1. WHAT ARE ASSERTIONS EXACTLY Assertion Statement No Warm Up Today. Turn your composition books open to the NOTES section.

2. Analysis Textual Evidence Assertions Thesis

3. Assertions Thesis: Top of table (what whole paper surrounds) Assertions: Legs of Table (help support and hold up the thesis to prove your take or point

4. Assertions Assertions: Topic Sentences 1. explains or introduces one of the major points that support the writer’s thesis statement. 2. the main ideas expressed in each assertion represent the major divisions of the essay. It is up to you how many assertion statements you have, keep in mind 1. 1 assertion = 1 paragraph

5. Example Read the following thesis statement then write down the 2 assertion statements from the following list that best relate to the thesis statement. Thesis: In the poem “Sea- Fever,” John Masefield reveals his complex attitude toward sailing by using diction, imagery, and figurative language to convey the lonely but exciting life of a sailor. Possible Assertions: 1. The speaker personifies the sea as a powerful being that demands that the sailor return. 2. The poem is divided into three four- line stanzas. 3. The speaker’s description of the solitude of the sea makes the seaman’s life seem romantic. 4. Masefield’s use of alliteration reflects the speakers desire to return to the sea. 5. The speaker uses words with positive connotation to show his love for the sea, but he also uses words with negative connotations to express the danger of a life at sea.

6. Ex. In the novel The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas uses the character of Edmond Dantes to portray how an environment can affect a person mentally and physically. Assertion: #1 Edmond Dantes recedes to the darkest corners of his mind while he is in prison.

7. Assignment: Create Web Cut out your textual evidence. Arrange into categories Then create an assertion for each statement. Again it is up to you how many assertions you have!!