HOW TO ORGANIZE A FREE RESPONSE ESSAY
AP US History – Mr. Sandford
Introductory Paragraph – It has to be HOTT to be effective
H ook – attention getter (1-2 sentences)
O verview – overall concept of topic explained (3-5 sentences)
T hemes – three (four) simplified themes, one sentence, joined by commas
T hesis – your Point of View, one sentence maximum, what you are going to prove
Body of the Paper – Write a TEST paragraph for each theme mentioned above.
T opic sentence – begins each theme paragraph (1 sentence)
E vidence – organization of ideas, facts, and support
S ummary – one senetence summarizing your theme
T ransition – smooth swith to the next theme (1 sentence)
Answer these questions after writing each TEST paragraph
- Does the provided evidence help prove the theme?
- Does the TEST paragraph help prove the thesis of the paper?
- Is the paragraph grammatically well written with no spelling errors?
Conclusion – STOP the essay in fine style
S ummary – Write the main themes again (1-2 sentences)
T hesis – restate the thesis that your essay was trying to prove
OP inion – what is your personal opinion, which should match your Thesis. (1-2 sentences)
Intro Par
H
O
T
T
Answer these questions after completing your STOP paragraph
- Is your conclusion thesis similar to the one in the HOTT paragraph?
- Does the conclusion wrap up your essay?
- Does the essay prove your point of view (thesis)?
Body (A)
Body (B)
Body (C)
Con Par
T
E
S
T
T
E
S
T
T
E
S
T
S
T
OP