INJUSTICE ESSAY ORGANIZATION
INTRODUCTION
Hook
Thesis
Evidence +
Commentary on the
evidence: Why this is a
problem or an issue.
Evidence +
Commentary on the
evidence: Why this is a
problem or an issue.
Evidence +
Commentary on the
evidence: Why this is a
problem or an issue.
CONCLUSION
What I can do!
Hooks can include:
 Relate a dramatic anecdote.
 Expose a commonly held belief.
 Present surprising facts and statistics.
 Use a fitting quotation.
 Tell a vivid personal story.
 Define a key term.
 Present an interesting observation.
Thesis Statements: see Thesis handout!
There is no set number of body paragraphs. You
may have 2 or you may have 5: it is up to you.
After presenting the evidence, you may want another
paragraph on the effects of the problem/issue.
Those effects can also be embedded within your
evidence paragraphs.
Each paragraph has a TOPIC SENTENCE: a sentence
that tells EXACTLY what your paragraph is about.
While not all paragraphs require a concluding sentence,
you should always consider whether one is appropriate.
A CONCLUDING SENTENCE gives the paragraph closure,
drives the point home or leads/transitions to the next
point.
Don’t forget to include transitions, too.
You may include personal experiences. You may also
use first person pronouns for this essay (I, you, we).
End with what you, personally, are going to do.
What can you do to affect possible changes or
improve the injustice you have described? What
specific actions will you take? What actions can
you propose your readers to take?
End with fervor. Strategies for getting the
reader’s attention in introductions can also be
used to end your essay uniquely and memorably
(e.g. stating an apt quotation, a dramatic anecdote,
and/or some startling facts about the subject).
End where you began. Sometimes called
‘echoing’ or ‘framing’, this type of ending picks up
an idea/image suggested in the introduction and
echoes it in the conclusion. For example, you can
refer back to the anecdote/example you have
mentioned previously and show how it is still
relevant or how it could have been different.
Sentence Frames for Argument Writing
In recent ___________________, we have been hearing a great deal about
_____________________________________by ____________________________________.
___________________________________________has been in the news recently because
___________________________________________________________________.
Use this frame at the outset of your argument to introduce an ongoing debate:
In discussions of ______________________________, one controversial issue has been
_______________________________. People who believe _____________________ claim that
_________________________________. On the other hand, those who believe
_________________________________________ assert that ____________________
_______________________________________________________________. My own view is
__________________________________________________________________________________.
Use this frame to establish common ground on a controversial issue:
When it comes to the topic of ______________________________, most of us would agree that
______________________________________. Where this agreement ends, however, is on the
question of ___________________________. Whereas some are convinced that
___________________________________ others maintain that
___________________________________________. My own view is that
___________________________________________________________________________.
Use these frames as you acknowledge that the opposing side has a certain
degree of validity:
While at one time it may have been true that ____________________________, we can now
state that _______________________________________________.
________________________ makes sense when he/she/they say _________________
_______________________, but ____________________________________________________.
Despite the validity of __________________’s claim that ________________________,
he/she/they miss the mark when it comes to ______________________________ because
__________________________________________________________________.
INJUSTICE ESSAY ORGANIZATION
Use these frames to establish working definitions of key terms:
For the purpose of this discussion, I will define _____________________________
as ________________________________________________.
Although you might think of _____________________________________ as being just another
____________________________, I define it as _______________________.
Use these frames to establish or deny a comparison:
______________________________ is like ________________________________. They both
____________________________________.
_______________________________________(s) may say that _________________________ is like
______________________________________, but the comparison is false because while
___________________________________is ___________________________, it is not as
_________________________ as they claim.
Use these frames to establish the importance of this topic:
______________________________is important because _________________________.
We should care about ___________________________because if __________________
_____________________, then _____________________________________________________.
Ultimately, what is at stake here is _________________________________________.
My discussion of ________________________________________ addresses the larger matter of
________________________________________________________.
Use these frames to trace the development of your own views:
I’ve always believed that __________________________________________.
When I was a child, I used to think that _____________________________________, but/and
now I realize that ___________________________________________________.
At the same time that I believe _____________________________________, I also believe
___________________________________________.
After careful consideration and as a result of my experience, I have/have not
changed my mind about ____________________________________.
Use these words and phrases to establish cause and effect:
Because (of) ________________________, __________________________________________.
_____________________ has led to _______________________________________. For this reason, I
believe that ____________________________________________.
As a result of _______________________, I recommend ___________________________.
Without _____________________we have ________________________. Therefore, we must
___________________________________________________.
Use these noun phrases to negatively characterize your opponents:
those who disregard
those who take a narrow view
pessimists
people who live in the past
naysayers
people who are unaware
those on the sidelines
those who would have us believe
hardliners
those who live only for the moment
Use these noun phrases to positively characterize your supporters:
progressive thinkers
prudent thinkers
those who think about
proactive people
those who care about
civic-minded people
those who know about
serious people
those who understand
people with regard for
optimists
realists
Transition Words
Words that can be used to show location:
above
across
against
along
among
around
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
by
down
in back of
in front of
inside
into
near
off
onto
on top of
outside
over
throughout
to the right
under
Words that can be used to show time:
while
after
at
before
during
first
second
third
now
until
meanwhile
today
tomorrow
next week
yesterday
soon
later
afterward
about
finally
then
next
as soon as
when suddenly
INJUSTICE ESSAY ORGANIZATION
Word that can be used to compare two things:
likewise
like
also
as
while
similarly
in the same way
Words that can be used to contrast two things:
but
however
still
yet
although
otherwise
on the other hand
even though
Words that can be used to emphasize a point:
again
truly
to repeat
in fact
especially
to
emphasize
for this reason
Words that can be used to conclude or summarize:
finally
lastly
as a result
therefore
to sum up
all in all
in conclusion
because
Words that can be used to add information:
again
also
as well
next
another
and
besides
finally
for instance
moreover
along with
in addition
Words that can be used to clarify:
that is
for instance
in other words
for example
additionally
other