Organizing an Essay
First Timed
Writing:
Wednesday,
th
October 7
Framework of an AP Essay
• Assertion-Evidence and ApplicationConclusion
• Assertion=Intro. Paragraph which
includes the full thesis with the
“answer” in it (topic + opinion about
topic+ elements that will
support/prove opinion)
• Evidence: concrete details, examples, reasons,
facts from the work (quotes, paraphrase, etc.)
• Application: commentary on how the
assertion and evidence connect/are
appropriate/work in the literary piece
(Commentary is the heart of the paper
because it’s there that students demonstrate
their understanding of the literature and their
analytical skills.)
• Conclusion: insightful, strong ending made up
entirely of commentary; definitely NOT a
boring summary of the literary work itself or
of the essay
• Concrete Detail (CD): specific details that prove or
support the point of your body paragraph. Other
common names for concrete details are fact and,
most often, examples.
• Commentary (CM): your opinion or comment on
a subject or point. It is not a concrete detail. Other
common names for commentary are opinion, insight,
and analysis.
Thesis
• Thesis: a sentence with a subject and an
opinion that usually comes at the end of the
introductory paragraph; it also conveys the
point of the entire written piece.
• An effective thesis statement has two parts.
One part presents your paper’s limited
subject; the other presents your point of view,
or attitude, about the subject.
Writing a Thesis Statement
• 1983 Open-Ended Essay Prompt: From a novel
or play of literary merit, select an important
character who is a villain. Then in a wellorganized essay, analyze the nature of the
character’s villainy and show how it enhances
meaning in the work.
Example Thesis: Things to Include
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Literary Work: The Scarlet Letter
Villain: Chillingsworth
Nature of villainy: secretive, deceitful, vengeful
Meaning/theme: Hidden guilt destroys; public
penance purifies
• How enhances: He contrasts Hester; echoes
Dimmsdale
Thesis Statement: In Hawthorne’s The Scarlet
Letter, Chillingsworth, who is secretive,
deceitful and vengeful, contrasts Hester and
echoes Dimmsdale to show that hidden guilt
destroys and public penance purifies.
Building the Essay
• Carefully read the prompt.
• Underline words which give specific, direct,
important instructions/topics to address.
• Pull out and bullet words/directions underlined.
• Brainstorm answers for the bullets.
• Use these answers to develop the thesis.
• Based on the prompt, you decide how many
paragraphs to use to address the prompt.
• Pre-write (no more than 10 minutes)
• Begin Writing
• Introduction
• Includes an “attention grabber” and a thesis
statement
• Make sure you include the name of the work and the
name of the author.
• Body Paragraph
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Topic Sentence
Concrete Detail #1-Commentary-Commentary
Concrete Detail #2-Commentary-Commentary
Concrete Detail #3 (optional)-Commentary-Commentary
Concluding Sentence- the point of this sentence is to go
back and wrap up the point of the topic sentence without
repeating the same words; reiterate the subject.
• Conclusion
– Use all commentary. Keep it short.
– Address a real world application with a
broader sentence. DO NOT REPEAT THESIS!
– Do not use: “…Shakespeare is a great
author…”, “This essay uses great diction…”,
“I have told you all about…”, etc.
Pre-writing
• The process of getting your
concrete details down on paper
before you organize your essay
into paragraphs. There are many
types: bubble map, outline,
columns, or listing.