Hamburger Helper for AP Essays

The AP ESSAY: THE MEAT GRINDER!

Hamburger Method Appetizing Introduction

Thesis AP Hamburger Method Conclusion Body of Your Essay A Broad Statement on the Topic Question Thesis: The Position you want to PROVE The Organization Statement – 3 Points you want to prove that make up the ESSAY BODY AP Hamburger Method Thesis 3 Paragraphs 1) Topic Sentence 2) Fact to prove topic 3) Fact 4) Fact 5) Analysis/ Transition Body of Your Essay Conclusion Restate your thesis Recap your points Analysis/Conclusion

1) Introduction Key to a History Essay! It should sate what you will do in the essay. Have a Thesis statement that directly answers the question. The rest of the introduction should explain what to expect in the coming paragraphs. A strong introduction shows that you already know what you are doing before you start to write.

What is a Thesis Statement? tells the reader how you will interpret the significance of the subject matter under discussion. is a road map for the paper; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the rest of the paper. directly answers the question asked of you. A thesis is an interpretation of a question or subject, not the subject itself. The subject, or topic, of an essay might be World War II; a thesis must then offer a way to understand the war. makes a claim that others might dispute. is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph that presents your argument to the reader. The rest of the paper, the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence that will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation.

2) Body Here you offer historical evidence (Specific Factual Information) that supports what you were saying in the introduction. Each new paragraph should have a topic sentence which supports your Thesis statement. The sentences in the paragraph should support the paragraphs’ topic sentence.

3) Summary For goodness sake do NOT skim here! This is where you “quickly remind the reader of the points you have made and how they support your Thesis statement. A good way to remember how to do a summary is to ask yourself, “So, what was the point I was trying to make?”.

TIPS An essay with a strong conclusion, weak body, and a strong summary is better than an essay with a weak introduction, enormous amount of information in the body, and a weak summary. Make sure your facts are relevant rather than related. An example: You are trying to explain how to write an essay and start using facts on the manufacture of paper. Now paper is related to an essay (you use it to write on) but it is NOT relevant on how to write an essay.

Things to avoid Unnecessarily flowery language (use concise language and get to the point). Irrelevant facts. They should all directly relate to the points you make. Strong and highly opinionated statements without adequate factual support. Dumping huge amounts of information rather than reasoning historically. Avoid elementary statements, “I think, I believe, In my opinion.” You need to show a level of sophistication!

Meant as filler when you don’t know what to say! What is Fluff? Cute General Vague narratives Meant as filler when you don’t know what to say!

What is Fluff? To this day, I’m glad this was established because who knows where we’d be without those brave men and women fighting for our united country! FLUFF!!!

This changed when the Articles of Confederation came to the rescue!” Fluff Or Fact? This changed when the Articles of Confederation came to the rescue!” FLUFF!!!

Fluff Or Fact? Question: To what extent was the United States Constitution a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation?

FLUFF!!! Thesis Fluff Or Fact? The United States constitution was a radical departure from the Articles of Confederation after the American Revolution. The Articles of Confederation tried to protect Americans from the issues with Britain. As this attempt for protection was issued, it became clear that America had become strong enough to go on without the Articles of Confederation. This led to the creation of the Constitutional convention and the creation of the Constitution was issued. FLUFF!!!

Thesis Fluff Or Fact? The United States Constitution was a very radical departure from the Articles of Confederation. The United States Constitution formed almost a completely new view on the way the states would be united. One major difference was in taxation and control of money. A second large change in the government was the emphasis on the strength of a central power. This was in contrast to the states’ power over the federal government. A final drastic change, was in the way the governing body was set up. The new government under the Constitution was a very different government than had been seen under the Articles of Confederation.

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington Fluff Or Fact? Question: Analyze the contributions of TWO of the following in helping establish a stable government after the adoption of the Constitution? John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington

FLUFF!!! Thesis Fluff? Or Fact? “Thomas Jefferson and George Washington have been two of our greatest leaders. Besides being two of the top presidents to ever hold office, they have had other accomplishments that has led our country to outstanding heights. In order to obtain a stable governments, leaders like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington have done remarkable contributions in order to help our nation after the adoption of the constitution.” FLUFF!!!

Thesis Fluff or Fact? “Many presidents and governors tried to establish a stable government after the adoption of the Constitution. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson's eras or terms, illustrated that a stable government is needed in order to establish a free-standing government after the adoption of a Constitution. George Washington contributed the idea of neutrality, enforcement of federal law by summoning state militias, thus illustrated in the Whiskey Rebellion and the support of Hamilton’s national bank. These entities illustrated Washington’s contribution to help establish a stable government…

Fluff? Or Fact? “…Thomas Jefferson illustrated his contributions by the purchasing of the Louisiana Purchase, the War of Tripoli (Barbary Pirates) and his belief of a strict interpretation of the Constitution. His contributions also showed us his belief of establishing a stable government.

FLUFF!!!

Hamburger Helper Which is better a LONG essay or a SHORT essay? NEITHER! Size matters but what is MOST important is whether or not you wrote a good Thesis and proved it with SFI. You longest essays are not always necessarily your best essays. A lot of long essays include a lot of “fluff”. AVOID FLUFF!!

Use YOUR brain! DO NOT PLAGIARIZE! Plagiarism is a serious offense and will be treated with severely! You will receive a zero and a parent meeting will be called. You can get kicked out of college for plagiarizing! Do NOT “re-use” past students’ essays!

Hamburger Helper for AP Essays