Writing a Good Essay
Writing a Good Essay
General Tips
Essays should be in third person.
• Do not talk to the reader:
– If you think…
– If that sounds familiar…
– As you can imagine….
• Do not use “I”
– I am going to tell you…
– I think……
Writing a Good Essay
General Tips
You should never use just the first name of
an important person in history.
YES: Christopher Columbus’ voyage marked a turning point
in history.
NO: The Columbian Exchange was a result of Christopher’s
voyage to the New World.
YES: The author of A Brief History of the World explains the
significance of Columbus’ voyage.
Writing a Good Essay
General Tips
Do not start sentences with:
– But
– So
- And
- Because
Words to avoid using:
– got
– things
- a lot
- like
Essay Format
Every essay that you complete
must be in the following format.
- Typed in 12pt font
- Use Times New Roman font
- The title for the essay should be
centered. Do not change the
font size or color.
- Double spaced
- Contain a header, aligned right
-
Full first and last name
Class period
Teacher name
date
Essay Outline
• Introductory paragraph with a good thesis
statement
• Supporting paragraphs
• Conclusion paragraph
Introduction
• The introduction should grab the readers
attention.
• The introduction should not give the
reader the details – this is for the
supporting paragraphs
• The introduction should build to the thesis
statement
Thesis Statements
An effective thesis statement meets three
requirements
• Fully addresses the question asked
• Takes a position with regard to the
question asked
• Provides organizational categories that will
be used in the essay
Fully addresses the question
asked.
This means that the thesis statement could be
read by itself and you would know what the
paper was about.
YES: The colonists of Jamestown endured many
hardships due to location, lack of planning, and
poor leadership.
NO: They endured many hardships due to location,
lack of planning, and poor leadership.
NO: The colonists endured many hardships.
Takes a position with regard to the
question asked
You need to give your opinion (without using I)
YES: The voyage of Christopher Columbus had a negative
impact on the New World by bringing about the slow
decline of Native American culture.
YES: The voyage of Christopher Columbus had a positive
impact on the world by opening up trade between the old
and new world.
NO: The voyage of Christopher Columbus led to many
good and bad things.
Does it pass the “show me test”
If the reader would say after reading your
thesis statement “okay show me” – then
you have a good thesis statement.
If the reader would say “no kidding” after
reading your thesis statement – then you
have not given a good thesis statement.
Show Me Test
The Civil War was a long and bloody war.
“yeah no kidding”
The major reason that the Civil War was
fought was over the issue of slavery.
“Really? Show me. Prove it.”
Provides organizational categories
that will be used in the essay
The thesis statement should tell the reader
what topics are going to be discussed in
the supporting paragraphs.
YES: The colonists of Jamestown endured many hardships due to
location, lack of planning, and poor leadership.
There will be three supporting paragraphs. One that explains the
location, one that explains the lack of planning and one that
explains the poor leadership.
NO: The colonists of Jamestown endured many hardships.
We are unaware what the hardships are that the colonists faced.
Supporting Paragraphs
Each effective supporting paragraph contains:
• A topic sentence
– relates back to the thesis
– introduces the major topic of the paragraph, and a
category of analysis
• Logically organized evidence with interpretive
commentary that supports the thesis
• A clincher sentence
– ties the paragraph together and links it back to the
thesis statement.
– In some cases, this sentence might also serve as a
transition to the next paragraph
Topic Sentence
The sentence
should let the
reader know what
the paragraph is
going to be about.
YES: The Jamestown
colonists set up their
colony in a swampy marsh
that led to many problems.
NO: The colonists had
some problems when they
landed.
Clincher Sentence
This sentence can
do two things:
-Wrap the
paragraph up in a
conclusion
sentence.
-Be a transition
sentence into the
next paragraph.
YES: The problem of
location was made
worse when combined
with the poor leadership
of the colony.
YES: Due to the poor
location the colony
almost failed within the
first year.
Conclusion
• Stress the importance of the thesis
statement
• Give the essay a sense of completeness
• Leave a final impression on the reader.
Suggestions for Conclusions
• Answer the questions “So What?”
Show your readers why this paper was important.
Show them that your paper was meaningful and useful
• Synthesize, don’t summarize
Do not simply repeat things that were in your paper.
They have read it. Show them how the points you
made and the support and examples you used were not
random, but fit together.
• Create a new meaning
You do not have to give new information to create new
meaning. By demonstrating how your ideas work
together, you can create a new picture.
Practice Thesis Statements
Thesis Statement
Was the U.S. justified in dropping the atomic
bomb on Hiroshima?
Identify the three key elements in each thesis
• The U.S. was justified in dropping the atomic
bomb on Hiroshima for both military and moral
reasons.
• The U.S. was not militarily or morally justified
in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
• The U.S. was justified militarily but not morally
in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
• The U.S. was justified morally but not militarily
in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Identify the effective theses based on the three key
elements of a thesis.
The reforms of the Progressive Era
improved the quality of life for Americans.
Assess the extent to which this statement
is valid.
The reforms of the Progressive Era improved the quality
of life for Americans. Assess the extent to which this
statement is valid.
• While Progressive Era reforms did succeed in
improving conditions for most Americans, people were
often neglected and forced to fight for justice and
opportunity on their own.
• While Progressive Era reforms did succeed in
improving conditions for most Americans, African
Americans and Native Americans were often
neglected and forced to fight for justice and
opportunity on their own.
• Progressive reformers achieved a lot during the
Progressive Era.
• Progressive reformers achieved social and economic
change during the Progressive Era.
Read the following thesis
statements and determine if they
are effective. If they are not tell
why they are not effective.
Although New England and the Chesapeake region were
both settled largely by people of English origin, by 1700 the
regions had evolved into two distinct societies. Why did this
difference in development occur?
1.
The difference in development between New
England and the Chesapeake can be accounted
for primarily by the reasons for the settlement of
the two regions. Additionally, each developed
very distinctively because of the variance in the
geographic conditions, their economic activities,
and the social institutions each of the regions
created.
Contains all the elements
2.
By the early 1700s events in Europe caused
a mass migration to colonial America.
Most of these events were political,
religious, and economic in nature.
Consequently, a variety of individuals for
an assortment of reasons found their way
to the New England and Chesapeake Bay
colonies.
Does not take a position
3.
The Chesapeake colonies were sharply
different from the New England colonies
because of the leadership of John Smith,
the presence of a high percentage of
young men, and the powerful economic
motives that drove its founders.
Does not fully address the question
4.
Although New England and the Chesapeake
appeared to be sharply different from each
other, in truth their founding and their early
development marked them as similar.
Does not provide organizational categories
5.
The New England and Chesapeake colonies were
not the same; that is a good thing. The two
colonies had different religions. This led to war
with the Indians, which was another way that the
colonies differed. The weather was different
because it was very cold in New England and
very hot in Virginia. This led to the adoption of
slavery in the Chesapeake region.
Does not contain any of the elements
• Explain how the voyages of Columbus and
the Columbian Exchange marked a turning
point in history of the Americas.
• Compare and contrast how the Spanish
and English conquests of the Americas
affected Native Americans ways of life.