1. Response to Literature Essay Writing

2. Intro. Paragraph with thesis statement* Body Par. #1 Body Par. #2 Body Par. #3 Concluding Paragraph

3. Start with a “hook.” Mention the title, author and genre (TAG) and add a couple focus sentences that lead to the thesis statement. The thesis statement is a debatable claim or point you wish to prove. Introductory Paragraph -- Like a funnel, start with a broad connection to the topic and then hone in on your point (thesis). Diagram

4. INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: the first paragraph in your essay. It begins creatively in order to catch your reader’s interest (HOOK), provides essential background about the literary work, and prepares the reader for your major thesis. The introduction must include the title, author, and genre (TAG) of the work as well as an explanation of the theme to be discussed. The major thesis goes in this paragraph, usually at the end.

5. HOOK (also CREATIVE OPENING): the beginning sentences of the introduction that catch the reader ’ s interest. Ways of beginning creatively include the following: 1)A startling fact or bit of information 2) A snatch of dialogue between two characters 3) A meaningful quotation (from the work or another source) 4)A universal idea 5) A rich, vivid description of the setting 6) An analogy or metaphor

6. TAG -- acronym for title author genre (Genre -- tell whether the literature selection is a novel, play, short story, poem, essay, etc.)

7. How to Write a Topic Sentence for your Summary: 1)Identify the TAG 2)Use a VERB 3)Tell the Main Idea of the text Example: In the article "How the Civil War Began" by John Jones, the author argues that the real reason for the start of the Civil War was not slavery, as many believe, but instead the clash of cultures and greed for cash.

8. THESIS STATEMENT: a statement that provides the subject and overall opinion of your essay. Many thesis statements explicitly outline the major points of the body paragraphs.

9. Intro. Paragraph with thesis statement* Body Par. #1 Body Par. #2 Body Par. #3 (optional) Concluding Paragraph Thesis with 3 major reasons Reason #1 discussed in this paragraph Reason #2 discussed in this paragraph Reason #3 discussed in this paragraph Final thoughts

10. BODY: the support paragraphs of your essay. These paragraphs contain supporting examples (evidence) and analysis/explanation (commentary) for your topic sentences. Each paragraph in the body includes GO QUOTE SANDWICHES.

11. Body Paragraphs – one minimum Begin with a topic sentence which supports the major thesis statement from the introductory paragraph. Be sure to include: Evidence (quoted passages or paraphrased facts from the story) Commentary -- interpretation/elaboration/ explanation Concluding sentence -- to sum up or transition to the next paragraph

12. TOPIC SENTENCE: the first sentence of a body paragraph. It identifies one aspect of the major thesis and states a primary reason why the major thesis is true.

13. GO QUOTE SANDWICH 1.Statement/Events Your conclusions, inferences, or opinion about the text 2. Evidence from Text Quote or paraphrased part from the literature/text 3.Explanation How does the evidence you chose from the text back up your statement?

14. Statement/Events Your conclusions, inferences, or opinion about the text Ex. The character was bossy at the beginning of the story. Ex. The setting made the story dark and scary. Ex. The character did not change as the story progressed.

15. Evidence from Text Quote or paraphrased part from the literature/text Ex. In the text, the character says, “…..” Ex. The author write, “…..” Ex. In the story, this and this happened. (paraphrase what happened)

16. Explanation How does the evidence you chose from the text back up your statement? Ex. This proves the character was bossy, because…. Ex. As a result, this makes the story seem scary… Ex. This shows the character stayed the same, due to….

17. CONCLUDING SENTENCE/CLINCHER: last sentence of the body paragraph. It concludes the paragraph by tying the evidence and commentary back to the topic sentence and/or thesis statement.

18. Suggested Outline for Body Paragraphs: Topic Sentence -- a major reason of support for thesis statement. Statement 1 Evidence 1 Explanation 1 Statement 2 Evidence 2 Explanation 2 Statement 3 Evidence 3 Explanation 3 Concluding sentence -- summarizes and transitions to next paragraph

19. Concluding Paragraph Echo your major thesis without repeating words verbatim. Then, broaden from the thesis to answer the “so what?” question for your reader. Reflect on how your topic relates to the book as a whole, give your opinion of the novel’s significance, or connect back to your creative opening.

20. Intro. Paragraph with thesis statement* Body Par. #1 Body Par. #2 (optional) Body Par. #3 (optional) Concluding Paragraph Thesis with 3 major reasons Reason #1 discussed in this paragraph Reason #2 discussed in this paragraph Reason #3 discussed in this paragraph Final thoughts

21. Summarize the format and purpose of a response to literature essay.