Mrs. Mark
Mather High School
Prompt
Examine the definition and the characteristics of the
chosen moral attribute have changed, or stayed the

same over time. Research the idea of the chosen value
and why they are so important to our culture. You
must connect this idea to at least one reading that we
are covering.
Determination has changed overtime because in the 21st
century, it is ___________________,
_________________and ___________________________.
What kind of paper are
you writing?

 An analytical paper breaks down an issue or an idea into
its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and
presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience.
 An expository (explanatory) paper explains something to
the audience.
 An argumentative paper makes a claim about a topic and
justifies this claim with specific evidence. The claim could
be an opinion, a policy proposal, an evaluation, a causeand-effect statement, or an interpretation. The goal of the
argumentative paper is to convince the audience that the
claim is true based on the evidence provided.
Thesis statements need
to be:

 Specific—it should cover only what you will discuss
in your paper and should be supported with specific
evidence.
 A single sentence at the end of the introduction.
 Taking a position on a debatable topic.
What makes a strong
thesis statement?

 Do I answer the essay prompt?
 Does my thesis answer what and why?
*WHAT: What claim are you making about the idea?
*WHY: Why should we care? Why is your claim
important? Your thesis should answer
the “so what?” question.
Examples

Through its contrasting river and shore scenes, Twain’s
Huckleberry Finn suggests that to
find the true expression of American ideals, one must
leave ‘civilized’ society and go back to nature.
What will the paper be about?
Example

Edgar Allen Poe’s work was affected greatly by the
current events of his life, covering his family life, his
childhood, and his career; these events changed his
style and subject of his works.
Why is this important?
Create our own thesis:

Topic + position + reasons/points.
Dating in high school is not beneficial to students
because it is a distraction to academics, it may ruin
friendships, and cause emotional trauma.
Five kind of weak thesis
statements—ones
that

 make no claim (“This paper will examine the pros and
cons of…”);
 are obviously true or are a statement of fact (“Exercise
is good for you”);
 restate conventional wisdom (“Love conquers all”);
 offer personal conviction as the basis for the claim
(“Shopping malls are wonderful places”);and
 make an overly broad claim (“Individualism is
good”).
Is this a good thesis
statement?

 There is a lot of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter.
Sample MLA Works
Cited Page

Bibliography
"Blueprint Lays Out Clear Path for Climate
Action." Environmental Defense Fund. Environmental
Defense Fund, 8 May 2007. Web. 24 May 2009.
Clinton, Bill. Interview by Andrew C. Revkin. “Clinton on Climate
Change.” New York Times. New York Times, May 2007.
Web. 25 May 2009.
Dean, Cornelia. "Executive on a Mission: Saving the Planet." New
York Times. New York Times, 22 May 2007. Web. 25 May
2009.
Ebert, Roger. "An Inconvenient Truth." Rev. of An Inconvenient
Truth, dir. Davis Guggenheim. rogerebert.com. Sun-Times
News Group, 2 June 2006. Web. 24 May 2009.
MLA format

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of
Site. Version number. Name of institution/organization
affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of
resource creation (if available). Medium of publication.
Date of access.
Felluga, Dino. Guide to Literary and Critical Theory.
Purdue U, 28 Nov. 2003. Web. 10 May 2006.
Things to remember:

 Bibliography needs to be on a separate page as the
last page of your entire essay.
 Bibliography needs to be titled – Works Cited
 Sources needs to be in alphabetical order.
 Remember to NOT indent the first line of each
source and instead indent the following lines after.
 Italicize the name of website.
 DUE MONDAY!
Introduction

 Attention Grabber: a first sentence that engages
your reader. Think of your first sentence as a hook
that draws your reader in. It is your big chance to be
so clever that your reader can’t stop.
Things not to do in your
introduction:

 Apologize. Never suggest that you don't know what
you're talking about or that you're not enough of an
expert in this matter that your opinion would matter.
Your reader will quickly turn to something else.
Avoid phrases like the following:
 In my [humble] opinion . . .
I'm not sure about this, but . . .
 Announce your intentions. Do not flatly announce
what you are about to do in an essay.
 In this paper I will . . .
The purpose of this essay is to . . .
Get into the topic and let your reader perceive your
purpose in the topic sentence of your beginning
paragraph.
 Use a dictionary or encyclopedia definition.
 According to Merriam-Webster's WWWebster
Dictionary,
a widget is . . .
It might serve your purpose to devise your own
definition(s) later in the essay, you want to avoid using
this hackneyed beginning to an essay.

Finding the Hook

Finding the Hook

 Fact that creates curiosity: A duck’s quack doesn’t
echo. Some people might find a deep and mysterious
meaning in this fact …
 Your own Definition: Bravery is normally defined as
__________ but if one was to take a closer look, bravery is
about _________________.
 Anecdote: Yesterday morning I watched as my older
sister left for school with a bright white glob of toothpaste
gleaming on her chin. I felt no regret at all until she
stepped onto the bus …
Body Paragraph: Moving from
general to specific

Deductive Reasoning

When you use deduction in an argument, you begin with
general premises and move to a specific conclusion.
Lincoln
 Major premise: People who perform with courage and clear
purpose in a crisis are great leaders.
 Minor premise: Lincoln was a person who performed with
courage and a clear purpose in a crisis.
 Conclusion: Lincoln was a great leader.
Strong body paragraph
contains:

 A topic sentence that tells the reader what you will be
discussing in the paragraph.
 Supporting details: a progression of points/ideas that
support the topic of your paragraph.
 Evidence: Evidence from source  quotes.
Remember to have a introduction to you quote.
 Connect Evidence to topic: Support how the evidence
supports the topic of the paragraph.
 Closing Sentence: A Brief wrap-up sentence that tells
the reader how and why this information supports the
paper’s thesis.

So, to recap…
1. Insert a Topic Sentence
2. Explain Your Topic Sentence
3. Introduce Your Evidence
4. Insert Your Evidence
5. Unpack Your Evidence
6. Explain Your Evidence
7. Insert a Concluding Sentence

Example #1:
Sample Body Paragraph: (1) Upon a further
examination, the mother‟s constant pressure on the
daughter was beginning to wear on her. (2) Jing-mei‟s
mother would consistently give her daughter tests and
the expectations to succeed were high. (3) As the
daughter states right after she failed to perform well at
the climatic piano recital (4) “After seeing my mother‟s
disappointed face once again, something inside me
began to die. I hated the tests, the raised hopes and
failed expectations” (Tan 1152). (5,6) After seeing
the dissatisfaction from her mother‟s face, the tests and

In pairs, write an
example of how to
embed a quote.
Embedding quotes: Examples

Macbeth does not have time to mourn his wife’s death and
wishes, “she should have died
hereafter” (5.5.17).
Most writers during the Romantic period viewed mankind as
“naturally good, but corrupted by society” (Pfrodresher 423).
Mary Shelley certainly shared that view and illustrates it in
Frankenstein. The creature even describes himself as a “fallen
angel” driven from society because of prejudices (Shelley 84).

With your partner, write
an example of proper intext citation.
In-text Citations:

Macbeth does not have time to mourn his wife’s death
and wishes, “she should have died
hereafter” (5.5.17).
Period is always at the end
after the parentheses.
Act #
Line #’s
Scene #
In text citations:

Most writers during the Romantic period viewed
mankind as “naturally good, but corrupted by society”
(Pfrodresher 423).
page #
Author
Pforodresher states that most writers during the
Romantic period viewed mankind as “naturally good,
but corrupted by society” (423).
Page # only
Header/Paper Format

Make sure you have the appropriate heading for your
paper:
- Double space
- 12 font; use a legible font
- Leave only one space after periods
- Title needed
- Upper left hand corner of 1st page: list name, your
teacher’s name, the class name/period, date.
- Use italics or quotation marks when referring to
works that are not your own.

Please write examples of
3 contractions that are
written out.
Contractions

Look for all words that have an ‘ (apostrophe) in your
paper.
 Are they possessives (show ownership)? EX: The
hero’s honor...
 If they are not possessives but are contractions
(shorten version of a written word ), please get rid of
the contraction and write out the word. EX: Can’t
cannot

Explain the difference
between the there, their
and they’re.
There, their, or they’re

Look for all the there, their & they’re in your paper.
Make sure:
 There  location
The book is over there.
 They’re  they are (contraction)
They’re (they are) going to the movies.
 Their  possessive
Their commitment is solid and unwavering.

Explain the difference
between two, to and too.
Two, to, or too

Look for all the two, to or too’s in your paper. Make
sure:
Two  represents the number 2
To Use to as a preposition before a noun or as an
infinitive before a verb.
EX: Please take me to the dance. (preposition)
EX: We don't need to buy that right now.
(infinitive)
Two, to, or too

Look for all forms or too, to and two’s in your paper.
 Too  Use too as a synonym for also or to
indicate excessiveness before a verb. Usually, if you
can replace too with also in the same sentence, and it
still makes sense, then you are using it correctly.
EX: "I am going to the mall, too."
EX:"I had too many tacos for lunch."

Explain the difference
between then and
than.
Then vs. Than

Look for all the “then” and “than” in your paper.
 "Then" has an element of time. For example, it can
mean "next" or "at that time.“
EX: We ate and then we went to the movies.
EX: Movies were a lot cheaper back then.
Then vs. Than

 Than" conveys a comparison.
EX: DVDs are more expensive than videocassettes.
EX: Joshua is taller than Mrs. Mark.

Explain the difference
between effect and
affect.
Effect vs. Affect

Look for anytime you use “effect” or “affect”:
Affect  verb
He affected the situation.
Effect  noun
The stage effects shot up in the sky.

Is it necessary to start a
sentence with “so?” Write
an example and explain
why.
Sentences that begin with
“So…”

 Sentences that begin with “So” most likely can be
omitted because the sentence probably doesn’t need
it.
Example:
So everyone is starting sentences with the word “so” these
days.
That vs. Who

Which should you use or does it matter?
You know Bob, he’s the guy that/who sold me my car.
That vs. Who
 The quick and dirty tip
is that you use who when
you are talking about a person and that when you
are talking about an object, but it's also more
complicated than that.
Example:
1. You know Bob, he’s the guy that (who) sold me the my
car.
2. The woman that (who) married my father…
FANBOYS

 Do not put a comma before for, and, nor, but, or, yet,
so…unless it combines two sentences or these words
function as a conjunction.
Example:
The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.
I can do most of the things the software would do for me but
am unclear on the symbiosis of it all.