A look at how to and what to include

 An essay is a piece of writing about one specific subject.  An essay will often include the author’s point of view about the subject.

 Before you begin an essay, you will need to do some research.  For the past few days, you have been researching biomes, animals and their habitats.  Good writers keep their research organized.  You have kept your research organized by using the Animal Research Template on our wiki.

 After gathering and organizing their research, good writers make a plan to make their writing easier.  You will use inspiration to plan your essay.  You will turn your facts into detail sentences and arrange them under the appropriate topic bubble.  Later, you will use those detail sentences to compose a rough draft.

Your essay will include:  Table of Contents  Introduction paragraph  Detail Paragraphs about your focus questions  Conclusion paragraph  Headings  Subheadings  Bibliography

 A table of contents lets the reader know what topics they will find in a text.  Your table of contents will show the major headings contained in your essay.

 The titles in your table of contents will be:  Introduction  What is a (animal name)?  Where do (animal name) live?  What’s eating you?  How are (animal name) adapted to their environment?  Conclusion

 Your introduction paragraph should be short, but include your own thoughts about the animal to get the reader interested.  Introductions may also include interesting facts about your animal that aren’t contained in the rest of the essay.

Home, Home on the range!!! If you’re ever on the range, you may see one of the most interesting animals in North America, the American Bison. The American Bison played an important role in our country’s history and in the lives of the early Plains Indians. Read on to find out more information about this fascinating animal.

 The detail paragraphs in your essay are where you will report all the information you found about each of your focus questions.  Your detail paragraphs will include headings to tell the reader what they will learn from the paragraph.  Some detail paragraphs will be placed under the same heading but be labeled with separate subheadings.

 Each detail paragraph must:  be labeled with a heading and/or subheading  begin with a topic sentence. ▪ Topic sentences should explain what the paragraph will be about in an interesting way.  contain at least three detail sentences that follow the topic sentence.

 What is a (animal name)? (Heading)  In the paragraph that follows this heading, you will include facts about the physical description of your animal.  Where do (animal name) live? (Heading)  Under this heading you will have two paragraphs about where your animal can be found labeled with subheadings.  The first paragraph will tell about the region/biome of the world where your animal is found. (Subheading-Biome Where (animal name) is Found)  The second paragraph will tell about your animal’s habitat/home. (Subheading- (Animal name)’s Habitat/Home)

 What’s Eating You?(Heading)  Under this heading you will have two paragraphs labeled with subheadings.  The first paragraph will tell about what your animal eats, its prey or food source.(Subheading- What Do (animal name)’s Eat?)  The second paragraph will tell about other animals that eat your animal, its predators. (Subheading- What Eats (animal name)?)

 How Are (animal name) Adapted For Their Environment?(Heading)  The paragraph under this heading will explain the different ways your animal is adapted to live in its special environment.

What is an American Bison? (Heading) The American Bison has a very distinct look! You can tell a bison from their very unique coat. The have a heavy, shaggy, chocolate brown coat that keeps them warm in the winter. The also have a large hump on their back and small curved horns on each side of their head. Adult bison can reach six feet tall and ten feet long. They can weight anywhere from 900 to 2,000 pounds.

Where Do American Bison Live? (Heading) Biome Where American Bison are Found (Subheading) American Bison live in the vast prairies of North America. Prairies are large areas with few trees and shrubs. They are hot in the summer and warm in the winter and receive little rain. The prairie region where bison are found stretches from the Great Bear Lake in Canada to parts of northern Mexico. The prairie states of our country include the Dakotas, Kansas, Nebraska and even parts of Texas. In this biome, you can also find prairie dogs and antelope. American Bison Homes /Habitats (Subheading) Bison homes are effected by their food. They do not stay in one place for a long time because they eat the grass in the area too quickly. The herds continue to migrate across the plains to find food. However, some American Bison are now been kept by ranchers. These animals live their entire lives on one ranch.

What’s Eating You?(Heading) What Do American Bison Eat? (Subheading) Would you like to eat the same thing every day? Well, American Bison do. They are herbivores which means they only eat plants. They happily eat grass every morning, afternoon and evening. When they aren’t eating they are resting. What Eats American Bison? (Subheading) Even though they are very large, bison still have a few predators. Grizzly bears have been known to attack bison and their calves. Wolves also hunt bison herds. However, man has been their greatest predator. Human hunting of bison for their coats nearly pushed them to extinction.

How Are American Bison Adapted For Their Environment? (Heading) In order to survive the many challenges of their environment, American Bison have developed a few adaptations. To keep them warm in the freezing prairie snows, Bison grow a heavy, bushy coat in the winter. Stampeding protects most of the animals in the herd if they are attacked by a predator. Even bison don’t like bug bites. They roll in the dust and dirt to help soothe itchy skin caused by the many nibbling bugs found on the plains.

 Your conclusion paragraph should:  begin with a connecting word or phrase. Examples of these include: ▪ In conclusion… ▪ So you can see… ▪ As you have seen… ▪ To summarize…  restate the big ideas found in your essay in a new way.  never introduce a new topic.  finish with a “clincher” which tell your audience your feelings about your topic.

 As you have seen, the American Bison is a remarkable animal found right here in the U.S.A. They roam our prairies with their enormous size and peacefully graze on the soft grasses. Their herds and adaptations keep them safe, and I hope they will always be free to roam where the, “skies are not cloudy all day!”

 You have two choices for the final presentation of your essay.  You may make a book using Microsoft word or a slide show using power point.

 If you choose the book option:  Your book will be typed in a word document in landscape format  Your book will need: ▪ A title page ▪ Table of Contents ▪ Introduction page ▪ Page for each Heading ▪ Conclusion page ▪ Photographs/Images page ▪ Bibliography

 If you choose the power point option:  Your slide show will need: ▪ A title page slide ▪ Table of Contents slide ▪ Introduction slide ▪ Slide for each Heading ▪ Conclusion slide ▪ Photographs/Images slide ▪ Bibliography slide