Doing a Prewrite for a full essay...
In short: Use the prompt your given to create enough topic sentences
that, when proven, answer the entire prompt. If it’s a difficult prompt,
you can create these topic sentences from the evidence (quotes) you first
find in the book that you will use to prove your points.
Your thesis is then the summary of the topic sentences you came up
with. It should be as specific as possible, while still summarizing the
totality of what your topic sentences claim. The thesis should be one
sentence in formal voice and it should answer the prompt completely.
So the form of the essay prewrite, when finished, looks like as follows:
Thesis
Topic Sentence
pg. #
pg. #
(as many as you need)
Topic Sentence
pg. #
pg. #
(as many as you need)
(As many such chunks as you need to answer your answer to the prompt
well).
Sample Essay Prewrite Process
Prompt: Many young people have strong opinions about whether or not their community is a desirable
place for teens to live. Consider the appeal your community has for teens. Write a multi-paragraph letter
to parents of teens in another area and convince them to move to or avoid your community.
Step 1: Brainstorm possible evidence.
-mill creek town center
-close to seattle (sports events)
-edmonds marina beach
-meadowdale beach
-meadowdale playfields
-beautiful sunsets
-edmonds arts festival
-taste of edmonds
-good sports teams
-good schools (meadowdale, edmonds-woodway)
-university of washington
etc. etc.
Step 2: Organize your evidence into topic sentences:
Topic Sentence 1: The Edmonds/Lynnwood community would be a great place to move to because it
offers access to great education for teens.
-university of washington
-meadowdale
-edmonds-woodway
Topic Sentence 2: Edmonds/Lynnwood is great because it is a beautiful place to live.
-beautiful sunsets
-edmonds marina beach
-meadowdale beach
Topic Sentence 3: Move to Edmonds/Lynnwood because it is close to many fun activities for teens and
adults.
-mill creek town center/restaurants
-close to seattle/sports teams, etc.
-taste of edmonds
-edmonds arts festival
-sports events
-meadowdale playfields
Thesis (summarize topic sentences): The Edmonds/Lynnwood community would be a great place to
move to because it offers a plethora of unique advantages for its citizens, especially teens.