Welcome 10/16/09  Today’s Pre-Class  What is a thesis?  Today’s Agenda 1. Pre-Class & Roll 2. Thesis 3. Essay Outlines 4. Supporting your Thesis 5. Final Thoughts & HW Today’s Objective: 1.To learn how to create a thesis and essay outline 2.To learn how to write a well supported argumentative essay

What’s a Thesis?  Rough Definition: A statement that is made at the beginning of a paper that sets out the author’s argument and opinions.  It’s your purpose in your paper –  The statement/argument that you make is what you will write to support and prove to your reader.

Essay Outline  Intro  1 st Idea (supporting details/examples)  2 nd Idea (supporting details/examples)  Conclusion  Remember each paragraph is about 4—5 sentences (or more).

What’s in an Intro?  Intro Paragraph (4-5 sentences minimum) 1. Introductory topic sentence  Introduce the topic of your essay with some brief introductory remarks (1-2 sentences) 2. State your thesis (1 sentence)  States your argument/opinion – what you are going to try and prove to your reader. 1. State what ideas/examples you are going to discuss  These sentences explain what your examples are, and how they support your thesis (1-2 sentences).

What’s in a Body Paragraph?  Idea/Example Paragraph (2 of these)  1-2 sentences to describe the idea/example.  1-2 sentences that explain how this example supports your thesis.

What’s in a Conclusion?  Rough Definition:  A recap of your topic that successfully closes your paper. 1. “Recap your topic” – (1-2 sentences) a) Describe the topic similar to how you introduced it. 2. “Recap your examples” a) Describe what your examples were, and how they supported your thesis (1-2 sentences) 3. Restate Your Thesis (1 sentence) a) Restate your argument/opinion and conclude the paper.

Final Thoughts  Exit Slip:  On a separate sheet, Please turn this in.  How did you feel about your writing before today?  What did you learn about writing today?  Tonight’s HW: DUE MONDAY!  Complete your essay according to the format covered in class today.  Requirements:  Follows format  4 paragraphs  1 Thesis  2 Supporting Examples