The Coolest Person I Know: A 5-paragraph essay English 9 – showing me what you can do

The Ancient Arrangement

Brainstorm first Come up with your details – the meat of your thinking. Do it first – this will tell you whether you have enough material to write the essay. It’s too hard to think of details when you’re trying to think about making a good sentence. Know your topic sentences BEFORE you begin writing the essay.

The Introduction Begins with an attention-grabber Attention grabber can be more than one sentence. Focuses attention from attention grabber to thesis (a transition) Last sentence of introduction is thesis

The Attention Grabber Ideas for attention grabbers: A startling statement A small story (anecdote) A quote A fact An interesting observation Consider beginning by discussing your theme rather than your specific text Make your attention grabber more than one sentence – it takes the pressure off

The Thesis For a 5-paragraph essay Build the thesis out of your topic sentences. Mention all three topic sentence ideas in your thesis. Write it before you begin your essay. You can rework it later to make it blend with the rest of your introduction. Doing it before helps you focus your introduction.

Supporting Paragraphs Each one begins with a topic sentence The topic sentences state the main ideas of the paragraph – they mention all the ideas that are coming! They also help make the transition from the paragraph before it. Filled with details related to the topic sentence - that support/defend the claim Finishes with a clincher statement, leaving reader with a reminder of the paragraph’s point

Concluding Paragraph Always begins with the thesis statement Can be worded slightly differently than the first time Go ahead – cut and paste it in the conclusion Reminds reader about the main points This is often a recasting of the clincher sentences Leaves reader with a thought to ponder This is the final statement of the essay Works well if this relates to the attention grabber at the beginning