The Components of a Mini-Essay by Mr. Duncan - presented only as a reference.

A Mini-Essay is made up of one paragraph. There are four parts to a Mini- Essay. (That is not to say that a Mini-Essay is only four sentences long, however.) The four parts of a Mini-Essay include:

I. The Thesis Statement. This is also known as the Topic Sentence. This sentence tells the reader of your Mini-Essay the Main Idea. This sentence should be clear and to the point. If there are any terms, or vocabulary words in your Thesis Statement that need a definition, or an explanation, you should place that definition in the Thesis Statement sentence. The Thesis Statement is the part where you make an inference, or a statement that says that you have figured something out. (When you infer you simply figure something out based on evidence, observations, and logic.)

II. Supporting Details. These sentences give evidence that support the Main Idea, or Thesis Statement. The evidence should come from the articles, books, notes, etc., that you have read in class or on your own. You should be able to go back to this evidence in order to verify the information, or make sure it is true information. This is the part where you act like a detective. You find and lay out all the information that supports the initial inference, or Main Idea. The Supporting Details part of your Mini-Essay should consist of at least two or more sentences that show evidence that supports the Main Thesis.

III. Synthesis. This sentence tells the reader that the evidence that you have just stated really does support your Thesis Statement, i.e., that it really does support your initial inference, or Main Idea. This is the part where you act like a lawyer who is standing in front of a jury telling them that the pieces of evidence that you have just stated really are good examples, that, yes, indeed, they support your Main Idea, or Thesis Statement. This is the part where you act like a lawyer who is standing in front of a jury telling them that the pieces of evidence that you have just stated really are good examples, that, yes, indeed, they support your Main Idea, or Thesis Statement.

IV. Conclusion. This is the sentence that tells the reader that since all the evidence is such a great example of the Main Idea that we (both the author and the reader of the Mini-Essay) may therefore correctly infer, figure out, that the Thesis Statement, or Main Idea, of the Mini- Essay must be true! This is the sentence that tells the reader that since all the evidence is such a great example of the Main Idea that we (both the author and the reader of the Mini-Essay) may therefore correctly infer, figure out, that the Thesis Statement, or Main Idea, of the Mini- Essay must be true! A conclusion usually re-states the main idea to the reader. Only this time, you state the Main Idea again so that if they (the reader) did not pick up on the Main Idea the first time, the can get it now. It says that the initial inference, or Thesis Statement, was correct and has been supported well by the examples that you have given. A conclusion usually re-states the main idea to the reader. Only this time, you state the Main Idea again so that if they (the reader) did not pick up on the Main Idea the first time, the can get it now. It says that the initial inference, or Thesis Statement, was correct and has been supported well by the examples that you have given.

There are transitional words to look for in a Mini-Essay: Supporting Details part: Supporting Details part: Evidence for these inferences comes in two (or more) places: first, on page… (give page, or paragraph, and fact). Second on page… (state the page or paragraph and fact). If you a third piece of evidence, use it! Third, on page… (state the page or paragraph and fact).

Synthesis part: A person (or whatever your talking about) who, ( or that, or which- it all depends on what you are talking about) …and a person who…are both examples of a person who…

Conclusion part: Since both (or all) of these actions are examples of a …, we may correctly infer that… (the Thesis Statement is correct).

Remember to check for spelling mistakes. Remember to check for proper punctuation. When you list your supporting details use commas. first,…Second, …Third,… Use a colon. Evidence for these inferences comes in two (or more) places: …

Here is a very simple example of a mini essay: (The four parts and transitional phrases for each part are in italic bold for emphasis.) In The Summer of the Swans, a novel by Betsy Byars, Sara Godfrey, a fourteen-year-old girl, suffers from low self-esteem; the way in which she feels about herself, both physically and/or socially, is not placed in a positive light. Evidence for this inference comes in two places: first, on page nineteen of the novel, Sara is explaining to her Aunt Willie that she and her sister Wanda are very different in terms of looks. “Wanda is a hundred times prettier than I am.” Sara believes that she will never be considered as beautiful as her sister is. Second, on page three of the novel, we read that Sara is complaining to her sister about the shape of her hands. “ I have perfectly terrible hands,” Sara tells Wanda. Sara goes on to explain that she is uncomfortable with some of her other physical attributes. A person who thinks that they are inferior looking in comparison to others, and a person who feels insecure about that about their physical attributes, are both examples of a person who suffers from low self-esteem. Since both of these actions are examples of a how a person with low self-esteem might feel, we may correctly infer that Sara Godfrey is a girl who suffers from low self-esteem.

Here is an example of a journal entry that you could use at the end of class as a writing (mini-essay) review tool. Journal Topic: What was the teacher’s purpose of today’s class? (or yesterday’s class…whenever) The teacher’s purpose of today’s class was to inform the student’s about _____________. Evidence for this inference is supported by the following details: first, the class discussed ____________________. Second, the class examined _____________________________. Third, the class also discussed ________________________. Any class that discusses and examines _____________________, __________________, and ______________________, is an example of a class about ________________________. Therefore, we may correctly infer that the teacher’s purpose of today’s class was ______________________.

The teacher’s purpose of today’s class was to inform the student’s about _____ (main idea)_________. Evidence for this inference is supported by the following details: first, the class discussed ____ (first detail from class) __________________. Second, the class examined _______ (second detail from class) ______________________. Third, the class also discussed _____ (third detail from class) _______. Any class that discusses and examines ___(first detail from class) __________________, ____( second detail from class)__________________, and ______ ( third detail from class)________________, is an example of a class about ____(main idea) ____________________. Therefore, we may correctly infer that the teacher’s purpose of today’s class was ______ (main idea) ___________________. Another template…cookie cutter, but sometimes useful.