How to Write an A+ SOL Essay

Copy the following on your guided notes sheet for Brainstorming Step One: Attack the prompt. What is the prompt asking you to write about? Step Two: Consider various options for your essay. Step Three: Choose a side / option / position. Step Four: Decide what main points you will use to support your position.

Brainstorming Example Prompt: Your city council is considering a curfew that would make it illegal for teenagers to be out on the streets after 10 p.m. on weekdays or after midnight on weekends. What is your position on this issue? Write an essay that would convince the city council to agree with you. Be sure to support your position with detailed reasons.

Brainstorming Example Step One: Attack the prompt. What is the prompt asking you to write about? Prompt: Your city council is considering a curfew that would make it illegal for teenagers to be out on the streets after 10 p.m. on weekdays or after midnight on weekends. What is your position on this issue? Write an essay that would convince the city council to agree with you. Be sure to support your position with detailed reasons.

Brainstorming Example Step Two: Consider various options for your essay. FOR THE CURFEW It might improve students’ performance at school (not staying up so late) It might reduce crime (the old cliché of teenage hooligans running around at night wreaking havoc) It might keep teens safe. If teens are at home at night, they won’t be the victim of violent crime at night. AGAINST THE CURFEW It would be costly for the city to enforce a curfew. It would infringe upon teens’ emerging independence. (Treating them like kids.) It would ultimately be ineffective. Kids will do the same things, just in the daytime. OR, they will break curfew anyway.

Brainstorming Example Step three: Choose a side / option / position. Step four: Decide which main points you will use to support your position. FOR THE CURFEW It might improve students’ performance at school (not staying up so late It might reduce crime (the old cliché of teenage hooligans running around at night wreaking havoc) It might keep teens safe. If teens are at home at night, they won’t be the victim of violent crime at night. AGAINST THE CURFEW It would be costly for the city to enforce a curfew. It would infringe upon teens’ emerging independence. (Treating them like kids.) It would ultimately be ineffective. Kids will do the same things, just in the daytime. OR, they will break curfew anyway.

Brainstorming Practice Prompt: Some people believe it’s better to grow up in a small town. Other people think it’s better to grow up in a big city. What is your position on this issue, and what reasons support your position? Brainstorm In your notebook, make a list of three to five reasons why it would be better to live in a small town, and then make a list of three to five reasons why it would be better to live in a big city. Decide which side you would rather take in your essay. Which side would be easier to write about? Circle the list of the side you chose. On the list of the side you chose, write a star next to your three favorite reasons or the three reasons you feel most confident about.

Copy the following as notes The thesis statement is one sentence that states the main idea of an essay. The thesis statement of an essay is located at the end of the introduction. It is the last sentence in the first paragraph. The thesis statement should include the subject of the essay, your position, and your main reasons.

Thesis Statement Examples Prompt: Your city council is considering a curfew that would make it illegal for teenagers to be out on the streets after 10 p.m. on weekdays or after midnight on weekends. What is your position on this issue? Write an essay that would convince the city council to agree with you. Be sure to support your position with detailed reasons. Thesis Statement Example 1: City council should not create a curfew for teens, because it would be costly to enforce, would infringe upon teens’ emerging independence, and would ultimately be ineffective. Thesis Statement Example 2: City council should enforce a curfew for teens, because it would improve performance at school, reduce crime, and keep teens safe.

Thesis Statement Practice Prompt: Some people believe it’s better to grow up in a small town. Other people think it’s better to grow up in a big city. What is your position on this issue, and what reasons support your position? Now that you know which side you will write about and what your three main reasons are, write a thesis statement for your essay (in your notebook). Where should this thesis statement go in the essay?

Another Example: Brainstorming Practice SOL Prompt: Many important inventions have changed people’s lives. Discuss the invention you think has made the biggest change in the way people live. Brainstorm and Write a Thesis Statement Think of a few different inventions that have made a big impact on people’s lives. Choose the best two ideas. For each one, make a list of three to five facts or examples to show that it has changed people’s lives. Decide which invention would be easiest to write the essay about. Circle the list of the invention you chose. On the list of the invention you chose, write a star next to your three favorite reasons or the three reasons you feel most confident about. Write the thesis statement for this essay.

In your guided notes, copy the following for Introduction Your introduction should include the following Attention Getter Background information, explanation, etc. Thesis Statement

Attention-Getter Possibilities Shocking Statement: Surprise the reader and create suspense by presenting an attention-getting situation. Interesting Fact: Explain who, what, when, where, and why for an interesting fact. Definition: Begin with a definition, either from a dictionary or one you write. Problem: Briefly suggest a problem that you will solve in the piece. Discuss the Public Perception of the Topic: Briefly describe how some people think about this topic. Expert Opinion: This is often used by experts writing about the subject they know best. You can use it too, provided you show why you are an expert. Quotation: Begin with a quote from a person, book, magazine, or newspaper, that fits the subject of your story. Statistic: Give a statistic to begin the piece. Comparison or Contrast: Compare two things for similarities, or contrast them for differences. Anecdote: For essays in which first-person perspective is appropriate, a personal story (about yourself or someone else) can be an effective beginning.

Introduction Example Many people are concerned about the safety and behavior of teenagers these days. As a result of this concern, city council members are thinking about passing a law that would make it illegal for teens to be out on the streets after 10p.m. on weeknights and after midnight on weekends. Some might think that this would keep our teens safe or discourage them from participating in inappropriate behavior. However, this law would create more problems than it would solve. City council should not create a curfew for teens, because it would be costly to enforce, would infringe upon teens’ emerging independence, and would ultimately be ineffective.

Introduction Practice Prompt: Some people believe it’s better to grow up in a small town. Other people think it’s better to grow up in a big city. What is your position on this issue, and what reasons support your position? Write an introduction paragraph for this prompt.

Conclusion In the conclusion of your essay, you should do the following: Restate your thesis in a new way. Wrap up your main points; connect them in some way. End with a call to action or final convincing statement.

Conclusion Example In the end, it is obvious that it would be costly, ineffective, and intrusive for city council to create a curfew for teens. The majority of teens are responsible and well-intended, and they should not be punished just because a small number of their peers are getting into trouble late at night. If we want teens to begin acting like young adults, we must treat them like young adults. By not creating a curfew, we are showing teens that we trust them and believe they are responsible enough to decide for themselves when it is safe and appropriate to be away from home.

PEPSI Paragraph (for body paragraphs) – Write this clearly in your notebook Point – the main idea or topic sentence. Explanation – one or two sentences saying what you mean by your Point. These sentences should explain your point and only your point. Proof – three sentences giving examples, quotations, and illustrations that support your [Explanation]. These sentences should talk about your explanation and only your explanation. Signal – word or phrase that indicates your paragraph is about to end. Examples: clearly, truly, to be sure, so, thus, in the end, undoubtedly. In Other Words – rewording of your Point.

PEPSI Should city council create a curfew for teenagers? Point – the main idea or topic sentence. Creating a curfew for teenagers would be ineffective. Explanation – one or two sentences saying what you mean by your Point. These sentences should explain your point and only your point. Some people might say that the curfew would keep kids from engaging in inappropriate activities. However, it would really just change the time or location in which they engage in inappropriate activities. Proof – three sentences giving examples, quotations, and illustrations that support your [Explanation]. These sentences should talk about your explanation and only your explanation. For example, members of city council might think that a curfew would keep teens from drinking alcohol and attending parties. However, even with the curfew, teens could choose to drink and go to parties in the afternoon or early evening. They could also engage in these activities at a friend’s house, and they would not be breaking curfew as long as they were not out on the streets. Signal – word or phrase that indicates your paragraph is about to end. Examples: clearly, truly, to be sure, so, thus, in the end, undoubtedly. Thus In Other Words – rewording of your Point. It would ultimately be ineffective for city council to try to enforce a curfew for teens.

PEPSI Body Paragraph Creating a curfew for teenagers would be ineffective. Some people might say that the curfew would keep kids from engaging in inappropriate activities. However, it would really just change the time or location in which they engage in inappropriate activities. For example, members of city council might think that a curfew would keep teens from drinking alcohol and attending parties. However, even with the curfew, teens could choose to drink and go to parties in the afternoon or early evening. They could also engage in these activities at a friend’s house, and they would not be breaking curfew as long as they were not out on the streets. Thus, it would ultimately be ineffective for city council to try to enforce a curfew for teens.

Pepsi Paragraph – Group Practice  Prompt: Some people believe it’s better to grow up in a small town. Other people think it’s better to grow up in a big city. What is your position on this issue, and what reasons support your position?  Let’s choose a side and then choose ONE of our main reasons and write the body paragraph for that reason using the PEPSI strategy.

Pepsi Paragraph – Independent Practice Prompt: Some people believe it’s better to grow up in a small town. Other people think it’s better to grow up in a big city. What is your position on this issue, and what reasons support your position?  Now choose another main point we could use in this essay. In your notebook, write the body paragraph for that reason using the PEPSI strategy.

Counterclaims A counterclaim is a point that someone who disagrees with you might make. In your essay, you should address counterclaims and show why your opinion is still strong. 1) It may be true that ______. However, ______. Example: It may be true that teens often get into trouble at night time. However, making a curfew will not prevent them from getting into that trouble. 2) Some people might say that ____. However, ___. Example: Some people might say that teens often get into trouble at night time. However, I would argue that the time of day has little influence on teens’ behavior. In your SOL essay, you should discuss at least ONE counterclaim.

Revise After you write your essay, read it silently to yourself. Make any revisions necessary to improve the sound and quality of your writing. Spelling? Word Choice? Its/It’s, weather/whether, there/their/they’re, then/than Missing words? Indentation? Capitalization? Can you make it more descriptive or interesting? If one of your body paragraphs is really weak, cut it out. On the SOL, it is better to have a really good 4-paragraph essay than a weak 5-paragraph essay.

Rewrite your essay Write your final essay on a clean sheet of loose leaf paper. Put a heading on the top right hand corner, title your essay, and write neatly. Introduction Three body Paragraphs Conclusion