Timed Writing Examples
Timed Writing Format
• Introduction with THESIS
• Paragraph 1
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Topic sentence
Evidence and commentary
Evidence and commentary
Closing sentence
• Paragraph 2
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Transition word and Topic sentence
Evidence and commentary
Evidence and commentary
Closing sentence
• Conclusion with restatement of thesis and your
own thoughts.
• Thesis: The paintings “The Family, The Builders”
and “This is a Family Living in Harlem” by Jacob
Lawrence have very different settings that affect
the meanings of each piece.
• Topic Sentence 1: The setting of “The Family, The
Builders” conveys movement and growth.
– Evidence and how it shows topic
– Evidence and how it shows topic
• Topic Sentence 2: Unlike the setting of “The
Family, The Builders” “This is a Family Living in
Harlem’s” setting conveys a sense of stagnation
and death.
– Evidence and how it shows topic
– Evidence and how it shows topic
• Examples of Evidence and Commentary
• Topic Sentence: In “The Family, The Builders”
Lawrence uses very few colors, emphasizing the
simplicity of the scene.
– The men in the painting are wearing soft blues, but the
women are wearing bolder reds and yellows. This shows
that there is a difference in the roles of women and men in
society.
– The background is filled with solid planks of wood in two
earthy tones of brown, emphasizing the idea of
creation. The builders are creating something out of the
earth.
– The sky and the ground are shades of stark, lifeless
gray. This makes the people and their activities stand out
as busy and useful and full of life.
– Lawrence chose to make the central figure stand out by
making him the only use of black. The man is front and
center, wearing a fine black suit, showing his importance in
providing for his family.