we didn’t have the bun, the best
bits would fall out all over the place. Your introduction and
conclusion work in the same way. They hold the goodies, your
supporting/opposing points, together. And remember, each point
corresponds with one of the three body paragraphs.

Each part is essential. No one wants a burger with no bun, and

who wants a burger with no delicious filling?
Lesson 3.3: Mind Maps
Mind maps are a useful tool because they can make a dull task a
bit more fun and save you a lot of time!

A mind map is a visual diagram. It tends to have the prompt in the

center with lots of lines (or “branches”) connecting to bubbles
around it.

Mind maps have been scientifically proven to do the following:

Improve essay structure

Make essay writing clearer (Holland et al., 2003)
Improve memory of factual information (Farrand et al., 2002)
Increase motivation and enjoyment while learning
(Goodnough & Woods, 2002)

How Do You Do It?

To make a mind map, follow six simple steps:

1. Write your essay prompt in the center of your page.

2. Draw five branches going from your essay prompt to the
empty spaces on your page. You’ll want to start off with five
branches, one for each of the five paragraphs: Introduction,
Body Paragraph 1, Body Paragraph 2, Body Paragraph 3, and
Conclusion. Label all five branches (aka paragraphs) at the
end of the line you’ve drawn. Then, draw a bubble around the
paragraph names.
3. Draw branches coming off the bubbles you created. These
branches will be for all the information related to the five
paragraphs.
4. For the introduction, you’ll need to draw a branch coming off
of it for your thesis statement.
 5. Draw a branch coming off of each body paragraph for your
supporting (or opposing) point. Then, draw branches coming
off of your supporting (or opposing) point for those bullet points
we talked about in Lesson 3.1!
6. Lastly, draw a branch coming off of your conclusion for
rephrasing the thesis statement.

Let’s look at an example with this prompt to give you a clear visual:
Explain how mind maps improve learning.
Lesson 3.4: Timeline Graphic Organizer
Are You Ordering a Sequence of Events?
Timelines are the ideal graphic organizer if you’re looking to
present events in chronological order in your essay. For example, if
you’re writing a history essay, putting historical events in order
could add great structure and organization to your paper.

A timeline graphic organizer is a fantastic outlining method when

you’re writing a narrative essay because you need to tell a story. It
can help your reader understand your narrative essay if it’s written
in time order. And don’t worry. You’ll learn what a narrative essay is
in Chapter 6.

If you’re writing an essay about a particular person, you could use

this method to map it out, with sections like childhood,
adolescence, and adult life.

Here is an example of a timeline graphic organizer used for a

history essay. Study this example, so you can use this outlining
method to your advantage when appropriate.
Lesson 3.5: Flowchart
Find Some Flow!
Like timeline graphic organizers, flowcharts are good for
sequences of events. They’re also the best choice if you’re
describing a process or multiple steps.

This is a great option when planning your outline for a persuasive

essay, as you can add more and more points to your argument to
support your thesis statement.

Let’s look at an example!

 STEP 3
Drafting
 CHAPTER 4
Getting to the Meat and
Potatoes: Writing Your
Essay

You have your thesis statement. You’ve developed your supporting

or opposing points. You’ve created a detailed outline, so now you
know what to include in each paragraph.

It’s time to write.

This chapter focuses on Step 3: Drafting. In Chapter 1, you read

about the different parts of a five-paragraph essay, so the
concepts aren’t new to you.

In this chapter, we go through them in more depth. We give you

easy-to-follow guidance to support you through each and every
aspect of drafting an essay.

So, what exactly will we take a look at? We’ll explore these topics:

4.1. How to Write a Compelling Essay Introduction

4.1.1. Write an Attention-Grabbing Hook
4.1.2. Give Background Information
4.1.3. Thesis Statement Review
 4.2. Adding the Patty to the Buns: How to Build Body Paragraphs
for Your Essay
4.2.1. Tackling the Topic Sentence
4.2.2. Providing Evidence
4.2.3. Analysis
4.2.4. Concluding Sentence
4.2.5. Counterarguments
4.3. How to Write an Intriguing Conclusion
4.3.1. Rephrase Your Thesis Statement
4.3.2. Wrap Up and Review Your Main Points
4.3.3. Tie It All Together and Close It
4.4. Transitions
4.5. How to Come Up with an Effective Title for Your Essay
4.6. Citing and Referencing Your Work
As you can see, this chapter is full to the brim with helpful guidance
for you.

Let’s get cracking!

Lesson 4.1: How to Write a Compelling Essay Introduction
When it gets down to writing your essay, the first paragraph is the
introduction. The introductory paragraph is there to get the
reader’s attention. You want to draw them in and then reveal
what the essay is about. An introduction needs to be clear and
concise because the reader won’t keep reading if it’s long and
drones on.

Think: strong words, short sentences, and a clear purpose.

An introduction should always include

a hook ,
background information, and
your thesis statement.

We’ll go through each of these in more detail in the following

lessons. But first, let’s look at an example paragraph, so you can
get comfortable identifying the separate elements that make up
an introduction.

Prompt: Should students be given homework?

Homework has been around for 116 years! Homework is assigned

schoolwork students are expected to do at home. Teachers give
students homework to improve their learning, but it has been a
controversial topic for a long time. Students should not be given
homework because it destroys the home/school balance,
increases their stress levels, and reduces time spent with family
and friends (Teachnology, Inc, n.d.).

So, which part do you think was the hook? The hook was the short,
snappy first sentence that’s underlined. It grabs your attention by
giving you a shocking statistic. Then comes the background
information in italics. The sentence in bold is the thesis statement,
which is easy to identify when you look for the three supporting
points.
Lesson 4.1.1: Write an Attention-Grabbing Hook

The hook is the very first sentence of your essay. Its role is simple:
Get the reader’s attention (Matthews, 2020, p. 40). This is when the
reader decides whether they want to read the rest of your essay or
not. So, your first sentence needs to be interesting. It also needs to
be short and punchy because long, drawn-out first sentences are
boring!

Remember to highlight the main focus of your essay in your hook

because you want to lead the reader nicely into the rest of your
essay.

There isn’t just one type of hook; there are lots! You can choose
whichever one you think works best with your prompt.

Your hook can be a

fascinating question,
short explanation of the essay topic’s importance,
clever quote,
shocking fact or statistic, or
contradiction.

Let’s check out some examples of hooks. The first hook needs some
work. Can you see the improvement in the second version?
 1. There are lots of McDonald’s all over the world.
2. McDonald’s has taken over every continent apart from
Antarctica.

This is a shocking fact hook. The first version is vague and not very
interesting. The second version, however, is surprising, making you
want to read more.

For the second example, we’ll look at a contradiction hook.

1. Animals are important, but people don’t treat them that way.
2. Animals are vital to human existence, yet we continue to
mistreat them.

The first version uses generalized language that doesn’t stand out
to the reader. The second, improved version uses punchy words
like “vital” and “mistreat,” which trigger strong emotions in the
reader.

In the table, you’ll find examples of the other three types of hooks:

Type of Hook Example

Fascinating Question Are you getting too much sun?

Short Explanation of To keep your muscles strong and

the Topic’s Importance flexible, you must stretch regularly.

Clever Quote “Innovation distinguishes between a

leader and a follower.” —Steve Jobs

Now, a hook doesn’t have to be a question or a fact or a

contradiction (and so on). Sometimes, a hook can be a
combination of two things. Here’s an example:
Vitamin D is essential if you want to keep your body in tip-top
condition!

This is an explanation of the essay topic’s importance and an

interesting fact.
Lesson 4.1.2: Give Background Information
After the hook comes the background information. Background
information adds context to your introductory paragraph, giving
general information about the essay topic that helps build the
reader’s knowledge.

In other words, it’s the detail you provide so your reader can fully
understand the focus of your essay.

Background information comes in many forms:

Definitions
Facts
Current events
Opinions (positive, negative, or opposite)
Statistics
Relevant history

Imagine you were writing about preparing for an earthquake. Let’s

go over each type of background information using this example.

Essay Prompt: Explain in detail how someone can prepare for an

earthquake.

Definition: An earthquake is an aggressive trembling of the

ground caused by movement of the Earth’s crust (Bolt, 2021).
 Fact: An earthquake can change the length of a day (BBC,
2017).
Current Events: In 2020, there were 938 earthquakes in
Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico alone
(Insurance Journal, 2021).
Opinions: Many people are ill-prepared for these life-
threatening situations.
Statistics: Ten thousand U.S. citizens die from earthquakes
annually (National Geographic, 2021).
Relevant History: The first earthquake was described in China in
1177 B.C. (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016).

You want to pick two to four of these pieces of information to use

in your introduction. They must all be related to your thesis
statement. The last portion of background information should lead
smoothly into your thesis statement.

You can pull from the research you’ve already done to scrounge
up information and piece it together for this section of the
introduction. Feel free to conduct more research if necessary.

Here’s what it looks like when we put some pieces of background

information together:

{Background Information} An earthquake is an aggressive

trembling of the ground caused by movement of the Earth’s crust,
and descriptive records show they occurred as early as 1177 B.C.
in China (Bolt, 2021; U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016). Fast-
forwarding to modern times, in 2020 there were 938 earthquakes in
Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico alone (Insurance
Journal, 2021). Despite these common occurrences, many people
are still ill-prepared for these life-threatening situations.
Let’s come up with an attention-grabbing hook for this example
and put them together. If you look carefully, we could use the
statistic we found for the background information as an interesting
statistic hook instead because it has that shock factor and was not
used as part of the background information:

{Hook} An average of ten thousand people around the globe die

from earthquakes every year (National Geographic, 2021).
{Background Information} An earthquake is an aggressive
trembling of the ground caused by movement of the Earth’s crust,
and descriptive records show they occurred as early as 1177 B.C.
in China (Bolt, 2021; U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016). Fast-
forwarding to modern times, in 2020 there were 938 earthquakes in
Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico alone (Insurance
Journal, 2021). Despite these common occurrences, many people
are still ill-prepared for these life-threatening situations.

Background Information No-Nos

You now know what background information should look like, but
what about what it shouldn’t include?

Background information should not include the following:

Personal opinions with no evidence behind them (unless you’re

writing an informal essay that’s based on opinion and
nonfactual information).
Information that doesn’t relate to the prompt.

Let’s take a look at some examples:

1. I think earthquakes are dangerous.
You can transform this uninformative opinion into usable
background information with the help of reliable sources:

Earthquakes are extremely dangerous, as they can topple

buildings and cause tsunamis (BBC, 2011).

2. Tornadoes cause a lot of destruction.

At the moment, this statement has nothing to do with
earthquakes. You can, however, adapt this to make it
relevant:

Earthquakes are considered a natural disaster, much like

tornadoes and tsunamis.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
1.
Lesson 4.1.3: Thesis Statement Review
We explored thesis statements in a lot of detail in Lesson 2.8. Don’t
worry—we won’t go over it all again!

Let’s recap what we covered. If you need to remind yourself of

thesis statements in more depth or get a little more practice, you
can go back to Lesson 2.8 and Lesson 2.8 Exercise!

What Is a Thesis Statement Again?

A thesis statement is a sentence that brings together the central
ideas of your essay. It goes after your background information to
finish off your introductory paragraph.

Your thesis statement should be a combination of your claim and

your three supporting points (or opposing points). Have you got
yours ready?

Going back to the earthquake prompt, here is a possible thesis

statement:

The three most important ways an individual can prepare for an

earthquake are making a plan, identifying safe spaces indoors
and outdoors, and having emergency supplies.

Let’s finish the introductory paragraph by adding the hook,

background information, and thesis statement together:

{Hook} An average of ten thousand people around the globe die

from earthquakes every year (National Geographic, 2021).
{Background Information} An earthquake is an aggressive
trembling of the ground caused by movement of the Earth’s crust,
and descriptive records show they occurred as early as 1177 B.C.
in China (Bolt, 2021; U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016). Fast-
forwarding to modern times, in 2020 there were 938 earthquakes in
Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico alone (Insurance
Journal, 2021). Despite these common occurrences, many people
are still ill-prepared for these life-threatening situations. {Thesis
Statement} The three most important ways an individual can
prepare for an earthquake are making a plan, identifying safe
spaces indoors and outdoors, and having emergency supplies.
Lesson 4.2: Adding the Patty to the Buns: How to Build Body
Paragraphs for Your Essay
You’ve reeled the audience in with an intriguing introduction, and
now it’s time for the body paragraphs. The body paragraphs are
where you use evidence (aka supporting information ) to argue
your thesis statement. Body paragraphs need to do these three
things:

Relate to your claim

Keep it clear and to the point! It’s easy to go off on a tangent
when writing your body paragraphs. To avoid this, ask, “Could
I remove this paragraph without affecting my argument?” If
the answer is yes, you need to take another look at it. It needs
to be an essential part of your essay. Otherwise, it’s not adding
value!

Present one idea only

Bringing in multiple ideas will confuse the reader. Stick to one
idea per paragraph!

Be a good length—not too long, not too short!

You want a body paragraph with enough evidence to
support the claim, but not so much that your reader stops
paying attention! One-sentence paragraphs may look cool
and require less work, but that won’t help you become a
better writer.

All body paragraphs are made up of four essential elements:

1. Topic sentence
2. Evidence (aka supporting information )
3. Analysis
4. Concluding sentence
We stick to this structure, keeping it the same for all the body
paragraphs, because this makes your essay more organized and
gives it a nice flow. It also makes it predictable, so the reader
knows what to expect.

This lesson goes over writing body paragraphs when using three
supporting points. Don’t fret if you have a clashing phrase in your
prompt, however! Later, we will address how to write
counterargument body paragraphs, which are important when
you have two supporting points and one opposing point.
Nonetheless, it’s imperative to understand the fundamentals
before we get there. So, don’t skip through these lessons. The
material builds on itself!

Whether you’re writing a supporting or counterargument body

paragraph, there are four easy steps for creating a body
paragraph:

1. Form a topic sentence.

2. Bring in the evidence.
3. Analyze your evidence.
4. Add a concluding sentence.

We will go through these in detail in the next few lessons.

Lesson 4.2.1: Tackling the Topic Sentence

A topic sentence is typically the very first sentence of your body

paragraph. It performs a couple of jobs:

1. It tells the reader the main idea of the paragraph.

2. It improves the flow of the essay.

If a topic sentence hits these targets, it’s bound to be a good one.

But don’t be fooled into thinking a topic sentence must be a single
sentence. It can be multiple! However, we recommend sticking to
two or less, or your paragraph will end up being too long!

Forming Your Topic Sentence

You will go through two simple steps to create your topic sentence.

Step 1: Revisiting Your Outline

When tackling the topic sentence, your first task is to look back
over your outline. Remember in Lesson 2.7 we explored supporting
points? Well, these are going to come in handy here.

The three supporting points you came up with will form the main
ideas of your three body paragraphs, one supporting point per
body paragraph. This should be clear from your outline. You’ll use
these supporting points to help craft your topic sentences. As such,
your topic sentence should relate back to one of the three points
in your thesis statement .

Do you remember our earthquake example from Lesson 4.1.3?

Let’s pick out the supporting points from the thesis.

Prompt: Explain in detail how someone can prepare for an

earthquake.

Thesis Statement: The three most important ways an individual can

prepare for an earthquake are making a plan , identifying safe
spaces indoors and outdoors , and having emergency supplies .

Here, the supporting points are underlined.

Body Paragraph 1 → Supporting Point 1: Making a plan

Body Paragraph 2 → Supporting Point 2: Identifying safe
spaces indoors and outdoors
Body Paragraph 3 → Supporting Point 3: Having emergency
supplies

Step 2: Supporting Point to Topic Sentence

When creating your topic sentence, make sure to do the following:

Relate back to your supporting point

Be clear and concise (no long, drawn out sentences!)
Be specific to your prompt, without telling the reader
everything

Try to avoid these pitfalls:

Presenting the reader with common knowledge

Using a basic, uninteresting fact
Using quotes
Using the example of earthquakes, let’s compare a great topic
sentence to one that needs more work.

Needs Work : Making a plan is an important step.

Although this topic sentence mentions the point of the paragraph,

it doesn’t relate back to the prompt. Also, the sentence isn’t very
interesting or specific.

Improved: Earthquakes can strike unexpectedly, so making a plan

is an important step that an individual can take to prepare for one.

This topic sentence ticks all the boxes because it mentions the
main idea of the paragraph and references the focus of the
overall essay. It is also specific to your essay without telling the
reader everything.

Let’s try this for the second supporting point: identifying safe
spaces indoors and out.

Needs Work: This paragraph presents another way to stay safe

from earthquakes.

This topic sentence relates back to the prompt by mentioning

earthquakes, but it doesn’t present the main idea of the
paragraph! Also, saying phrases like “this paragraph presents”
seems clumsy. Your paragraph should be so good the reader
knows what’s being presented!

Improved: It’s imperative to prepare for earthquakes by identifying

safe spaces indoors and outdoors, as this trick can be the
difference between life and death.

This improved version mentions the paragraph’s main idea and

refers back to the prompt. It doesn’t need to spell out what it
presents because the language is clear.
Tips on Topic Sentences

1. Don’t tell the reader what you’re doing.

Example

Now I will talk about why making a plan is important.

You want to guide your reader through your ideas without

explicitly telling them what you’re doing.

2. Don’t be too specific OR too general.

If your topic sentence is too specific, you won’t have enough
to write about in your paragraph. If it’s too general, you’ll have
way too much to write about!

Find the sweet spot in the middle.

Examples

Too Specific: Collecting emergency supplies, such as a list of

emergency contact numbers, a flashlight, drinks, and snacks
can help an individual prepare for an earthquake.

Yes, this sentence is very informative. But it doesn’t leave a lot

for you to talk about in the rest of the paragraph, does it?

Too General: Use supplies during earthquakes.

Reading this, your reader won’t know what you’re talking

about! The main idea here isn’t clear because the topic
sentence isn’t specific. Additionally, you could write an
endless amount of information for this paragraph. Instead, try
a sentence like this:

Improved: Having an emergency supply kit readied ahead of

time is yet another way to prepare for an earthquake.
 Here, the main idea is presented clearly, and the prompt is
referenced.

3. Present a reasonable idea.

No reader is going to continue reading your essay if your ideas
are too extreme. Also, extreme, outlandish ideas are difficult to
prove. You need to present a reasonable idea, so you can
give evidence that proves it in your body paragraph.

Don’t write a topic sentence that is only facts. The facts will
come into play when we add the supporting information to
the paragraph.
1.
1.
1.
1.
Lesson 4.2.2: Establishing Evidence

The next step of writing a body paragraph is establishing evidence,

which we can also refer to as supporting information . This step
involves elaborating on the topic sentence and giving evidence to
support it. Your evidence needs to relate to your thesis statement
as well as your specific topic sentence; otherwise, it won’t make
much sense.

Supporting information can include the following:

Examples
Scientific studies/research
Statistics
Facts
Anecdotes
Quotations (especially if you’re writing a book report or a
literary essay)

*This is not an exhaustive list.

Don’t worry; you’re not starting from scratch! If you followed along
in Chapter 3, you should have some bullet points in the body
paragraph sections of your outline. These bullet points were based
on questions like these:
 How does your supporting point relate to your claim?
How does your supporting point reinforce and support your
claim?
Why is your supporting point important or true?

*Look at lesson 3.1 for a visual refresher of these bullet points in the example outline.

Do you remember? We’re going to adapt those bullet points here

to form your evidence.

If you were to use the earthquake prompt example, you might

have bullet points like this in the Body Paragraph 1 section of your
outline:

Thesis Statement: The three most important ways an individual can

prepare for an earthquake are making a plan, identifying safe
spaces indoors and outdoors, and having emergency supplies.

Topic Sentence: Earthquakes can strike unexpectedly, so making a

plan is an important step that an individual can take to prepare for
one.

To transform these bullet points into essay-worthy information that

supports your topic sentence and acts as evidence, you need to
make them into full, coherent sentences, like this:
Here, three statements supporting the topic sentence are clearly
presented.

If your bulleted points were already full sentences from your outline
or graphic organizer, they will serve as your evidence. However,
make sure your sentences are essay-ready by strengthening them
or changing wording around as needed.

Again, these sentences will serve as evidence that directly follows

your topic sentence. You don’t need to transform all the bullet
points you come up with in your outline to use as evidence in your
essay.

Use as much or as little needed to prove the claim you made in

the topic sentence. You might end up using all three bullet points,
two bullet points, or maybe just one! Use your best judgment. For
the purposes of our example, we chose to transform all three bullet
points into full sentences to show you the process.

Now that we’ve looked at an ideal example of some supporting

information and evidence, let’s look at one that needs some work:

Thesis Statement: The three most important ways an individual can

prepare for an earthquake are making a plan, identifying safe
spaces indoors and outdoors, and having emergency supplies.

Topic Sentence: Earthquakes can strike unexpectedly, so making a

plan is an important step that an individual can take to prepare for
one.
Evidence Making plans ahead of time is fun and helpful for most
people.

What’s wrong with this evidence?

It doesn’t relate to the topic sentence for this body paragraph

because it doesn’t pertain to earthquakes or being prepared at
all. It only mentions making plans in the context of being fun and
helpful, which isn’t specific to the topic sentence, thesis statement,
or essay! It’s also clear that the one sentence here wouldn’t be
enough to support the claim in the topic sentence. This is not a
sufficient amount of evidence in this case.

So, when you’re writing your evidence, make sure you relate it
back to your claim, use an appropriate amount of evidence, and
include references when appropriate! We’ll talk about references
later in this chapter.

Before we move onto the next lesson, let’s tack on the evidence to
our topic sentence to start forming our body paragraph! Note we
only used one piece of evidence instead of all three because it’s
sufficient to support the claim in the topic sentence:

{Topic Sentence} Earthquakes can strike unexpectedly, so making

a plan is an important step that an individual can take to prepare
for one. {Evidence} Being properly equipped with a well-thought-
out strategy and knowing what to do prevents scrambling around
out of fear (FEMA, 2009).
Lesson 4.2.3: Analysis
You’ve given the reader the supporting information, but in order
for your reader to really see the connection between the
evidence and the topic sentence, you need to analyze the
information.

You do this by asking, “How does the evidence I provided prove

the topic sentence?” Remember, your topic sentence really just
expresses one of your supporting points.

You need to analyze the evidence you present in a body

paragraph.

Check out the different ways to present analysis and the examples
related to our earthquake prompt. You can use one or multiple
methods of analysis in your body paragraph. Your analysis may
end up being multiple sentences.

Here, we’ll take Evidence 1 from the previous lesson to analyze

using the different methods:

Being properly equipped with a well-thought-out strategy and

knowing what to do prevents scrambling around out of fear.

Method 1 : Explain → Make it clear what your supporting information

means and how it relates to the topic sentence.

Example: The ultimate aim when facing a natural disaster is

security. Making a plan keeps you safe, so it’s essential when
preparing for an earthquake.

Method 2 : Expand → Add detail to your supporting information.

Example: This will make your response more efficient and allow you
to take cover quickly.

Method 3 : Interpret → Describe what your supporting information

means in reference to your thesis statement.

Example: If a carefully constructed plan helps you stay safe, the

earthquake will have less of an impact.

Isn’t Evidence Self-Explanatory?

Sometimes, evidence can seem like it doesn’t need to be
explained further with an analysis. There are two reasons why you
should analyze your evidence:

1. It may not be as obvious to the reader.

You know what your evidence means because you’re the one
who found it. But, imagine you’re a reader who knows nothing
about the topic. You’d need an explanation as to why the
evidence relates to the overall thesis statement, right?

2. It shows the reader you really know what you’re talking about.
Analysis gives you a chance to show how your evidence
relates to the main idea of your paragraph. It also provides an
opportunity for you to show how it links back to your overall
thesis statement. By linking everything together, the reader
can see you have a real understanding of the topic.

Let’s combine our analysis with what we have so far for our body
paragraph:

{Topic Sentence} Earthquakes can strike unexpectedly, so making

a plan is an important step that an individual can take to prepare
for one. {Evidence} Being properly equipped with a well-thought-
out strategy and knowing what to do prevents scrambling around
out of fear (FEMA, 2009). {Analysis} This will make your response
more efficient and allow you to take cover quickly. If a carefully
constructed plan helps you stay safe, the earthquake will have less
of an impact.

Sometimes, when you put your sentences together, they can seem
a bit clumsy. You may need to try rewriting your sentences and
removing words to get a good sense of flow in your paragraph.
Lesson 4.2.4: Concluding Sentence
To wrap up your body paragraph, you want a clear, concise
sentence or two telling the reader exactly what the paragraph has
proven.

There are two goals you should be striving for when writing your
concluding sentence. Don’t get this mixed up with your conclusion
, which will be the last paragraph in your essay.

Now, what are the two goals?

Goal 1: Summarize the Main Idea of Your Paragraph

One purpose of your concluding sentence is to summarize the
main idea of your body paragraph.

You just wrote an amazing paragraph, with a spectacular topic

sentence, great evidence, and impressive analysis. However, it
may be hard for readers to fully understand the meaning of what
you are saying. By summarizing the main idea of your paragraph,
you stress its importance as a part of your essay’s argument. You
also refocus the reader’s attention to the broader picture, making
sure they are not getting hung up on any minor details.

Goal 2: Link Back to Your Thesis Statement

The second goal to keep in mind while writing your concluding
sentence is to create a connection to your thesis statement
(Matthews, 2020, p. 56).

Students often wonder why they have to connect each body

paragraph to their thesis statement. After all, it should be obvious,
right?

Wrong!
There are three key reasons why you link back to your thesis
statement:

1. It shows you haven’t just plucked an idea out of nowhere; it

does actually relate to the claim of your essay.
2. It demonstrates you haven’t forgotten your main idea!
3. It reminds the reader of your claim.

Here’s an example of a concluding sentence for our earthquake

body paragraph that meets these goals:

It is clear that developing a strategic plan eliminates many hazards

during an earthquake and stops panic, and this makes it an
effective method of preparation.

Now let’s see what our body paragraph looks like altogether. We
will include the thesis statement so you can see how the
concluding sentence of the body paragraph connects back to
the thesis:

Thesis Statement: The three most important ways an individual can

prepare for an earthquake are making a plan, identifying safe
spaces indoors and outdoors, and having emergency supplies.

Body Paragraph: {Topic Sentence} Earthquakes can strike

unexpectedly, so making a plan is an important step that an
individual can take to prepare for one. {Evidence} Being properly
equipped with a well-thought-out strategy and knowing what to
do prevents scrambling around out of fear (FEMA, 2009). {Analysis}
This will make your response more efficient and allow you to take
cover quickly. If a carefully constructed plan helps you stay safe,
the earthquake will have less of an impact. {Concluding Sentence}
It is clear that developing a strategic plan eliminates many hazards
during an earthquake and stops panic, and this makes it an
effective method of preparation.
Do you see how the example concluding sentence summarizes
the main idea of the paragraph and links back to the thesis
statement? Do you see how the claim is still relevant? That’s what
you want in a concluding sentence.
Lesson 4.2.5: Counterarguments

In Lesson 2.2, we went over clashing phrases. To recap, these are

when your prompt contains a phrase with two words that oppose
or clash with one another by asking you for different things.

If you have a clashing phrase in your prompt, you likely have two
supporting points and one opposing point . You should not have
three supporting points. Take a look at your outline.

Remember, opposing points are reasons that argue against your

claim. They offer the counterargument . Counterarguments are
important to show you are capable of understanding and
addressing multiple opinions.

Even though a counterargument argues against the claim of your

essay, it is often undermined by further analysis that ultimately
supports your claim.

Your third body paragraph will serve as the counterargument body

paragraph , and your opposing point will help you form the main
idea of this paragraph.

A counterargument body paragraph follows the same core steps

as a supporting body paragraph, which is what we have covered
throughout Lesson 4.2 so far.
Before we go into detail about how to approach writing
counterargument body paragraphs, let’s first talk about why
counterarguments are significant.

Why Make a Counterargument?

Let’s face it: When you’re trying to convince your reader to believe
your argument, it seems a bit pointless to present another
perspective, right? However, a counterargument strengthens your
argument in two ways:

1. It shows you’ve considered multiple viewpoints but stuck with

your argument because it has the most evidence to back it
up.
2. If the reader doesn’t agree with your argument, presenting a
counterargument (which may be the same as your reader’s
viewpoint!) can show the reader why they should believe your
argument over theirs.

How to Make a Counterargument Body Paragraph

To write a counterargument body paragraph, we follow four
simple steps:

1. Form the opposing point into a topic sentence.

2. Give evidence for your counterargument.
3. Analyze your counterargument.
4. Add a concluding sentence.

You may recognize some of these steps from writing your

supporting body paragraphs. The steps are exactly the same,
except for a few tweaks we will show you in this lesson.

Just like your supporting argument, your counterargument should

be well-thought-out and carefully explained. You’ll need to write
more than just a short sentence!
As mentioned before, if you look back over your outline, you’ll find
you already came up with an opposing point. This will serve as your
counterargument! Let’s use this as our example:

Prompt: Describe the advantages and disadvantages of hosting

Thanksgiving dinner.

Claim: Hosting Thanksgiving dinner is great.

Thesis Statement: Although it is easy to get tired from prepping for

Thanksgiving dinner all day, hosting Thanksgiving dinner is great
because you are in charge of the menu and in control of the
decor and activities.

Supporting Point 1: In charge of the menu for dinner

Supporting Point 2: In control of the decor and Thanksgiving

activities

Opposing Point: Get tired easily from prepping for Thanksgiving all
day

Step 1: Opposing Point to Topic Sentence

This step is simple. Take your opposing point and turn it into a full,
coherent sentence that will express the main idea of your
counterargument body paragraph.

You want to write your topic sentence as if you believe it yourself.

Your reader will notice if you use language that suggests you don’t
believe it, such as “supposedly.” They’ll see you haven’t really
considered this viewpoint, and they won’t want to accept yours.
Here’s an example of a topic sentence:

Topic Sentence: Hosting Thanksgiving can make you feel tired

easily because of the sheer amount of prepping involved.
It may feel weird to write a topic sentence that refutes your claim,
but we are presenting the counterargument here. In the coming
steps, we will show you how to undermine and diminish the
counterargument. Its significance will be minimized.

Step 2: Giving Evidence for Your Counterargument

Now, you need to provide evidence for your counterargument,
just as you would for your supporting points.

Look at the bullet points in your outline for the body paragraph
section that corresponds with your opposing point. In most cases, it
would be Body Paragraph 3.

As we stated in Lesson 4.2.2 (Establishing Evidence), you don’t

need to transform all the bullet points you come up with in your
outline to use as evidence in your essay.

Use as much or as little needed to prove the claim you made in

the topic sentence. You might end up using all three bullet points,
two bullet points, or just one! Use your best judgment. For the
purposes of our example, we chose to transform all three bullet
points into full sentences. Take a look at the example.
Step 3: Analyzing Your Counterargument
In the analysis step, you pick out the flaws of your
counterargument. This is important because it shows the reader
why they shouldn’t hold this viewpoint. Your goal is to diminish the
value of your counterargument and show why your claim is still
true.

When looking for weaknesses in the counterargument, you can do

one of the following:

1. Discredit the counterargument by bringing in lots of research

that argues against the viewpoint.
2. Accept that the counterargument is true, but emphasize there
is more evidence for your viewpoint (Matthews, 2020, p. 60).

Let’s go through an example:

Prompt: Describe the advantages and disadvantages of hosting

Thanksgiving dinner.

Claim: Hosting Thanksgiving dinner is great.

Opposing Point: Get tired easily from prepping for Thanksgiving all
day
Analysis: Although hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be tiring, it is
worth the trouble of preparation because you feel grateful for
being able to provide a beautiful space and delicious food for all
your loved ones. Seeing your family with glowing smiles and full
tummies makes it worthwhile.

Can you see how the analysis example here acknowledges the
counterargument is true? Can you also see how the following
sentences in the analysis discredit and undermine the
counterargument, ultimately reinforcing the original claim? It shows
the reader why your viewpoint is valid, even when challenged by
other perspectives.

Step 4: Concluding Sentence

Remember, to wrap up your body paragraph, you want a clear,
concise sentence or two that tells the reader what the paragraph
has proven. Don’t forget to link it back to your thesis and original
claim! Keep it simple.

Concluding Sentence: As such, it is clear hosting Thanksgiving

dinner is great overall.

Putting It All Together

Now that we’ve gone through all four steps on how to write a
counterargument body paragraph, let’s put our whole paragraph
together, so you can see what it looks like:

Counterargument Body Paragraph: {Topic Sentence} Hosting

Thanksgiving can make you feel tired easily because of the sheer
amount of prepping involved. {Evidence} When you spend all day
cooking meticulous dishes for Thanksgiving, you’re bound to get
exhausted from standing, cutting vegetables, and prepping; it’s
physically demanding work, and your body will get tired. Not only
that, but you also have to clean and prep the entire house when
hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Cleaning an entire house is no small
feat. Lastly, after all the exhausting cooking and cleaning, you still
have to get yourself prepped, cleaned up, and dressed, which is
the last thing anybody wants to do after hours of hard work and
throbbing feet. {Analysis} Although hosting Thanksgiving dinner
can be tiring, it is worth the trouble of preparation because you
feel grateful for being able to provide a beautiful space and
delicious food for all your loved ones. Seeing your family with
glowing smiles and full tummies makes it worthwhile. {Concluding
Sentence} As such, it is clear hosting Thanksgiving dinner is great
overall.
Lesson 4.3: How to Write an Intriguing Conclusion
The conclusion is the last paragraph in your essay. It’s the bottom
bun of your handy hamburger.

Why do we include a conclusion?

To bring together the essay’s key points

To show your thesis statement is valid
To highlight why your reader should care about your argument
To give your reader closure

Most students dread writing their conclusion—it feels like an

impossible task. What they don’t realize is they’ve already done all
the hard work. The conclusion is just about tying up loose ends.

You can write an excellent conclusion in three simple steps we

have divided into three different lessons:

4.3.1 Rephrase Your Thesis Statement

4.3.2 Wrap Up and Review Your Main Points
4.3.3 Tie It All Together and Close It
But before you write your conclusion, let’s go over some things we
don’t want in the bottom bun!

Things to Avoid While Writing a Conclusion

Just like there are fundamental things you should include, there are
some things you should steer clear of when writing your conclusion.
Let’s go through the most common ones.

1. New Evidence
Although it’s tempting to provide as much evidence for your
topic sentences and thesis statement as possible, don’t bring
new evidence into your conclusion!
 Bringing in new evidence at the end of your essay will confuse
the reader and leave these points underdeveloped. It’s OK to
include a sentence or two to explain the impact of the points
you made earlier, but don’t make new points altogether!

2. Talking Your Way Out of Your Argument

A common problem when writing essays occurs when the
student writes a phrase at the end that lessens the importance
of their argument. This could be something like “Although the
evidence suggests . . . (your argument), you may not agree.”

You’ve written four super-confident paragraphs on your essay

prompt—don’t sabotage yourself now! Be confident in your
argument and stick to it.

3. Corny Concluding Phrases

Although phrases like “in conclusion” and “to conclude” work
as well as any other concluding phrase, they’re overused.

Your reader already knows they are at the end of the essay, so
you don’t need to remind them. If you’ve followed the
structure set out in this guide, you won’t need a corny
concluding phrase!

4. Repetition
You’re at the end. You’ve done a lot of work. At this point, it
may seem unnecessary to rephrase your thesis statement and
topic sentences, but it is important. If you simply repeat
yourself, the repetition won’t go unnoticed. Do not repeat.

Always, always, rephrase .

5. Unimportant or Minor Details

Over the course of your essay, you’ve made a lot of points.
Some are more important and substantial than others. Stick to
the big ideas in your conclusion and leave the little ones
behind.

If you try to cover every individual point, you’ll end up with a

five-paragraph conclusion!
Lesson 4.3.1: Rephrase Your Thesis Statement
The first step in the conclusion is rephrasing your thesis statement.
This notifies the reader your essay is coming to an end (Matthews,
2020, p. 67).

You may choose to bring in a strong phrase at the beginning to

show your reader your thesis statement is valid. However, it is not
always necessary. You can use any of the following at your
discretion:

It is without a doubt
It is clear that
The evidence demonstrates
Evidently

*This is not an exhaustive list

You will take your original thesis statement and rewrite it using
different words or phrases. It’s OK to use more than one sentence
to rephrase your thesis statement. The goal is to reinforce and
reiterate the message of the thesis one last time to drive your
conclusion home.

Original Thesis Statement: The three most important ways an

individual can prepare for an earthquake are making a plan,
identifying safe spaces indoors and outdoors, and having
emergency supplies.

Rephrased Thesis Statement: Preparation is key when dealing with

earthquakes. As such, formulating a plan, establishing safe spaces,
and stockpiling emergency items can lessen the detrimental
effects of an earthquake.
The process looks the same for rephrasing a thesis statement that
includes an opposing point. Let’s use our Thanksgiving dinner
example.

Thesis Statement: Although it is easy to get tired from prepping for

Thanksgiving dinner all day, hosting Thanksgiving dinner is great
because you are in charge of the menu and in control of the
decor and activities.

Rephrased Thesis Statement: It can’t be denied hosting

Thanksgiving dinner is a wonderful experience because you get to
plan out all the activities, decorations, and menu to your liking,
even though you may get exhausted from the preparation.
Lesson 4.3.2: Wrap Up and Review Your Main Points

The next step is to remind your reader of the main ideas from each
body paragraph. You are not simply restating your main ideas and
points here.

If you were trying to persuade your parents to buy unhealthy

snacks, you would explain all the reasons why they should in a
summary. This is exactly what you do here! You’re going to
summarize the main points from each body paragraph.

You want to connect all your ideas from your body paragraphs to
show they work together to support your thesis statement and
reinforce your claim. Keep your sentences brief, simple, and to the
point. Your conclusion isn’t meant to be a long paragraph.

And you can be flexible with the number of sentences you write. If
you think you can summarize your main points into two coherent
sentences, go for it! One sentence? The choice is in your hands.

Wrap Up and Review: While making a plan and having a strategy

in place keeps you prepared and mitigates panic, identifying safe
spaces allows you to respond quicker. And, of course, emergency
supplies ensure you have everything you need, exactly when you
need it.
If your essay includes a counterargument, you can easily include
this in your conclusion. You can either bring it in at the beginning or
the end of your paragraph! We’ll be revisiting our Thanksgiving
dinner example, so take a look.

Wrap Up and Review: Hosting gives you the opportunity to cook

your favorite dishes and add your own flair to the menu while also
giving you the freedom to express yourself through decor, games,
and activities in whatever way pleases you. You might get tired
from prepping for Thanksgiving dinner, but it is worth the trouble
because of the pure, unadulterated joy this holiday brings about.

OR

It’s easy to get tired from prepping for Thanksgiving dinner, but it is
worth the trouble because of the pure, unadulterated joy this
holiday brings about. Additionally, hosting gives you the
opportunity to cook your favorite dishes and add your own flair to
the menu, while also giving you the freedom to express yourself
through decor, games, and activities in whatever way pleases you.
Lesson 4.3.3: Tie It All Together and Close It

In this last step, you want to explain why everything you’ve talked
about actually matters. You need to put your final thoughts and
ideas together, so the reader leaves with a clear message and
understands the importance of your essay. This will be your closing
statement .

You need to choose your words wisely because, again, this is the
last message the reader will be left with once the essay is over, and
you have to make an impact!

If you’re struggling with ideas, it might help to ask yourself these

questions:

How does this essay help people?

Does it increase people’s awareness of the overall topic?
Are you presenting new ideas that haven’t been talked about
before? (This is a no-no! )
Why is your essay important?
What implications for the future does your essay have?
What is the main message your reader should leave with
(Matthews, 2020, p. 68)?

Here’s a closing statement example that follows along with our

earthquake essay!

Closing Statement: No matter how frightening earthquakes may

be, we must take the proper measures to best prepare ourselves
and diminish any adverse effects they may have on our lives.
The process is the same for writing a closing statement with an
essay that includes a counterargument. Again, let’s revisit our
Thanksgiving dinner example.

Closing Statement: Thanksgiving is a celebration of gratitude, and if

we have the means to host, we should be grateful for the bounty
of food available to us, embrace the opportunity with grace, and
remember to have fun.

Now that we have our closing statement, let’s put the whole
conclusion together.

Conclusion Without a Counterargument:

{Rephrased Thesis Statement} Preparation is key when dealing with
earthquakes. As such, formulating a plan, establishing safe spaces,
and stockpiling emergency items can lessen the detrimental
effects of an earthquake. {Wrap Up and Review} While making a
plan and having a strategy in place keeps you prepared and
mitigates panic, identifying safe spaces allows you to respond
quicker. And, of course, emergency supplies ensure you have
everything you need, exactly when you need it. {Closing
Statement} No matter how frightening earthquakes may be, we
must take the proper measures to best prepare ourselves and
diminish any adverse effects they may have on our lives.

Conclusion With a Counterargument:

{Rephrased Thesis Statement} It can’t be denied hosting
Thanksgiving dinner is a wonderful experience because you get to
plan out all the activities, decorations, and menu to your liking,
even though you may get exhausted from the preparation. {Wrap
Up and Review} Hosting gives you the opportunity to cook your
favorite dishes and add your own flair to the menu, while also
giving you the freedom to express yourself through decor, games,
and activities in whatever way pleases you. You might get tired
from prepping for Thanksgiving dinner, but it is worth the trouble
because of the pure, unadulterated joy this holiday brings about.
{Closing Statement} Thanksgiving is a celebration of gratitude, and
if we have the means to host, we should be grateful for the bounty
of food available to us, embrace the opportunity with grace, and
remember to have fun.
Essay Review
So, we’ve worked through every part of an essay. Let’s put the
earthquake example altogether and see how it looks! You’ll notice
a transition sentence has been added to the end of the first body
paragraph, which was not included in the body paragraph
examples in the previous lessons. We will explore what transitions
are in the next lesson.

This essay example doesn’t require a counterargument:

Prompt: Explain in detail how someone can prepare for an

earthquake.

{Hook} An average of ten thousand people around the globe die

from earthquakes every year (National Geographic, 2021).
{Background Information} An earthquake is an aggressive
trembling of the ground caused by movement of the Earth’s crust,
and descriptive records show they occurred as early as 1177 B.C.
in China (Bolt, 2021; U.S. Department of the Interior, 2016). Fast-
forwarding to modern times, in 2020 there were 938 earthquakes in
Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and New Mexico alone (Insurance
Journal, 2021). Despite these common occurrences, many people
are still ill-prepared for these life-threatening situations. {Thesis
Statement} The three most important ways an individual can
prepare for an earthquake are making a plan, identifying safe
spaces indoors and outdoors, and having emergency supplies.

{Topic Sentence} Earthquakes can strike unexpectedly, so making

a plan is an important step that an individual can take to prepare
for one. {Evidence} Being properly equipped with a well-thought-
out strategy and knowing what to do prevents scrambling around
out of fear (FEMA, 2009). {Analysis} This will make your response
more efficient and allow you to take cover quickly. If a carefully
constructed plan helps you stay safe, the earthquake will have less
of an impact. {Concluding Sentence} It is clear that developing a
strategic plan eliminates many hazards during an earthquake and
stops panic, and this makes it an effective method of preparation.
Another effective method of preparation is identifying safe spaces
indoors and outdoors.

{Topic Sentence} Establishing safe spaces ahead of time can be

the difference between life and death when it comes to
earthquakes. {Evidence} Pinpointing secure areas, such as under
solid furniture, against an indoor wall, and away from glass can
reduce unexpected struggle (OnHealth, 2008). In addition,
knowing hazardous areas ahead of a crisis can reduce the
likelihood of severe injury and even death (DIY Science, n.d.).
{Analysis} It may seem like common sense to avoid dangerous
areas and go to safe spaces, but it is easy to forget and panic in
stressful situations. Think now so all you have to do later is act.
{Concluding Sentence} Recognizing safe spaces ensures you act
quickly and steer clear of danger, making it an essential
preparation method.

{Topic Sentence} Additionally, when an earthquake hits, you can

rest easy knowing you prepared an emergency supply kit.
{Evidence} Preparation of emergency supplies like food, water, a
flashlight, and a whistle can ensure survival if you become
trapped. Since injuries during an earthquake are common, and
you may not have immediate access to a medical expert, a first
aid kit is also imperative to have on hand. {Analysis} With a first aid
kit, you can stabilize any injuries while help is sought. {Concluding
Sentence} Hence, compiling an emergency supply kit is vital when
preparing for an earthquake, as it lessens the impact of injury and
increases the chances of survival.
{Rephrased Thesis Statement} Preparation is key when dealing with
earthquakes. As such, formulating a plan, establishing safe spaces,
and stockpiling emergency items can lessen the detrimental
effects of an earthquake. {Wrap Up and Review} While making a
plan and having a strategy in place keeps you prepared and
mitigates panic, identifying safe spaces allows you to respond
quicker. And, of course, emergency supplies ensure you have
everything you need, exactly when you need it. {Closing
Statement} No matter how frightening earthquakes may be, we
must take the proper measures to best prepare ourselves and
diminish any adverse effects they may have on our lives.

Now, let’s take a look at our Thanksgiving dinner counterargument

essay example. You’ll notice phrases, such as “on the other hand,”
have been added in this example. These are called transition
words or phrases , which we explore in the next lesson.

Prompt : Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of hosting

Thanksgiving dinner.

{Hook} What holiday has people cooking up a whopping 46 million

turkeys each year? Thanksgiving, of course (University of Illinois
Extension, n.d.)! {Background Information} Thanksgiving dates back
to 1621, when the Pilgrims celebrated a successful harvest and
shared a feast with nearby Native American tribes, including the
Wampanoag (Silverman, n.d.). Today, Thanksgiving is a
celebration of gratitude and being thankful for family, friends, and
good food. Most American households create elaborate dishes of
juicy turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, and sweet apple pie for
the notable and timeless Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving dinner
is a cornerstone of American culture, and many put forth their best
effort to prepare for and host this holiday. {Thesis Statement}
Although it is easy to get tired from prepping for Thanksgiving
dinner all day, hosting Thanksgiving dinner is great because you
are in charge of the menu and in control of the decor and
activities.

{Topic Sentence} What’s a better way to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner

than to be in charge of the menu and host the dinner yourself?
Nothing! {Evidence} Hosting Thanksgiving dinner is marvelous
because you have the freedom to make all your favorite dishes. If
you want to make something nontraditional, instead of the same
old mashed potatoes and green beans, you can. In addition, you
won’t have to suffer through the day wondering what is being
served and when it will be ready. You will know ahead of time and
will likely get to taste everything during the course of the day.
{Analysis} Much of the excitement surrounding Thanksgiving is
attributed to the menu and classic dishes. So, when you are in
charge of the menu, you are in charge of all the excitement and
delighted taste buds, including your own! A menu you get to
choose means a happy host and a happy holiday. {Concluding
Sentence} That’s what makes hosting Thanksgiving dinner so
worthwhile and enjoyable.

{Topic Sentence} In addition, hosting Thanksgiving dinner is great

because you get to pick the decor and all the wonderful activities.
{Evidence} Everyone has a particular way they like to decorate the
dinner table; hosting gives you the ability to add your own flair,
whether glitzy, classy, minimal, or modern. If you want to go the
extra mile and cover the house in papier-mâché turkeys, colorful
leaves, and gourds, you have the option. Let’s not forget you also
get to decide all the activities because you’re hosting. Scratch
muddy flag football off the list and opt for some arts and craft
activities instead if you like! {Analysis} The underlying theme here is
that hosting Thanksgiving dinner gives you the capability and
flexibility to customize the decor and activities the way you want.
You won’t have to deal with someone else’s nagging input on the
decorations you put out or the activities you choose. {Concluding
Sentence} The appeal of hosting Thanksgiving dinner lies in the
power to do what brings you joy, and that’s what makes it so
great!

{Topic Sentence} On the other hand, hosting Thanksgiving can

make you feel tired easily because of the sheer amount of
prepping involved. {Evidence} When you spend all day cooking
meticulous dishes for Thanksgiving, you’re bound to get exhausted
from standing, cutting vegetables, and prepping. It’s physically
demanding work, and your body will get tired. Not only that, but
you also have to clean and prep the entire house when hosting
Thanksgiving dinner. Cleaning an entire house is no small feat.
Lastly, after all the exhausting cooking and cleaning, you still have
to get yourself prepped, cleaned up, and dressed, which is the last
thing anybody wants to do after hours of hard work and throbbing
feet. {Analysis} Although hosting Thanksgiving dinner can be tiring,
it is worth the trouble of preparation because you feel grateful for
being able to provide a beautiful space and delicious food for all
your loved ones. Seeing your family with glowing smiles and full
tummies makes it worthwhile. {Concluding Sentence} As such, it is
clear that hosting Thanksgiving dinner is great overall.

{Rephrased Thesis Statement} It can’t be denied hosting

Thanksgiving dinner is a wonderful experience because you get to
plan out all the activities, decorations, and menu to your liking,
even though you may get exhausted from the preparation. {Wrap
Up and Review} Hosting gives you the opportunity to cook your
favorite dishes and add your own flair to the menu, while also
giving you the freedom to express yourself through decor, games,
and activities in whatever way pleases you. You might get tired
from prepping for Thanksgiving dinner, but it is worth the trouble
because of the pure, unadulterated joy this holiday brings about.
{Closing Statement} Thanksgiving is a celebration of gratitude, and
if we have the means to host, we should be grateful for the bounty
of food available to us, embrace the opportunity with grace, and
remember to have fun.
Lesson 4.4: Transitions
Transitions are words or phrases used to create a sense of flow to
writing by bringing ideas together and connecting them.

They make writing clearer, so the reader can effortlessly read

between ideas without paragraphs feeling jumpy and
disorganized. Essentially, they help structure your writing. It’s the
proper use of transitional words and phrases that make the
difference between muddled and well-ordered writing
(Arquilevich, 1999, pp. 24–25).

Common Transition Words and Phrases

There are several types of transition words/phrases:

1. Causal transitions: words or phrases suggesting one thing

causes another
2. Opposing transitions: words or phrases presenting an opposing
idea
3. Sequence transitions: words or phrases showing a sequence of
events
4. Agreement transitions: words or phrases showing one point
supports another
5. Summary transitions: words or phrases summing up your ideas

Let’s look at examples of each and each type within a sentence.

Type of Common Example

Transition Transition Words

Causal Therefore Therefore , it is important to

Transitions Consequently remember to brush your teeth
Because before bed.
So that
 If
To
Provided that

Opposing Although Emily loves chocolate. On the

Transitions Whereas other hand , Emma does not like
However chocolate.
Regardless
Nonetheless
Conversely
While
Alternatively
On the other
hand
In spite of
In contrast

Sequence First/firstly Firstly , a shovel is an essential

Transitions First and foremost gardening tool because you
Second/secondly can use it for transporting soil.
Third/thirdly Secondly , owning a shovel is
Finally crucial because it’s useful for
Lastly planting.
Subsequently
To top it all off

Agreement Moreover Footwear is important because

Transitions For example it helps your feet heal.
Similarly Additionally , footwear improves
Of course your posture.
Furthermore
Equally important
Together with
Additionally
 In addition

Summary On the whole To summarize , coffee is more

Transitions In essence popular in western countries,
To summarize while tea is more widely used in
In summary eastern countries.
Ultimately
As shown above
All things
considered
To sum up
Altogether

Transitions Within Paragraphs

The only way to gain an understanding of transitions and
transitional phrases is to use them yourself. However, let’s look at an
example of a paragraph that utilizes transitions and transitional
phrases in a few different ways first, so you can develop a
familiarity with the concept:

Ever since I was a child, I always dreamt of going on vacation to

Disney World and imagined what my perfect day would be like.
First , I would wake up in a king-size bed at the Polynesian Village
Resort. My room would have a picturesque view. Second , I would
get dressed and race down to the famous family-style restaurant,
Ohana, to beat the crowds. Third , I would spend the day exploring
Magic Kingdom with my family and going on all the rides
imaginable. I would also eat all the whimsical snacks Disney World
has to offer, like Dole Whip. It is worth mentioning, of course , that
my perfect day would not be complete without an exquisite fine
dining experience at the Be Our Guest Restaurant. I yearn to be
immersed in its golden glory and romantic ambiance! To top it all
off , I would spend the end of the day watching the magical Disney
fireworks by the Cinderella castle. To me, this would be the perfect
day of vacation at Disney World!

Look at this example closely. What transition words or phrases do

you see? There is a considerable amount of sequence transitions
within the paragraph, such as “first,” “second,” and “third.” These
transition words help organize the sequence of events pertaining
to the writer’s perfect day of vacation in Disney World. Toward the
end, we even see the transition phrase “to top it all off” being used
to effortlessly tie in the last event of the day. As you may have
noticed from the example, oftentimes when a transition word is
used at the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma.
Make note of this.

Transition words or phrases are not limited to being used at the

beginning of a sentence. Sometimes, they may appear in the
middle of a sentence, if appropriate. Look at the placement of the
transition phrase “of course.” It appears in the middle of a
sentence. Note that transition words or phrases that appear in the
middle of a sentence usually have a comma before the word or
phrase and after it as well (Arquilevich, 1999, p. 24).

Using transition words and phrases may seem scary and daunting if
the concept is new to you, or if you’re not confident in your abilities
yet. Don’t worry! With practice, you’ll get the hang of it.

Transition Sentences Between Paragraphs

Transitions aren’t only effective within a paragraph. We use
transition sentences in between paragraphs as a way to flow from
one main idea to another. These transition sentences link two
consecutive paragraphs together and highlight how the
paragraphs are related (Photinos, n.d.). This brings balance and
fluidity to effective essay writing.

Now, you might be wondering, Where do I put the transition? At

the end of one paragraph? At the beginning of the next
paragraph? In both places? It’s great to have questions like these
because it means you are thinking about what makes most sense
for your essay.

Transition sentences can go at the beginning of a paragraph to

connect to the previous paragraph. Alternatively, transition
sentences can go at the end of a paragraph to connect to the
subsequent paragraph. Keep in mind there is no reason to include
a transition sentence at the start of an introduction or the end of a
conclusion.

To give you a better understanding, let’s go through some

examples. First, let’s explore the beginning of a paragraph without
a transition sentence and then with a transition sentence.

End of Body Paragraph 2: […] The appeal of hosting Thanksgiving

dinner lies in the power to do what brings you joy, and that’s what
makes it so great!

Beginning of Body Paragraph 3 Without Transition: Hosting

Thanksgiving can make you feel tired easily because of the sheer
amount of prepping involved. […]

Beginning of Body Paragraph 3 With Transition: On the other hand,

hosting Thanksgiving can make you feel tired easily because of the
sheer amount of prepping involved. […]
Without a transition sentence, there is no flow, and Body
Paragraph 3 does not relate back to Body Paragraph 2 at all. It
sounds a little choppy.

With a transition sentence, there is a bridge between the main

ideas. We added the phrase “on the other hand,” and this instantly
created a transition sentence that linked Body Paragraph 3 back
to Body Paragraph 2. This is what you want.

Take a closer look at the Thanksgiving essay in the Essay Review

section if you want to see the full paragraphs for better context.

Next, let’s look at an example where a transition sentence is used

at the end of a paragraph to connect and lead into the
subsequent paragraph:

End of Body Paragraph 2 With Transition: […] The appeal of hosting

Thanksgiving dinner lies in the power to do what brings you joy,
and that’s what makes it so great! However, let’s not forget that
hosting Thanksgiving can also be exhausting.

Beginning of Body Paragraph 3 Without Transition: Hosting

Thanksgiving can make you feel tired easily because of the sheer
amount of prepping involved. […]

In this example, we added an entirely new sentence after the

concluding sentence in Body Paragraph 2. We used the transition
word “however” to oppose the main idea in Body Paragraph 2
and prepare the reader for a new point of view in Body Paragraph
3.

Sometimes, you can modify an existing sentence by adding a

transition word or phrase to form a transition sentence , as shown in
the first example. Or, you can add an entirely new sentence that
serves as a transition sentence. It will likely include a transition word
or phrase, as shown in the previous example.
Furthermore, the kind of transitions used between paragraphs is
dependent on how the ideas in each paragraph are related. If the
ideas support each other, transition words such as “similarly” and
“additionally” can work well. If the ideas oppose each other,
transition words or phrases such as “conversely,” “however,” or “on
the other hand” would work.

After adding a transition, read a few sentences surrounding it.

Does it seem like the transition improved the flow of ideas? Or does
your writing no longer make sense? Sometimes, you need to be a
little creative with your word choice to get that flow you are
aiming for.
Lesson 4.5: How to Come Up with an Effective Title for Your
Essay

You might find it a bit bizarre we haven’t mentioned the title until
now. Well, there was a reason for this! You shouldn’t write a title
unless you know what your essay includes, and you don’t know
that for sure until you’ve written it!

So, writing a title should come after writing your essay.

Why Does a Title Matter?

The title is the first thing the reader sees. Though your audience
might be someone who is going to read your essay anyway (e.g.
your teacher, a classmate, your parent), it is still a good idea to put
effort into writing an enticing title.

Your essay title determines whether or not your reader will read the
rest of your essay or at least want to continue reading.

Your essay title is also a great chance to start presenting your

viewpoint to the reader and to convince them to believe it too! Or,
you can be more secretive with your title and keep your reader
guessing. As you’ll see in our example to come, you can make it
work both ways.

Lastly, an effective title shows the reader you know what you’re
talking about. It highlights your knowledge and skill right from the
get-go.

What Makes an Effective Title?

A title needs to be

enticing,
easy to follow,
succinct, and
relevant.

It needs to be interesting, much like your hook in the introductory

paragraph, and easy to follow, or your reader won’t continue
reading!

It needs to be short and snappy, because the reader will get

bored if it’s too long and assume the rest of your essay is boring
too.

Your title also needs to be relevant to the rest of your essay

because what is the point of writing a title that has no relevance to
your topic? It needs to show the reader what your essay is all
about, or it will be misleading.

Writing Your Title

When coming up with a title, there are some factors to consider:

Tone of your essay

If it’s a very serious essay, you need a serious title. If it’s a persuasive
essay, you want a persuasive title, and so on.

Audience

Just like the rest of your essay, your title needs to be tailored
toward your audience!

Essay prompt and thesis statement

Look back over your essay prompt and thesis statement.
Remember how we talked about subject and command words?
These are the keywords in your prompt—you can use these for your
title!

Your essay as a whole

Read through your whole essay. It’ll remind you what your essay’s
key concepts are and will help you come up with an effective title.

There are two parts to an effective title:

1. A memorable phrase
2. An educational phrase

The memorable phrase grabs the reader’s attention while the

educational phrase informs the reader what your essay is all about.
You usually do not need to have two parts to your title, but it gives
you more options and more chances to draw your reader in
(Wepler, 2013).

Let’s see an example. First, we’ll look at a title that needs some
work. Then, we’ll show you a new and improved one.
The first example contains a lot of unnecessary words, making it
long and boring to read. This won’t entice the reader.
However, can you see how the first new and improved version is
much better? The memorable phrase is underlined, and the
educational phrase is italicized. We have also used the subject
words and command words as inspiration. In the second new and
improved version, we got a little more creative.
Lesson 4.6: Citing and Referencing Your Work
In Chapter 2, we talked you through doing your research. We
briefly touched upon referencing at that point, but we will go into
more detail here.

You can present information from your sources in two ways:

1. In-text citations
2. References

We’ll cover these soon. But first, why do we need to include them
in the first place?

Why Citing and Referencing Sources Is Important

You wouldn’t want someone else taking full credit for your hard
work and original ideas, right? That’s why, when taking information
from sources, it’s essential to reference them in your essay. It’s
important to give credit to those whose work you used. There are
several reasons for this:

1. If you don’t, you may be committing plagiarism.

Plagiarism: presenting someone else’s information or ideas as
your own

Plagiarism can get you into a lot of trouble, but don’t be so

scared of it that you don’t use other people’s ideas at all. You
need to include information from your research to write a
good essay—just don’t pass these ideas off as your own!

2. It helps your reader find the source of the information.

Your reader may want to look at the original source for extra
information. Citing and referencing a source allows the reader
to easily find it themselves!
 3. It shows your reader you’ve done your research.
When you include citations and references of your sources in
your essay, it shows your reader you’ve really worked hard
during the research stage and your information is reliable.

In-Text Citations
In-text citation: a mention of a source within the body of the writing

As you’ve worked your way through this guide, you may have
noticed a name (or multiple names!) and a date in parentheses at
the end of a sentence. It would have looked something like this:

(Smith, 2019)

This is a citation. There are three main citing styles:

1. MLA–Used for liberal arts and humanities (Purdue Writing Lab,

n.d.-b)
2. Chicago Author-Date–Used for sciences (social, physical, and
natural) (Western Oregon University, 2020)
3. APA–Used for social sciences and business (University of
Arizona, 2021)

These three main citing styles have slightly different rules on how to
cite and reference your sources. While the style you use depends
on the sources you are citing, it may also be a decision your
teacher ultimately makes. We are using APA in this guide, so our
citations may look different than the ones in your work.
Let’s break the different styles down, so they’re easy to
understand.

Citing Style In-Text Citation

MLA Sentence (Author last name + page number).

Example for Reference with Consecutive Pages
Impulsivity is defined as: “the inability to stop
behavioral impulses and thoughts” (Chudasama
327-43).

Example for Reference without Consecutive

Pages
Impulsivity is defined as “the inability to stop
behavioral impulses and thoughts” (Chudasama
327, 333, 343).

Chicago Sentence (Author last name + year of publication,

Author-Date page number).
System
Example
Impulsivity is defined as “the inability to stop
behavioral impulses and thoughts” (Chudasama
2011, 327–43).

APA Sentence (Author last name, year of publication).

(Seventh
Example
Edition)
Impulsivity is defined as “the inability to stop
behavioral impulses and thoughts” (Chudasama,
2011).
References
References contain more information than your in-text citations,
and they appear at the end of your essay in a “Works Cited” (MLA)
or “References” (APA and Chicago) page. These pages are
different from a “bibliography” you might find in a textbook or
other source material. Bibliographies list sources that are not
necessarily referenced within the document itself. Only sources you
cite within your essay are included in the Works Cited or
References page. Your reader will go to this page if they want to
find out more about your sources and check you’ve referenced
them correctly!

References can be tricky because you have to include different

information for different types of sources.

Again, we’ve broken it down for you here, so it’s easy to

understand.

MLA Style

Book Last Name, First Name of Author. Book Title.

Reference Publication City/Location, Publisher, Date of
Publication.
Example
Dweck, Carol. Mindset . London, Robinson, 2017.

Website Last Name, First Name of Author. “Title of Web

Page.” Title of Website , Publisher, Date published in
day month year format, URL.
Example
 Chudasama, Yogita. “Animal Models of Prefrontal-
Executive Function.” PubMed , Behavioral
Neuroscience, June 2011,
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21639603/ .
Note: This source did not have a specific publication day. Hence, the
day has been omitted in the day month year format. Day month year
format looks like this: 8 June 2011.

Website No author
with
“Title of Web Page.” Title of Website , Publisher, Date
Missing
published in day month year format, URL.
Details
Example
“Animal Models of Prefrontal-Executive Function.”
PubMed , Behavioral Neuroscience, June 2011,
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21639603/ .

Personal Last Name, First Name of Interviewee. Personal

Interview Interview. Date conducted in day month year
format.
Example
King, Stephen. Personal Interview. 15 May 2010.

Chicago Author-Date Style

Book Last Name, First Name of Author. Year of Publication. Book

Reference Title. Publication Location: Publisher.
Example
Dweck, Carol. 2017. Mindset . London: Robinson.
Website Last Name, First Name of Author. Date. “Title of Web Page.”
Website name. Last modified Month Day, Year. URL.
Example
Abraham, Micah. 2020. “How Anxiety Can Cause
Forgetfulness.” CalmClinic. Last modified October 10, 2020.
https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/forgetfulness
.

Website No date
with
Last Name, First Name of Author. n.d. “Title of Web Page.”
Missing
Name of Website. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL
Details
Example
Abraham, Micah. n.d. “How Anxiety Can Cause
Forgetfulness.” CalmClinic. Accessed October 28, 2021.
https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/forgetfulness
.

Personal Personal interviews aren’t included in the References in

Interview Chicago author-date style. The circumstances of the
personal interview should be included in the text.

APA Style (Seventh Edition)

Book Last Name, First and/or Middle Initial of Author. (Year of

Reference Publication). Title of book. Publisher.
Example
Dweck, C. (2017). Mindset . Robinson.
Website Last Name, First and/or Middle Initial of Author. (Year of
Publication, Month Day). Title of page. Site name. URL
Example
Curtis, S. (2019, August 6). How growth mindset makes
for better student writing . EducationWeek.
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-
how-growth-mindset-makes-for-better-student-
writing/2019/08

Website No author
with
Title of page. (Year of Publication, Month, Day). Site
Missing
name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL
Details
Example
How to use the rule of three to create better marketing
content. (2014, October 14). Gigasavvy. Retrieved
October 28, 2021, from
https://www.gigasavvy.com/how-to-use-the-rule-of-
three-to-create-better-marketing-content/
No date
Last Name, First and/or Middle Initial of Author. (n.d.).
Title of page . Site name. URL
The n.d. stands for “no date.”
Example
Gardiner, J. (n.d.). Tapping into the subconscious .
Oxford Open Learning.
https://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/blog/tapping-
into-the-subconscious/
 Personal Personal interviews aren’t included in the References in
Interview APA style. The circumstances of the personal interview
should be included in the text.

It’s important to mention while this lesson provides sufficient

information to have a preliminary understanding of in-text citations
and references, there is much that has not been covered. It is
impossible to fit every scenario for all existing citation styles within
this book. If you are looking for a more in-depth and
comprehensive explanation of citations and references, you may
want to refer to specific citation style guides to supplement your
learning.
 STEP 4
Polish and Shine
 CHAPTER 5
Cleaning Up Your Essay

There’s no doubt by now you’ve written a killer essay. However, it’s

bound to need a few tweaks here and there; every first draft does!

This chapter is all about cleaning up your essay, and it’s part of
Step 4: Polish and Shine.

We’ll make some changes to content structure, fix any

grammatical mistakes, and make sure you’re using the best
language to make your essay really stand out. The three lessons we
cover are also the three steps required for this process:

5.1. Revising
5.2. Editing
5.3. Proofreading
Plenty of people get these techniques mixed up. It’s an easy
mistake to make! By taking you through each step individually,
we’ll clear up any confusion you have.

Now, when it comes to cleaning up your essay, timing is key.

You’re not alone if you think the best time to get rid of those
grammatical errors is while you’re writing your essay.
When you’re writing your first draft, it’s super easy to get carried
away editing your work. But this actually stops the flow of your
writing. Of course, if you see a typo, it’s only natural to correct it
midway through writing a sentence, but try not to make big edits
during the drafting stage (Arquilevich, 1999, pp. 33–35)!

Now that you know when to make the changes, here are some
handy tips and tricks to help you out before we get into the nitty-
gritty.

Take a Breather
Take a breather between writing your first draft and revising,
editing, and proofreading your essay.

You may want to whiz through your essay as quickly as possible,

but taking a break can help you clear your mind and come back
with a fresh set of eyes.

Imagine You’re the Audience

During the Polish and Shine step, you’ll read your essay many times
over. You may be so busy focusing on your essay’s overall idea, its
flow, and spelling and punctuation mistakes that it can be really
easy to forget about your audience.

Take some time to read through your essay, imagining you are your
intended audience. Think about whether there are parts of your
essay that may be unclear to someone who isn’t familiar with the
topic.

Have you used the right tone? Remember, when we talked about
identifying your audience, we talked about tone. If you’re writing
for your teacher, you’ll need a formal tone. If you’re writing for your
classmates, maybe an informal tone will be just fine.
Print Out a Paper Copy
Revising, editing, and proofreading are all easier when you’re
working on a paper copy of your essay rather than straight off your
computer document.

You can highlight and scribble all over the paper copy, and then
type up the changes you’ve made. If you’ve handwritten your first
draft, you could type it up, print it, then write all over it.

These tips, along with those in the lessons, will ensure you finish with
a flawless and engaging essay!
Lesson 5.1: Revising
This is the first step after you’ve finished your first draft. The revision
stage is where you analyze your essay as a whole. When revising,
ask yourself the following:

Does my essay support my thesis statement?

Does my essay fit the purpose I set for it?
Does the essay flow nicely with a structure that works well?

This stage isn’t about checking for typos or getting into the weeds
of every sentence. It’s about looking at big problems, checking the
essay as a whole, and looking at whether it answers the prompt
fully.

Focus on the big things—don’t get bogged down in the little issues!

Let’s go through the two easy steps required to revise your essay
effectively!

Step 1: Review
So, you’ve come back to your essay after taking a break. You may
notice a few errors suddenly popping out you hadn’t noticed
before! That’s OK.

Read your entire essay again. Try reading it aloud; this can really
make those big issues jump out.

To thoroughly check over your essay, there are several things to

think about. We’ve included a to-do list to follow. Think about each
of these points before making any changes.

Revising My Essay To-Do List

Structure
My essay has a title.

My paragraphs are roughly the same size.

My paragraphs are in the right order.

Introductory Paragraph

My introductory paragraph includes an engaging “hook.”

My introductory paragraph includes background

information for context.

My thesis statement includes three supporting points.

Body Paragraphs

My body paragraphs contain a strong, coherent topic

sentence.
*Remember, your topic sentence can be more than one sentence.

Body Paragraph 1 contains a topic sentence that matches

a supporting point in my thesis statement.

Body Paragraph 2 contains a topic sentence that matches

a supporting point in my thesis statement.

Body Paragraph 3 contains a topic sentence that matches

a supporting point in my thesis statement.

I’ve provided evidence in each paragraph.

My evidence is analyzed fully, so the reader can see how it

relates to the thesis statement.
Each body paragraph includes a strong, coherent
concluding sentence.

Conclusion

My conclusion includes my rephrased thesis statement.

My conclusion brings together all my main points and ties

them together.

My conclusion includes a closing statement.

Citations

I have cited all my information correctly with in-text citations.

I have included a works cited/reference page with correctly

formatted citations.

Flow

My essay has a nice flow overall with the proper use of

transitions and transitional phrases.

*Only complete these extra points if your prompt contains a

clashing phrase.*

My thesis statement contains an opposing point.

Body Paragraph 3 contains a topic sentence that matches

the opposing point in my thesis statement.

I have provided evidence for my counterargument.

I have picked out the flaws in my counterargument.

Step 2: Make Changes
Before making any changes, save a new copy under a different
title if you’ve typed your essay on a computer. It could be “My
Essay–Revised.”

Work through each point on the to-do list. Identify whether you’ve
met each criterion, and if you haven’t, make changes, so you can
tick off the point on the list.

This list goes through your paragraphs in order. You can work
through your essay like this, or you can focus on the areas that
require the most changes first. It’s up to you!

And if you find sentences that are completely unnecessary, cut

them out!
Lesson 5.2: Editing

Editing focuses on style and consistency. You’re no longer looking

at the whole idea of your essay but rather how you’re presenting
your idea to the reader.

Just like revising, it’s not about changing one or two words or
removing a couple of sentences. It’s about adapting your essay so
it’s well-written and easy to read. It’s also about picking up on
things you may have missed in the revising process because, come
on, you can’t notice everything all the time (Arquilevich, 1999, pp.
33–35)!

Cutting Out Unnecessary Words/Phrases

It’s not always easy knowing which words or phrases are necessary
and which are just fluff. Of course, you need the vital parts of each
paragraph, but are they concise? Or are there too many
unneeded words in the mix?

When writing is concise, it showcases your idea in a clear manner,

so it’s easy for the reader to identify and understand. It uses the
fewest words possible to convey the idea without making it difficult
to comprehend.
Making your essay succinct is one way to prove to your reader you
haven’t just handed them your first draft.

Concise writing has two main enemies:

1. Wordy sentences
2. Repetition

Let’s discuss these enemies in further detail.

Wordy Sentences
A wordy sentence is one that’s too long because it contains
unnecessary words. Let’s look at an example.

Wordy Sentence: Indoor plants could be thought of as a great

alternative for the type of people who are not able to have a
garden.

Concise Sentence: Indoor plants are a great alternative for people

who cannot have a garden.

Can you see how the meaning is the same, but the sentence is
much shorter?

Here are some phrases that make sentences unnecessarily wordy:

Wordy Phrase Concise Phrase/Word

At this current moment in time Currently

Due to the fact that Because

Have the ability to Be able to OR can

Not able to Unable to OR cannot

 In the event that If

What’s more Additionally

In order to To

Can you spot any of these examples in your essay? You know what
to do!

Repetition
No reader wants to read the same thing over and over and over
again. You got bored just reading that sentence, right?

Of course, there will be some phrases that need to be repeated,

such as your thesis statement and your ideas for each body
paragraph.

Often, when you’re writing, it’s easy to get carried away and put
additional words in a sentence which carry the same meaning.
Here’s an example:

Repetitive Sentence: Renewable energy and fossil fuels have been

competing against each other for a significant period of time.

Concise Sentence: Renewable energy and fossil fuels have

competed for a long time.

Can you see how “against each other” isn’t necessary because
the word “competing” already tells us they’re against each other?
Additionally, the long, drawn-out phrase “significant period of
time” can be replaced with “long time.”

Let’s look at some more examples.

Repetitive Phrases Concise Words

 Ask the question Ask

Brief summary Summary

First of all Firstly

Informative facts Facts

Scientific experts Scientists or Experts

Again, look through your essay and see what you can find!

Here’s an editing to-do list to make sure you’ve covered

everything!

Editing To-Do List

Are my ideas clear?

Are my ideas easy to understand for the reader?

Are there any sections or sentences that may be confusing to

my reader?

Do I stick to my ideas or bring in unrelated points?

Does my language sound too casual/informal?

Have I used the best vocabulary? Can my wording be more

precise?

Do I have wordy sentences?

Can I simplify repetitive phrases?

Does each word in every sentence serve a purpose? Does

each word inform the reader and make each sentence easy
to understand and read?
Lesson 5.3: Proofreading

Proofreading is the final step in cleaning up your essay and the last
thing you do before you hit the submit button!

Once you’ve checked your essay as a whole and reviewed the

individual sentences, it’s time to check the small stuff, including
spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors!

Don’t proofread until you have finished revising and editing.

Otherwise, you’ll be proofreading text you may end up changing
or removing!

Handy Proofreading Tips

1. Reading your sentences out loud will make spelling errors pop
out at you.
2. Go through your essay at least twice. You’ll be surprised by
how much you miss the first time around!
3. After you’ve checked through it, ask a friend or family member
to check it as well! It’s great to get another set of eyes on it.
 4. You can use spell checkers and grammar checkers, but don’t
rely on them. They are no replacement for your own eyes and
brain.

Professional editors use a set of symbols known as “proofreader’s

marks.” Just like the professionals, you can use these when
proofreading your essay.
Just like with revising and editing, here’s a proofreading to-do list,
so you can make sure you’ve covered everything before
submitting your essay:

Proofreading To-Do List

With fresh eyes, have I checked my whole essay for spelling,

capitalization, and punctuation errors?

Do any of my sentences appear wordy or awkward?

Have I read my essay out loud at least twice, checking for

grammatical errors?

Did I use the proofreader’s annotating table to proofread my

essay?

Has a family member or friend checked over my essay, too?

Do I have a finalized, proofread version of my essay?

 STEP 5
Going Above and Beyond
 CHAPTER 6
Types of Five-Paragraph
Essays to Master
Finally, you have completed your five-paragraph essay.
Congratulations! At this point, you’ve researched, outlined,
drafted, and cleaned up your essay, so you can finally turn it in to
your teacher or hit “submit” on the computer. What a relief!

You may be wondering why there is still more to this book if you’ve
finished writing, right? Well, just because you have completed
writing your five-paragraph essay doesn’t mean your writing
journey has come to an end. There’s still much to learn, more than
we can cover in this book.

Our goal is to help you become a better writer and equip you with
knowledge that will help you excel. That’s why this chapter is part
of Step 5: Going Above and Beyond.

Remember in Chapter 1 we discussed how Chapters 2-5 were

dedicated to providing you with an organizational blueprint of the
basic five-paragraph essay? Do you remember how we went on
to explain this preparatory blueprint carefully lays out a solid
structure and framework that can serve as the basis for many,
specific types of essays?

Well, this is where we are going to put that concept into practice,
since you are now well-versed in the basic five-paragraph essay
blueprint!

In this chapter, we are going to go above and beyond by

investigating four, specific types of essays. We will define each
type of essay and explore what makes each one unique.
Furthermore, we will use the basic five-paragraph essay blueprint
you learned and apply it to the different essay types and model
whole-essay examples. That way, you can clearly see how the five-
paragraph essay blueprint can be easily adapted and used for
different types of essays (Zile, 2006).

An essay is a form of prose writing that develops an idea or

argument. Essays can be subdivided into four main categories or
subgroups:

6.1. Expository Essay–Stick to The Facts

6.2. Narrative Essay–Story Time
6.3. Descriptive Essay–A Vivid Portrayal
6.4. Persuasive Essay–Change My Mind
Knowing the type of essay you need to write will keep your essay
focused, as each serves a different purpose and requires different
styles of writing and criteria. However, they will all keep to the same
basic five-paragraph essay structure. We will delve deep and
closely examine what differentiates each essay type in the
following lessons. Let’s get into it!
Lesson 6.1: Expository Essay—Stick to the Facts

The main purpose of an expository essay is to expose facts and

information. In other words, expository essays require you to present
an idea in logical order, making it easy for the reader to
understand (Traffis, n.d.).

To write a killer expository essay, you need two skills:

1. The ability to convey information in an easy-to-understand

manner
2. In-depth knowledge of the essay topic

This type of essay analyzes a topic utilizing facts only. Therefore, it

should be written objectively, without using “I” and “we” or
personal opinions and experiences. Typically, first person point of
view is not used in expository essay writing. In many cases,
however, statistics and scientific studies are referenced in this type
of writing.

What are the distinguishing traits of an expository essay?

Logical order that makes sense to the reader (Purdue Writing

Lab, n.d.-c)
Objective writing that is backed up by relevant evidence
Formal writing that conveys information without the use of first
person point of view
Clear explanation that is easy for the reader to follow
Expository essays typically follow the same structure as our basic
five-paragraph essay blueprint with an introduction that establishes
a topic and background information, body paragraphs that
present an analysis and factual information, and a conclusion that
summarizes key points from the essay (WriteMyEssay4Me.org, 2021).
Lesson 6.2: Narrative Essay—Story Time

A narrative essay is another common essay type you’ll likely

stumble upon.

This type of essay is typically a personal essay that serves to tell a

story of significance to you, the writer. It should be based on events
in your life that have impacted you and not be made-up or
imaginary. It gives you the opportunity to show your creativity and
express your emotions through writing. However, keep in mind you
don’t write this story aimlessly. It usually includes a moral or bigger-
picture lesson the reader can learn from (WriteMyEssay4Me.org,
2021).

Narrative writing tests your skill at writing a story in a clear, cohesive

way. Your audience wants a story with a beginning, middle, and
end.

When writing your narrative essay, think about the characters you
want to include, the setting, your voice , and whether you want to
include a conflict (Fleming, 2019b). A conflict helps keep readers
enticed and on the edge of their seats. It could be a
disagreement between characters, or it could be an internal
struggle. This part is not necessary—just something to consider.

What are the distinguishing traits of a narrative essay?

 A personal touch that strays from an expository essay by giving
you a chance to write in the first person point of view
A story that should be portrayed chronologically for clarity
A moral or underlying lesson the reader can learn from
Characters who each play a role, small or large, in progressing
the story
A setting where the narrative or story occurs
An expressive tone that makes for effective storytelling
(WriteMyEssay4Me.org, 2021)

Our essay example combines some of these features with the five-
paragraph essay blueprint to curate a clear narrative essay. Go
ahead and take a look!
Lesson 6.3: Descriptive Essay—A Vivid Portrayal
Consider what comes to mind when thinking of a descriptive
essay. A detailed description? Imagery? Vivid words? Well, these
are all correct.

A descriptive essay paints an intricate picture with words. Its

purpose is to create an evocative portrayal of a place, object,
situation, person, character, or event that engages the reader’s
senses and stimulates the mind. The reader should be able to
visualize the subject or main idea of the essay with ease.
Descriptive writing is often an outlet for creativity and imagination,
where artistic freedom can run wild with words.

The most effective descriptive essays elicit emotion and strong

feelings from the reader. Take note you should use a wide range of
vocabulary, so your language is creative, colorful, and original.
Oftentimes, this type of essay uses informal language and first
person point of view (WriteMyEssay4Me.org, 2021).

What are the distinguishing traits of a descriptive essay?

Rich detail that paints a clear picture in the reader’s mind with
the use of colorful language and descriptive adjectives
 Figurative language techniques such as, similes, metaphors,
analogies, oxymora, personifications, and onomatopoeia, that
are common in creative writing
Emotional appeal that draws the reader in and elicits a
powerful, emotionally-charged response
Sensory details that appeal to the five senses of touch, taste,
smell, sight, and sound (WriteMyEssay4Me.org, 2021)

Descriptive essays do not have to follow a prescribed structure, but

they almost always include important elements, such as an
introduction that sets the tone, a descriptive body, and a recap
that provides a deeper meaning or insight (WriteMyEssay4Me.org,
2021). However, in our example, we will show you how the basic
five-paragraph essay blueprint can be adapted and used to
formulate a powerful descriptive essay. Let’s get to it!
Lesson 6.4: Persuasive Essay—Change My Mind

The purpose of a persuasive essay is to convince the reader to

hold the same opinion or point of view about something as you do.
It may be persuading your reader to think in a certain way or to
follow a direction and act.

In a persuasive essay, although you can express your personal

opinions, you must support and validate these opinions with
evidence. Otherwise, your reader will have no reason to believe
what you say. Evidence can be facts, examples, or depictions.

Persuasive writing is often used in editorial pieces, like BuzzFeed

articles, and advertising. In many cases, this type of writing can be
more casual and informal, especially compared to expository
writing. You want your reader to feel like they can relate to you as
the writer, so powerful, evocative language is important as well
(Traffis, n.d.).

Furthermore, it is necessary to present your opinion as the only

plausible one to convince your reader! Persuasive writing is
subjective by nature. It will not hold an objective tone, like
expository writing.

What are the distinguishing traits of a persuasive essay?

A crystal-clear viewpoint that is the only plausible argument,
so the reader doesn’t have to guess or be bombarded with
other viewpoints
Relevant, reliable pieces of information that support your point
of view, whether facts, examples, or depictions
Emotionally charged language that is powerful and will help
persuade the reader (MasterClass Staff, 2022)
Casual tone that can be less formal than expository writing
 CHAPTER 7
Going Pro with Essay
Writing
Now that your essay is complete, and you’ve learned the different
types of essays, you’re going to learn some cool techniques and
tips on how to write the best essay you possibly can. As this chapter
is purely informational, it won’t be interactive like the previous
chapters and will not have end-of-lesson exercises. This is part of
Step 5: Going Above and Beyond.

At this point, your essay is complete, and you can submit it if you
haven’t already. However, this chapter is here to give you some
extra knowledge and an edge to your writing. It builds on
everything you have learned thus far.

This chapter covers the following:

7.1. Making Your Writing More Creative

7.2. Adding Your Voice
7.3. Reflecting on What You’ve Done
7.4. Reading the “Write” Way
Let’s get started!
Lesson 7.1: Making Your Writing More Creative

Most essays ask you to present facts and be objective. However,

that doesn’t mean you can’t be creative with your writing! We’ll
go over some tips you can use to add that punch of creativity to
your writing.

Tips on Adding Creativity

Follow these three general tips to add creativity to your academic
writing:

1. Introduce new vocabulary using a thesaurus.

A thesaurus is great if your essay is struggling with repetition or
you’re not able to recall the exact word you’re after. Using words
from a thesaurus can make your essay sound more sophisticated,
but make sure you know what each word means!

2. Bring in personal experience (if appropriate).

Bringing in personal experience may enrich your argument for
some academic essays. But, the important word here is SOME! If
you’ve been told to write a formal essay on a serious topic, the
likelihood is you’ll need to remain objective and not mention
yourself.

3. Use imagery.
The goal of imagery is to paint a clear picture in the reader’s mind,
to make them feel like they are immersed in your writing.
Descriptive words, like adjectives, can pull your reader in and help
them imagine the picture you’re trying to create.

Similes and metaphors are great creative techniques to use as

well. But this depends on the type of essay you’re writing. Similes
and metaphors are great in descriptive essays, but they typically
don’t belong in expository essays.

A simile compares two things using “as” or “like.” For example, “his
smile was like the sunshine” or “light as a feather.”

A metaphor is when you describe something as if it is something

else. Here are a couple of examples: “He is sunshine,” or “It was an
emotional rollercoaster.”

Now, let’s look at two versions of a paragraph that utilize imagery.

After you’ve read them, decide which one you enjoyed and
which one doesn’t really capture your attention.

Example 1: Thanksgiving at my house is great! I help my mom in the

morning, throw decorations around to make things look pretty, set
the table, and put on good clothes. After a long time, I finally sit
down at the table with my family, and we give thanks and eat. We
eat turkey, mashed potatoes, and even pie too! The best part is
spending time with my family and feeling happy together. Every
year, Thanksgiving gets better. Maybe you’ll want to join next time.

Example 2: The aroma of hot, ready-to-serve turkey, creamy garlic

mashed potatoes, and sweet, crunchy pecan pie fills your nose. It
makes your taste buds jump and fills you with a comforting warmth
that only comes with good ol’ home cooking and family. That’s
what Thanksgiving is like in my home. I start the morning dancing
around the kitchen, helping my mom crack eggs for the
magnificent feast in the evening. Whoosh– then I zip through the
house, putting up decor and setting the table with the finest china
we own. I put on my best clothes and make sure to wear the
emerald-green necklace my dad gave me as a special gift. I
count the hours until I can sit down at the table with my family,
each passing hour more agonizing than the one before. Finally,
after what seems like a lifetime, I see my beautiful family gathered
around the table by the golden fireplace and join them. Together,
we give thanks for the blessings in our lives and the meal we get to
share. I will never forget the joy and laughter that fills the air. Yet, it
seems, every year Thanksgiving only gets better. It’s like a warm
hug on a cold winter day. I bet you’d like to join, wouldn’t you?

So, which one is better? The first one is more concise and does the
job of introducing Thanksgiving, but it’s not as well-written and
enticing as the second version. In the second example, the words
jump out at you. You are able to picture a vivid Thanksgiving with
delicious food. You are pulled into the writing. There’s even a simile
describing Thanksgiving like a warm hug! While some imagery is
used in the first example, it’s not anywhere near the level of the
second example.

Final Words of Advice

Definitely make your writing creative…but be careful. Adding too
much fluffy language and exaggerations can undermine the main
message of your essay. Identify what type of essay your prompt
requires and whether creative techniques are appropriate.
Lesson 7.2: Adding Your Voice

Adding your own unique voice to your writing also fits under the
creativity umbrella. It has its own lesson because it’s easy to get
swept up in what other writers do when the focus is creativity.

This lesson is all about you. It’s about making your writing unique by
adding your individual voice.

If you read any two pieces of writing of the same genre and topic,
they’ll sound different. This is because different authors have
different voices .

Having a prominent voice in your writing allows you to stand out

from the crowd. It makes your writing interesting and memorable.

But it’s not easy finding your voice. Let’s go through some steps to
help you identify your voice!

Before we do, here’s a word of warning: These tips are more

relevant to personal essays (i.e., narrative essays) than academic
essays. That’s why we brought you the basics first in the previous
chapters. When you get to the point where you think you can take
your writing to the next level, this chapter is here for you!

Step 1: Identify Your Audience

You’ll already have done this in Lesson 2.3. Go back over your
notes to remind yourself of who your audience is. Knowing your
audience will help you make your writing more specific and
decide whether you want your voice to be formal or informal.

If you were writing a blog post for animal lovers, you might start it
like this:

What’s up, fellow animal lovers? Today, we’ll be talking about the
most popular dog breeds. I have a chocolate lab myself. I know;
they’re the cutest.

However, you wouldn’t even think about writing like that for an
academic essay! In an academic essay, you need an academic
voice. This is an objective and authoritative voice supported with
solid evidence.

Academic voice may look like this:

Food consumption in the U.S. population has increased drastically.

The average U.S. citizen now weighs around 15 pounds more than
they did 20 years ago (Barclay, et al., 2018).

Can you see how the voice here is formal and objective
compared to the informal, friendly blog post? It doesn’t use “I” or
personal opinion but, instead, presents an idea supported by
evidence.

Step 2: Strengthen Your Voice

Have you ever read a book where the author has a weak voice? If
you’re getting bored because you feel the writer is rambling on, it’s
likely they have a dull voice.

Weak-voiced authors use words that are fluffy and have little
meaning. Their main ideas get lost, so they’re hard to identify.
Here’s an example:
It is a good idea to start working at a young age for a number of
reasons. The first reason is so you can become more of an
independent person.

On the other hand, a strong voice is clear and concise. It

communicates the writer’s voice well, using precise language.

Writers tend to have a clear voice when they have a finite

understanding of the message they want to convey. As you go
through this book and write essays, you’ll likely develop a strong
voice with practice.

Take a look back over the main ideas in your essay. Do you state
your ideas clearly in as few words as possible?

Now, let’s transform the weak voice example from earlier into a
strong voice:

Starting work at a young age increases independence.

We’ve shortened this down from 30 words to eight. Without the

jumble of unnecessary words, the reader can clearly understand
what your point is.

Step 3: Reread Your Favorite Books

This sounds like a trick, right? Who wouldn’t want to reread their
favorite books?

However, you’re likely to discover why a particular book is your

favorite. When you’re rereading it, focus in on the author’s voice.
What makes their voice unique and one you enjoy?

Here are a couple of things to look out for:

1. Choice of words: Does the author use lots of sensory words?

Emotive words? Contrasting words?
 2. Imagery: Does the author paint a picture of what they mean
using imagery?
3. Perspective: Can you tell the writer’s perspective throughout
the book? How do they present it?
4. Rhythm: Does the author use long or short sentences or a
mixture of both? Does the author use repetition or lots of one-
word sentences?

See if you can include some of these techniques in your own

writing. But remember, only use these if they’re appropriate for
your essay type!
Lesson 7.3: Reflecting on What You’ve Done

As you continue to become a better writer, looking back at your

work is important. You may not have any desire to look at your
essay again after submitting it, but you will absolutely learn some
things about yourself if you do.

You might learn about your writing or thought process, and this
can be beneficial for future essays you write.

Effective writing is an important skill no matter where life takes you,

so allow yourself to look back at what you’ve done. Reflect on
your struggles, achievements, setbacks, and successes.

Throughout this writing journey, you didn’t just become better at

turning in an amazing essay. You became a better writer. You got
better at overcoming the mental and emotional battles of writing
an essay. Be proud of yourself for what you’ve accomplished.

Reflection gives you more independence. It allows you to critique

your own work, rather than relying on feedback from your teacher,
parent, peer, or reader. It can also help you identify things you
want to tweak slightly.
Here’s a reflection table to help you get started.

Reflection Table

Prompts Reflections

What have I learned from writing this essay?

What activities did I complete that helped me

learn?

What activities did I find engaging?

What parts did I really struggle with?

What was easier than I expected it to be?

What improvements have I made compared to the

last time I wrote an essay?

What could I do differently next time?

Does my essay meet the teacher’s/reader’s

expectations?

When you’re reflecting, remember to stay positive. Even if you

didn’t get everything right this time, your capabilities aren’t set in
stone. You have plenty of space to grow. Reflection helps you in
this growth process.
Lesson 7.4: Reading the “Write” Way

One of the most effortless ways of improving your writing is to read.

Making reading a hobby can boost your writing style from good to
excellent.

Don’t worry. It’s normal to be skeptical, as this sounds too good to

be true. However, there is a plethora of evidence proving the
positive impact reading has on writing. Let’s take a look at some.

Voice
As we talked about in Lesson 7.2, reading can help you develop
your voice in your writing. We won’t go over all the benefits of
adding your voice again, but it’s important to remember it makes
your writing unique and, therefore, memorable.

Vocabulary
When you read, you take in hundreds, if not thousands, of different
words. You’re exposed to words you wouldn’t usually come across.

The context of the book helps you see exactly how the word is
used. You can often work out a word’s meaning because of its
context, even if you’ve never heard it before. These are called
context clues.
Constant exposure to new words along with the understanding of
their meaning through context improves your mental dictionary
and allows you to build a colorful vocabulary (JRE Library, 2017).

Grammar
Just like vocabulary, punctuation and grammar can’t be avoided
when you read. When you read, you subconsciously digest how
authors have used punctuation and grammar in their writing. This
improves your understanding of when these important writing
elements should be used.

The awareness of punctuation and grammar you’ve developed

will then appear in your writing, as you’ll be using these elements
effectively to improve the quality and content of your writing
(Modern Language Association [MLA] Style Center, 2020).

Critical Thinking
While reading, you can ask yourself whether you think the author is
displaying good writing skills. Whatever your answer, be curious
about it. Why do you think the writing is good or bad?

Think about your favorite books. What makes them so great? Is it

the authors’ voices or the creative techniques they’ve used? Are
you really fascinated by the topic?

This will help you in the revising, editing, proofreading, and

reflection stages, as you’ll be able to think critically about your
own work and identify where your writing needs improvement
(MasterClass Staff, 2021).
 Final Thoughts
You’ve worked through all five overarching steps on how to write a
five-paragraph essay! Feel free to scream and cheer because it
has taken some grit and hard work! Your brain is now brimming
with information sure to make your essays spectacular.

You’ve planned your essay in detail, brainstorming ideas using

brainwriting and webbing. You became an expert in essay
research. You’ve outlined your way to success using traditional
methods, and you got creative with different graphic organizers.

You wrote your essay using a careful step-by-step process. First, you
uncovered the components of the introduction, including a killer
hook to kick off your awesome essay. You developed your thesis
statement and learned how to expand this in your body
paragraphs by providing evidence for your claims. You analyzed
your evidence carefully to lead the reader down the path you
wanted them to take, and you achieved a smooth flow using
transitions.

In the conclusion, you rephrased, wrapped up your points, and

tied them all together like a present with a neat bow.

You came up with a catchy title to draw your reader in and cited
and referenced your sources to perfection.

If that weren’t enough, you revised, edited, and proofread your

work. You improved the fluidity of your essay by cutting out
unnecessary words and phrases. You removed punctuation and
grammar mistakes until your essay was sparkly clean and mistake
free!
You grappled with all the different types of essays—expository,
narrative, descriptive, and persuasive. You charmed the reader
with creativity, persuasion, and oh so many facts!

And finally, you went “pro” with creative techniques like illustration
and exemplification. You added your voice to make your essay
unique, and you spent some much needed time reflecting.

And now you’re here. You now understand learning to write

organized, coherent, and engaging essays is a journey of failures
and triumphs, frustrations and rewards, and laughing and crying
even!

Keep smiling, knowing thousands of people share the same

struggles as you. Becoming a better writer is not a linear path. It
requires consistent effort, practice, and belief in your capabilities.
You are powerful. Just remember, when you put pen to paper,
magic ignites.

We believe in you.

You have this guide forever now. If there are concepts you forget
or need to refresh your memory on, just review the section again,
and keep pushing forward.
Essential Evaluation Guide for
Teachers (and
Homeschoolers!)
There’s no doubt you teachers and homeschoolers already have
some resources on how to evaluate essays. But there are more! This
chapter provides some handy tips, tricks, and extra guidance that
will be beneficial for you along the way.

First, we take you through the eight “must-dos” for evaluating your
students’ essays. Following these eight essentials will ensure your
students flourish (and not flounder) as a result of your feedback.

Then, we explore the ins and outs of rubrics, so you can create one
for yourself. You’ll be given an example rubric and a blank one to
use at your disposal.

So, let’s get into it.

 Eight Must-Dos When
Evaluating Student Essays
1. Be clear about your expectations.
For a student to understand what they did wrong, they need to
know what you expect of them. Here are a few things to consider:

Purpose: Tell your students why they’re writing the essay. They
need to know why it’s important and what they’ll learn while
writing it.
Your goals: Talk to your students about what your ultimate aim
is for this essay. Make the goals relatable to them by exploring
how the goals you set add to their learning.
How you assess: Speak to your students about what tools and
parameters you’ll use to evaluate them. This can help some
students understand what’s needed or required to be
successful.

2. Be encouraging.
Providing feedback isn’t easy. It can be taken grudgingly by some
students. However, feedback can be framed in a way that is
encouraging rather than discouraging.

Yes, you need to give them an adequate depiction of their errors.

However, you don’t need to point out every individual mistake.
You don’t want their essay to be littered with a million trivial
corrections. Instead, pinpoint the biggest errors, and go from there.

With evaluating essays, think about each student individually. What

improvements have they made since their last essay? Did you
notice their introduction was attention-grabbing and exciting? Tell
them!

Encouraging feedback interspersed between the constructive

feedback will make all the difference when they read over the
corrections.

Additionally, try to steer clear of percentage or letter grades!

Students have a habit of whizzing down to the bottom and only
paying attention to that. However, this is difficult to avoid in
traditional school settings. The workaround to this is giving
meaningful feedback and offering help to your students if they
have questions about the corrections or the grade.

3. Put yourself in your student’s shoes.

After leaving feedback, take another look over it. Ask yourself,
“How would I feel if I was the student reading this?”

Are there enough bouts of genuine encouragement? Or, is the

overall feel of the feedback negative? Have you pointed out
every single individual flaw or focused primarily on the main errors?

Remember, you want to motivate your students to do better with

your feedback. You don’t want to destroy all their confidence!

4. Focus on the task at hand.

It’s your job to evaluate your students’ essays. You’re not an editor.
So, focus on whether your students met the brief.

Did they succeed in focusing on the prompt set for them? Did they
write a relevant thesis statement and relate back to it throughout
their essay?

You want to pick up on the fundamental and structural mistakes

they made. What parts didn’t meet the brief? Issues with spelling
and grammar can be focused on at a later time (unless it’s an
essay for English!). Just tell them how they met the criteria, where
they fell short, and what they can do to improve.

Encourage your students to self-evaluate. Show them the revising,

editing, and proofreading sections of this book, and inspire them to
reflect on their work with Lesson 7.3!

5. Provide specific feedback.

The ultimate goal is for students to meet the requirements of the
essay. Keep this in mind all the way through the evaluation. Think
about the growth trajectory of each student.

You need to make your feedback specific to each student. What

are achievable goals for that particular student? Are you writing
comments the student is going to understand?

If you think one comment will be difficult for them to understand,

model how you want it to look. For example, if your student has
written a hook that’s not attention grabbing, write one that is and
highlight the differences.

6. Critique the writing, not the writer.

When evaluating essays, don’t bash the student for all the things
they’re not particularly good at yet. Saying “you’re bad at
introductions” doesn’t help them grow. It’s more likely to knock
their confidence.

Instead, focus on their writing. So, rather than telling them they’re
bad at introductions, you can say, “Your introduction didn’t fully
meet the essay requirements, but there are ways to improve.”

By switching to this style of feedback, you’re saying the mistake

was made by them but isn’t a part of them—it’s changeable.
7. Recognize and address common writing issues you’re
seeing across several students’ essays.
Providing feedback for the whole class helps to show students
they’re not alone. Yes, they made this mistake, but so many others
have made it, too!

You could work through the issue as an entire class, not naming
any names, but providing the support to multiple students who
need it.

This reduces the self-criticism, which is so easy for students to slip

into when receiving feedback. It makes it clear to them they’re not
the only one making mistakes, which makes feedback easier to
take in.

8. Create an objective and fair rubric.

We’re sure you’re very familiar with rubrics. They’re the charts used
to grade essays and other assignments. Rubrics are handy, as they
allow teachers and homeschoolers to grade work with no specific
right or wrong answer.

Rubrics typically include the following:

The expectations of the assignment

A list of grading criteria
Varying performance levels

Rubrics make grading easy for you and feedback easy to

understand for your students.

There are two main types of rubrics: holistic and analytic . We

recommend analytic rubrics because they help you stay specific.
And, just as we mentioned in the fifth must-do, being specific is
essential.
A holistic rubric uses one criterion that assesses the student’s overall
achievement for the assignment set. Students are given a
document with paragraphs explaining what is required of them.

An analytic rubric breaks the assignment into chunks. It looks at the

different skills vital for the essay and shows your students what’s
required of them to reach different performance levels.

Analytic rubrics are clearer and easier to understand than holistic

rubrics. If your students understand their feedback, they’re more
likely to improve as a result! Analytic rubrics are also a great visual
of your priorities; they help you grade more consistently!

Next, you’ll learn how to create your own rubric.

The Rubric
Now that you’re clear on what a rubric’s purpose is, you can focus
on making one yourself.

When creating your own rubric, there are four steps you need to
follow:

1. Be clear about the assignment’s purpose.

2. Determine the criteria you’re going to use to evaluate.
3. Set performance levels.
4. Show your students the rubric.

1. Be clear about the assignment’s purpose.

To create a rubric your students will understand, you need to
understand why you’re asking them to write this assignment. With
this in mind, think about how you can break your expectations
down.

Are there some expectations that are more important than others?
What do your students need to do to reach different performance
levels?

2. Determine the criteria you’re going to use to evaluate.

The learning objectives and your expectations of this assignment
can be used to build your criteria. Think about the key skills you
want your students to demonstrate in the assignment.

Only include the most important factors. A rubric with 50 different

criteria won’t help anyone! Aim for four to seven criteria. This will
show the students the most important factors to focus on and will
prevent them from getting bored when attempting to understand
their feedback!

Write the criteria in a clear, coherent way, so they’re easy to

understand. Tailor each learning objective and expectation to the
rubric. Can you phrase it in a way which makes it simple for the
students to improve?

For example, for an expository essay, your criteria may be as

follows:

Content of introduction
Content of body paragraphs
Content of conclusion
Organization
Development of ideas
Quality of writing

3. Set performance levels.

You can’t have a rubric without performance levels! Decide on
the scale you want to use. You’ll typically see three to five
performance levels on a rubric.
You could use a combination of numbers and one-word
descriptions, or you could use just one of those. You could also use
percentages or letter grades—whatever suits your way of grading!

Decide whether you want to start at the lowest performance level

and proceed to the highest, or vice versa.

Here’s an example:

(1) Does not (2) Meets (3) Meets (4)

meet some most Meets/exceeds
expectations expectations expectations expectations

4. Show your students the rubric.

Now, when we say show your students the rubric, we mean before
they write the essay. You need to allow them time to look over the
rubric, so they know the following:

The purpose of the essay

Your expectations
What is needed to achieve each performance level

You could go through the rubric with the whole class to make sure
they understand what each criterion means.

They can then refer back to the rubric while writing their essays to
make sure they’re meeting the requirements.

Let’s take a look at a completed rubric for you to use as a guide.

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