1. Last year vs. This year Flea Map New Formulas Funnel Hook Thesis 3 points Everyone Most Some Thesis/Claim and 3 points

2. Practice Writing Your Introductions Use this formula: Everyone____________________________. Most_____________________________________________. Some____________________________________________. Thesis/Claim______________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________, ________, and ________. indent

3. Body Paragraphs Writing body paragraphs is always a T.R.E.A.T. T= Transition R= Reason E= Evidence A= Answer questions T= Tie back to Thesis

4. T= Transition Start every body paragraph with a TRANSITIONAL WORD or PHRASE. You can find a list of these in your writing notebook. Pick 4. Transitions are not PROMPT specific, so you can use them no matter what. Example: First and foremost,

5. R= Reason State your reason next. This is like your topic sentence. It is a general sentence about your paragraph’s topic. This should be directly beside your transitional phrase and comma. Example: First and foremost, the characters within “Rikki-tikki-tavi” are very well-developed.

6. E= Evidence Give a detailed example of your reason. This should come from your reading. As you were reading you should have picked out things you thought were important. You can underline, highlight, star, whatever, but doing so while you read will help you after you start writing. Paint a picture for me of why this is something I should bother reading. You should have at least three examples in each body paragraph. It should be an example and a statement.

7. X states that... X claims that… X agrees that... X strongly argues... X comments that... X suggests that... X takes the view that... X believes that... X comments that... X observes that... X concludes that... X notes that... According to X... As X states... When you are quoting or using something from the passage you can start with these: You can replace the X with “the author,” “the passage,” or “the evidence”

8. A= Answer Questions Answer the question. There is a second question on most prompts: Write an essay in which you delineate the opinions held about banned cell phones within the classroom. Synthesize the information from the article in your essay to help support your claims.

9. Answering that second, hidden question is the KEY TO GETTING A BODY PARAGRAPH DEVELOPED! This is the statement that goes with your example. You should have three examples and three answers. These should be paired up. That means you can’t have an example without an answer.

10. T= Tie Back to Thesis After all of that, tie your body paragraph back to your thesis statement. This is where you all struggle. Tell me why this is important to you, why should I be reading this at all. (Other than I have to.)

11. First of all, the interesting characters in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone make the novel a memorable story. Rowling creates characters that one can relate to; for example, Harry is described as the only thing he liked “about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning.” This makes Harry’s character a mystery from the beginning of the novel and creates interest in the protagonist of the novel. Ron, another main character, is described as being awkward through the following description, “tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, a big nose, and big feet.” Ron’s quirky appearance is matched with his personality, and he is a great friend to Harry. Rowling also describes one of my favorite characters, Hermione, as having “a bossy sort of voice, bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.” Hermione is very different from Harry and Ron, but ends up being best friends with the two boys. Hermione’s bossy personality paired with the courage of Harry and quirkiness of Ron creates three protagonists who make this novel extraordinary. Nail biting, page turning, everyone loves a memorable story. Most stories take the reader on adventures. Some stories take the reader on adventures so well, the reader gets lost in the book. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is an unforgettable story because of its interesting characters, suspenseful plot, and unique setting.

12. Conclusion= READ R= Restate the thesis E= Evidence that was most convincing from previous paragraphs A= Answer why this is the most important piece of evidence to the reader’s life/ to the topic D= Describe a call to action or raise a question to the reader (cannot be answered in one word- must be a rhetorical question)