1. How to write a 6 point essay for the FCAT Florida Writes!

2. Fuddruckers??? Ever seen a Fuddrucker’s cheeseburger? If you buy one, they usually cost around $6.00. But they are worth it!

3. Why not a $1.00 McDonald’s Burger? Quality…what McDonald’s lacks, Fuddruckers has in abundance…fresh veggies, bacon, cheese, all the condiments your little heart could desire THIS OR THAT ?

4. So…How is a Fuddrucker’s Burger like your FCAT Writes Essay? Quality…Just like you would rather eat the burger from Fuddrucker’s because it contains higher quality ingredients, the reader of your essay would prefer a high quality essay chocked full of details and great vocabulary!

5. So what are the ingredients of a “Fuddrucker’s Essay” FCAT Writes wants you to rethink the 5 paragraph essay. The belief is you don’t write enough when there are 3 body paragraphs. They are now looking for a 2 or (sometimes or rarely) 1 body paragraph. What makes that essay great are the added “ingredients” you put into it!

6. Let’s start at the top…the TOP BUN that is!!!!

7. TOP BUN: Introduction! Your top bun is your introduction…by title it should introduce your writer to the topic. The sesame seeds at the top of your “bun” represents that catch or hook you are going to give the reader to get them interested in your topic. TOPIC: YOUR HERO: Firefighting Father NON-HOOK OPENER: My father is my hero because he’s been a firefighter for 10 years. HOOK OPENER: The alarm at the station sounds and my father slides down the pole, jumps into his gear and heads out to save the world one fire at a time!

8. TOP BUN-Intro continued! The next couple of sentences should talk about the topic in general! The final sentence should be your topic sentence which describes what you will be talking about in your essay. Having a firefighter for a father makes him an easy hero because he not only saves people from burning buildings but he also teaches other how to live their life without unnecessary accidents.

9. WHERE’S THE BEEF? Your HAMBURGER PATTIES represent the body paragraphs of your essay! Each should be 5-7 sentences long. Each should have 2 examples or specific details.

10. WHAT ABOUT CHEESE? The cheese represents TRANSITION WORDS! These help your essay flow from paragraph to paragraph. A 6 point essay will use 1 st and last sentences to transition between paragraphs. Overlapping topics without repeating them. Even the use of basic transitions give you points on your essay!

11. NEED SOME VEGGIES? Lettuce, tomato, bacon, onion, pickles, mushrooms…they represent the specific details that make your essay more appealing. The more detailed and specific the better.

12. DON’T FORGET THE CONDIMENTS! Finally, the “condiments” you add to your essay represent the spicy words you add. The use of higher level vocabulary adds to your essay’s value. Use them correctly and try to spell them right so that you don’t get marked down for grammar errors.

13. CONCLUSION: THE BOTTOM BUN Your last paragraph (the bottom bun) is the hardest to write! It should only be 3-5 sentences…. You can not introduce anything new! You can not simply restate the introduction. You reflect and call the reader to action! What are the benefits of your topic? How would the world be different if dad wasn’t a firefighter? Nothing seems special about that bottom bottom bun but you have to make it ……. that way!