HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY

Ms. Sansalone
8th Grade English

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Brainstorming Formatting Introduction Title

Body Paragraphs

Conclusion Revision

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BRAINSTORMING
Brainstorm Ideas: write down all your possible topics. If you cant think of any, think of what interests you.

Evaluate Topics: think about how you feel, how much information you can get, if it fits the type of essay.

(persuasive, informative, etc.)

Define Purpose: pick a topic that interests you and that you will have a lot of information to use.

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FORMATTING
APA Format
Page Header

MLA Format
Document Settings Page Header Title Block Citations (1 inch margins; double spaced; 12-point) (name and page number, upper right of every page) (assignment info and an informative title) (no comma between the author and page number; commas and periods go outside of inline quotes) Work Cited List (lots of tricky details! sort alphabetically by author, not by the order the quotes appear in your paper)

(name and page number, upper right of every page) Title Page

(title, authors name, institutional affiliation) Abstract

(topic, questions, conclusions, main points) References

(contributors name, sort alphabetically by authors name, double spacing throughout)

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TITLE
Bad Titles: Determine your audience - Should violent TV be banned? Should indicate a narrow - Why TV promotes violence. - Violence on TV: Should we be topic of the paper worried? Better Titles: Should reflect your style - The Social Impact of and your substance Television Should be a noun phrase, - Violence Controlling Television not a sentence of noun - Violence in the United States clause - Some Possible Consequences of Televised Violence

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REVISION
When everything is completed go back and read over paper. Check for:
Grammar Mistakes Spelling Errors Word Choices If it makes sense to the reader If the sentences flow smoothly

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INTRODUCTION
Should be 5-8 sentences long Topic sentence:
Attention grabber

Make sure to have supporting details.

At least 3! These ideas will be used to help write the body paragraphs
Tells the reader what the essay is going to be about Your point of view of the topic The name of the work and author Very important aspect of paragraph

Includes thesis:

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BODY PARAGRAPHS
EACH BODY PARAGRAPH WILL HAVE THE SAME STRUCTURE
Start with transition sentence and topic sentence Use one of your main ideas from your introduction Elaborate on the idea with supporting points
Quotes, page numbers, sources.

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CONCLUSION
Summing up all the information and points to your reader. 3 or 4 strong sentences that describe your feelings about the topic and reviewing your main points. DO NOT word for word restate your introduction

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QUIZ!
What is the most important item you need to have a good introduction paragraph?

a)Thesis
b)Supporting details c)Topic Sentence

A)
Thesis: CORRECT!
The thesis statement is the most important part of the introduction paragraph because it tells the reader what is going to happen in your paper and the main ideas.

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B)
Supporting Details: TRY AGAIN!
This is an important aspect but not as important. This gives the reader only details about the paper.

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C)
Topic Sentence: TRY AGAIN!
The topic sentence is one of the important aspects but there is another aspect that is crucial for the introduction paragraph.

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CONGRATULATIONS!
You made it through the How to Write An Essay lesson Now, you have the tips and pointer on how to write a great essay!

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