Day 1 – The Thesis Writing Organization

TThe most important sentence in the paper (hear the echo?) SStates what your whole paper’s about GGives a “road map” for the essay IIt’s in the INTRO paragraph- typically at the end What’s a THESIS sentence?

Thesis CContains a SUBJECT, an OPINION/ INFERENCE, and LIMITERS Example: My father is a good man, because he coaches young kids, works hard as a father, and volunteers his time with at-risk youth.

Example: The Earthquake Burger is the Puyallup Fair’s biggest disappointment, because it has shrunk from the size of a plate to that of my face, one has to pay for extra toppings, and despite all the promise, the ground has stood still with every bite.

Write a thesis statement relating to the topic below. Include the 3 parts of a thesis statement (SO/IL) and label each part. Topic: Fair food

Homework: Write 5 thesis statements for the following questions (and label the subject, opinion/inference, and limiters): 1) What is your favorite time of day? 2) “Teenagers should not speak unless spoken to.” Do you agree or disagree? 3) What is your favorite memory from childhood? 4) What is your favorite movie? 5) Is Sumner/Bonney Lake a good place for kids to grow up?

Day #2 Topic Sentences

Topic Sentences  1 st sentence in a body paragraph  Must have a subject and an opinion/inference (sound familiar?)  Tells the reader what that paragraph will be about Thesis = Road map for the paper Topic sentence = Road map for the paragraph

 THESIS: My father is a good man, because he coaches young kids, works hard as a father, and volunteers his time with at-risk youth. Paragraph #1 TS – One thing that makes my dad a good man is that he coaches soccer for little kids. Paragraph #2 Paragraph #2 TS – Not only does he help other kids, but my dad works hard to be a good father to me. Paragraph #3 TS – One more thing that shows that my father is a good man is that he takes time from his week to help at-risk kids.

New example... Lady GaGa is the most influential person alive, because she is on the cutting-edge of fashion, performs catchy dance songs, and is constantly in the headlines for her outspoken political and social views. TS - Paragraph #1 TS - Paragraph #2 TS - Paragraph #3

Homework 1) Pick one of your theses from yesterday 2) Write topic sentences for each of your limiters. 3) Repeat the process for two more thesis sentences you wrote yesterday! Good luck!...Due tomorrow.

Chunks

What’s a CHUNK? -smallest unified group of thoughts -ONE sentence of concrete detail + TWO sentences of commentary (1:2 RATIO) Concrete Detail (CD) Commentary (CM) 1 CHUNK Commentary (CM) TS CD CM CS

Concrete Details (CD) Specific details easy to “see” or imagine The “stuff” from the story Play-by-play announcer Synonyms: FACTS, EXAMPLES, SUPPORT, EVIDENCE, QUOTATIONS

Concrete Details (CD) Examples: Both Romeo and Juliet die in Act IV. Ludacris is on a bowling team. The school has 1,400 kids in it, and it was built for 1,200.

Commentary (CM) Your comment or inference about something Stuff from your head (i.e. not CD) Color commentator Synonyms: Analysis, insight, interpretation

Helper phrases for you TS CD For example,... CM (This shows that... ) CM (This also shows that...) OR (This is because...) OR (This is important because... ) CS

Example CHUNK: TS CD For example, Ludacris is on a bowling team. CM (This shows that) he likes to escape from the limelight sometimes. CM (This is because) it must be hard for celebrities to find time for fun without cameras on them. CS

Homework! 1) Pick one TS from your homework last night 2) Create a CHUNK for that TS 3) Now write 2 more chunks for the rest of that THESIS (3 total)

Def: The method an author uses to reveal characters and their personalities 4 Methods What s/he does What s/he looks like What s/he says What others say about him/her

 Watch the clip of “Beauty and the Beast”.  Track details of Belle’s APPEARANCE, ACTIONS, and WORDS  Then make inferences on the right of that page

In the movie, Beauty and the Beast, the filmmaker uses _____________________ to reveal that the main character is ____________, _________, and ________.

In the movie, Beauty and the Beast, the filmmaker uses Belle’s physical appearance to reveal that the main character is down to earth, joyous, and carefree. TS: T he animators uses what Belle looks like to reveal that the she is a humble girl. *Note: You want to make sure the TS & Thesis Subject & Opinion/Inferences line up, but avoid repetition.

 Using the limiters we discussed, construct your thesis sentence about the character of Belle.  Then, create a TS, CD, CM, CM, & CS for each limiter

“Priscilla and the Wimps” by Richard Peck Concluding sentences (cs) AND w.o.w.

Here are our steps so far…

TS Priscilla is brave to confront the thugs who are terrorizing her school. CD CM CS We wrote our TS to describe our character:

 She sent the Kobra to go get Monk Klutter so she could talk to him herself.  She “frog-marches” Monk into his own locker.  When the Kobra tries to take Melvin’s wallet, she hits him with her hand and makes him let go of her friend. Then we listed cd TO PROVE SHE’S BRAVE…(CHOOSE ONE):

TSPriscilla is brave to confront the thugs who are terrorizing her school. CD For example, when the Kobra tries to take Melvin’s wallet, she hits him with her hand and makes him let go of her friend. CM CS …And added it to our paragraph:

PowerfulconfidentHulk hero MLKcourage Chuck Norris fearless Protect defend stand up Rescueboldunyielding Then used W.O.W. to generate CM:

TS Priscilla is brave to confront the thugs who are terrorizing her school. CD For example, when the Kobra tries to take Melvin’s wallet, she hits him with her hand and makes him let go of her friend. CM (This shows that) She wants to protect her friend from harassment and violence. CM (This is important because) It’s that confidence and courage that enables her to stand up for what’s right. CS …Constructed our commentary:

Write this down:  The last sentence in a body paragraph  It’s all commentary  Does not repeat key words  Gives a finished feeling to the paragraph And now, finally…our closing sentence!:

 For example,...  (This shows that... )  (This also shows that...)  (This is because...)  (This is important because... )  As a result,... TS CD CM CS (Another Helper Phrase for you):

TS Priscilla is brave to confront the thugs who are terrorizing her school. CD For example, when the Kobra tries to take Melvin’s wallet, she hits him with her hand and makes him let go of her friend. CM (This shows that) She wants to protect her friend from harassment and violence. CM (This is important because) It’s that confidence and courage that enables her to stand up for what’s right. CS As a result, Priscilla is the new hero on campus. Now, add the cs:

TS CD For example, CM (This shows that) CM (This is important because/ This also shows that/ This is because) CS As a result, Let’s try it for your first Beauty & The Beast Chunk:

 Finish the second and third chunks on the Beauty and the Beast page in your packet DUE: Tomorrow Tonight’s Homework:

P REWRITING FOR O RGANIZATION Spiders, Bubbles, Lists, Outlines, & Columns

P RE - WRITING The process of getting your concrete details down on paper BEFORE you organize your essay into paragraphs

1) B UBBLE C LUSTER 1. The subject of the pre-writing goes in the middle circle 2. Each circle is numbered. The center bubble is #1 (=>THESIS) 3. You should have 2-3 bubbles that extend from the center bubble. These are #2’s (=>TS’s) 4. Then you should have 2 #3 bubbles extending from each of those (=>CD’s) It should look like this...

P RE - WRITING Bubble Cluster Main Idea #3=>CD #2 => TS #3=>CD #2 => TS #3=>CD

2) S PIDER D IAGRAM 1. The subject of the pre-writing has a box around it. 2. Each idea is numbered 3. This has 2-3 #2 ideas and 2 #3 ideas (just like bubble clusters 4. This way of pre-writing uses straight lines instead of circles.

P RE - WRITING Spider Diagram Main Idea #3 #2

P INK & S AY Write a pre-write and thesis for a 4-paragraph essay that uses 2-chunk paragraphs for the following prompt: How does Pink show unconditional love for Say?

H OW DO I WRITE A 2- CHUNK PARAGRAPH ?

I F A 1- CHUNK PARAGRAPH LOOKS LIKE THIS...  Concrete Detail (CD)  Commentary (CM) 1 CHUNK  Commentary (CM) TS CD CM CS

T HEN A 2- CHUNK PARAGRAPH LOOKS LIKE THIS. Concrete Detail (CD) Commentary (CM) 1 CHUNK Commentary (CM) Concrete Detail (CD) Commentary (CM) 2 CHUNK Commentary (CM) TS CD CM CS CD CM

N EW H ELPER P HRASE !!!  For example,  In addition, TS CD CM CS CD CM

T ONIGHT ’ S P RACTICE ! Write 2 2-chunk paragraphs for your Pink and Say pre-write.

P RE - WRITING – P HASE 2 Outlines & Line Clusters

3) O UTLINE 1. The title is the subject of the pre-writing (Thesis) 2. The lines that start with Roman numerals (I & II) are the same as your earlier #2 ideas (TS’s) 3. The lines that start with capital letters (A & B) are the same as the #3 ideas you did earlier (CD’s) It should look like this...

3) O UTLINE Subject (=>thesis) I. (TS/lim) A. Example (CD) B. Example (CD) II. (TS/lim) A. Example (CD) B. Example (CD)

P RE -W RITING Line Clustering In line clustering you put the subject of the essay you are working on at the top. You then complete three steps to do a line cluster

L INE C LUSTERING LIST List all of the ideas that come into your mind regarding your subject You should list SIX ideas Each IDEA should have at least FIVE words in it

Y OUR H OMEWORK ! How is the Wombles’ story an allegory for humans’ life on Earth? Write a pre-write and a thesis for an essay with 2 2-chunk body paragraphs.

L INE C LUSTERING LIST (Example) Subject: Dogs are my favorite kind of animals Very loyal and loveable all of the time Fun to play with both inside and outside the house They take a lot of care and attention Large dogs need much more space than small dogs Small dogs can stay in your lap and in your bed Small dogs can make neighbors more upset

L INE C LUSTERING After you list everything you then think of ways you can CATEGORIZE the things in your list together Example from the left: Categories can be: A: Benefits of Dogs B: Challenges of Caring for Dogs Subject: Dogs are my favorite kind of animals Very loyal and loveable all of the time Fun to play with both inside and outside the house They take a lot of care and attention Large dogs need much more space than small dogs Small dogs can stay in your lap and in your bed Small dogs can make neighbors more upset

L INE C LUSTERING STEP THREE: Label each of your IDEAS in your LIST by the CATEGORY

L INE C LUSTERING Category A: Benefits Very loyal and loveable all of the time Fun to play with both inside and outside the house Small dogs can stay in your lap and in your bed Category B: Challenges They take a lot of care and attention Large dogs need much more space than small dogs Small dogs can make neighbors more upset

C OLUMNS The last form of Pre Writing in the Schaffer Method is forming Columns

C OLUMNS #1 The subject of your pre writing goes in this box

C OLUMNS #1 Dogs #2 Two main ideas go in the second two boxes

C OLUMNS #1 Dogs #2 Companions Responsibility

C OLUMNS #1 Dogs #2 Companions Responsibility #3 Each idea in #3 has at least five words

C OLUMNS #1 Dogs #2 Companions Responsibility #3 –Very loyal and loveable all of the time -They take a lot of care and attention

INTRODUCTORY & CONCLUSION PARAGRAPHS

3 Things you must do in your INTRO 1. Grab the reader’s attention 2. Smoothly bridge the attention- grabber to the thesis 3. State your thesis   

3 Types of Attention-grabbers 1. Story or anecdote 2. Startling or unusual fact or statistic 3. Relevant quote

Conclusion Paragraph To wrap it up right, your conclusion must meet these 3 criteria: 1) It must be all commentary 2) It must restate the thesis in different words 3) It must give a finished feeling to the essay 1) “CALL TO ACTION” for persuasive writing