By
Mr. Gonzalez
Language Arts Teacher
DORAL MIDDLE SCHOOL
Revised and Edited by
Ms. White
What is an Essay?
An essay is a composition that
discusses, describes or explains one
topic. It can be serious or funny. It
can describe personal feelings or
state your opinion, or it can just
explain facts.
TYPES OF ESSAYS
An Expository Essay is one that
explains, analyzes, or shares
information.
☻ How-to essay
☻ Informative essay
A Persuasive Essay is one where the
writer presents his or her opinion and
tries to convince the reader to agree.
☻ Opinion essay
☻ Problem-solution essay
EXPOSITORY
•Explains something, or
•Provides information, or
•Clarifies a process, or
•Defines a concept
•Usually begins with a
statement of purpose
•Develops with FRIES
•Enhances the reader’s
understanding of objective
•Not dependent on emotion
VS
PERSUASIVE
•Convinces the reader to
accept a particular point of
view, or
•Convinces the reader to take a
particular action
•Often about a controversial
issue
•Usually begin by stating the
belief or the action the reader
is to accept
•Supports the argument with
FRIES
•States logical reasons to
support the writer’s point of
view
•Recognizes/refutes an
opposing argument
•Usually concludes with the
strongest argument
•Often plays on the emotion of
the reader
The BASIC Structure of an Essay
Paragraph 1: Introduction
- General Statement (Attention Getter)
- Thesis or opinion statement
- 3 Reasons (blueprint)
- Concluding and/or transition sentence
Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4: Body
- Reason 1(topic sentence) + at least 3 supporting details)
- Reason 2(topic sentence) + at least 3 supporting details)
- Reason 3(topic sentence + at least 3 supporting details)
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
- Statement reflecting back on thesis
- Restatement of key points
- Concluding Statements
MAKE YOUR ESSAY LIKE A HAMBURGER
WITH LARGE FRIES
(The Top Bun)
Thesis Statement + 3 Reasons
F
A
C
T
S
Topic Sentence (meat), Detail 1 (lettuce),
Detail 2 (tomato), Detail 3 (cheese)
R
E
A
S
O
N
S
I
N
C
I
D
E
N
T
S
E
X
A
M
P
L
E
S
Topic Sentence (meat), Detail 1 (lettuce),
Detail 2 (tomato), Detail 3 (cheese)
Topic Sentence (meat), Detail 1 (lettuce),
Detail 2 (tomato), Detail 3 (cheese)
FRIES
(The Bottom Bun)
S
T
A
T
I
S
T
I
C
S
The Introduction (The Top Bun)
I. Introduction
• Introductory statement (Attention Getter):
– quotation
– anecdote
– interesting fact
– statistics
– question
• Thesis/opinion statement
• Blueprint (three reasons)
• Concluding/transition sentence
The Body
– First Reason Paragraph
•
•
•
•
Transition
topic sentence (MEAT)
Three Supporting Details (Lettuce, tomato, cheese)
Remember to add FRIES
– Second Reason Paragraph
•
•
•
•
Transition
topic sentence (MEAT)
Three Supporting Details (Lettuce, tomato, cheese)
Remember to add FRIES
– Third Reason Paragraph
•
•
•
•
Transition
topic sentence (MEAT)
Three Supporting Details (Lettuce, tomato, cheese)
Remember to add FRIES
The Conclusion (The Bottom Bun)
III. Conclusion
– Transition
– Statement reflecting back on thesis
– Restatement of key points
– Concluding Statements
Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing
• Introduction:
I am a movie fanatic. When friends want to know
what picture won the Oscar in 1980 or who played the
police chief in Jaws, they ask me. My friends, though,
have stopped asking me if I want to go out to the movies.
Going to the movies has become a hazardous activity for
me. The problems in getting to the theater, the theater
itself, and the behavior of some patrons are all reasons
why I often wait for a movie to show up on TV. I think it is
better to stay home.
► General Statements
► Thesis Statement
► Blueprint
► Concluding Sentence
Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing
Body: Supporting Paragraph # 1
First of all, just getting to the theater presents difficulties.
Leaving a home equipped with a TV and a video recorder isn't an
attractive idea on a humid, cold, or rainy night. Even if the weather
cooperates, there is still a thirty-minute drive to the theater down a
congested highway, followed by the hassle of looking for a parking
space. And then there are the lines. After hooking yourself to the
end of a human chain, you worry about whether there will be
enough tickets, whether you will get seats together, and whether
many people will sneak into the line ahead of you.
► Transitional Words
► Topic Sentence (Reason 1)
► Supporting Detail # 1
► Supporting Detail # 2
► Supporting Detail # 3
Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing
Body: Supporting Paragraph # 2
Furthermore, once you have made it to the box office and
gotten your tickets, you are confronted with the problems of the
theater itself. If you are in one of the run-down older theaters, you
must adjust to the musty smell of seldom-cleaned carpets.
Escaped springs lurk in the faded plush or cracked leather seats,
and half the seats you sit in seem loose or tilted so that you sit at a
strange angle. Even, the newer twin and quad theaters offer their
own problems. Sitting in an area only one-quarter the size of a
regular theater, moviegoers often have to put up with the sound of
the movie next door. This is especially jarring when the other
movie involves racing cars or a karate war and you are trying to
enjoy a quiet love story. But, whether the theater is old or new, it
will have floors that seem to be coated with rubber cement. By the
end of a movie, shoes almost have to be pried off the floor
because they have become sealed to a deadly compound of
spilled soda, hardening bubble gum, and crushed Jujubes.
► Transitions
►Topic Sentence
► Supporting Detail # 2
►Supporting Detail # 1
►Supporting Detail # 3
Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing
Body: Supporting Paragraph # 3
Finally, some of the patrons are even more of a problem than
the theater itself. Little kids race up and down the aisles, usually in
giggling packs. Teenagers try to impress their friends by talking
back to the screen, whistling, and making what they consider to be
hilarious noises. Adults act as if they were at home in their own
living rooms and comment loudly on the ages of the stars or why
movies aren't as good anymore. And people of all ages crinkle
candy wrappers, stick gum on their seats, and drop popcorn tubs
or cups of crushed ice and soda on the floor. Also, they cough and
burp, squirm endlessly in their seats, file out for repeated trips to
the rest rooms or concession stand, and elbow you out of the
armrest on either side of your seat.
► Transitions
►Topic Sentence
► Supporting Detail # 2
►Supporting Detail # 1
►Supporting Detail # 3
Sample Essay: The Hazards of Moviegoing
Conclusion:
All in all, after arriving home from the movies one night, I
decided that I was not going to be a moviegoer anymore. I was tired
of the problems involved in getting to the movies , dealing with the
theater itself, and some of the patrons. Because of that, I arranged
to have cable TV service installed in my home. I may now see
movies a bit later than other people, but I'll be more relaxed
watching box office hits in the comfort of my own living room.
►Transitions
►Statement reflecting back on thesis
►Restatement of key point # 1
►Restatement of key point # 2
►Restatement of key point # 3
►Concluding statements
ARE YOU READY TO WRITE YOUR
OWN ESSAY?
BEFORE YOU WRITE YOUR ESSAY,
YOU NEED TO READ AND
UNDERSTAND THE PROMPT
YOU ARE GIVEN.
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF
PROMPTS, BUT WE WILL ONLY DISCUSS
TWO OF THEM.
EXPOSITORY
PROMPTS
AND
PERSUASIVE
PROMPTS
A PROMPT HAS TWO PARTS:
• The Writing Situation:
•Introduces the topic
• The Directions For Writing:
•Helps you to think of a main
idea for your essay and
directs you to write about it.
•
SAMPLE PROMPT:
Writing Situation:
The principal at your school wants to plan an activity to
welcome students back to school at the beginning of next
school year.
• Directions For Writing:
Think about a welcoming activity that would be fun for the
students.
Now write to convince your principal to choose your idea
for a welcoming activity.
WHAT IS THE GENERAL TOPIC OF THE ESSAY?
- A welcoming activity that would be fun for the students.
WHAT TYPE OF ESSAY WILL YOU WRITE?
- Persuasive
REMEMBER
IN A PERSUASIVE PROMPT, YOU WILL FIND THE WORDS
PERSUADE, CONVINCE OR TELL WHY SOMEONE SHOULD DO
SOMETHING.
SAMPLE PROMPT:
Writing Situation:
Everyone has something valuable that he or she would like to put in a trunk
for the future.
Directions for Writing:
Think about something valuable that you would like to put in a trunk for the
future.
Now write to explain to your readers why you would like to put that in a trunk
for the future.
WHAT IS THE GENERAL TOPIC OF THE ESSAY?
-Something valuable that you would like to put in a trunk for the future.
WHAT TYPE OF ESSAY WILL YOU WRITE?
-Expository.
REMEMBER
IN AN EXPOSITORY PROMPT, YOU WILL FIND THE WORDS
EXPLAIN, TELL HOW, OR TELL WHY.