1. ESSAY WRITING IS CAKE

2. ANYONE CAN WRITE AN ESSAY Word limit Purpose of the essay Format Maybe a proofread Or two proofreads But that’s too common. Simple. Basic. Mediocre.

3. CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ESSAY / CAKE What are the characteristics of a cake? What are the characteristics of an Essay? List both characteristics & match each.

4. CAKE Multiple Layers Frosting Fruit Flavor Icing Event

5. ESSAY Multiple Paragraphs: -Intro -Body -Conclusion Transitions Hook Zinger Thesis Purpose

6. THE ICING: HOOK SENTENCE Your essay needs to start off with a hook that is laid out well and makes total sense. Something that grabs the reader’s attention and hooks them into the content being read. Keep in mind who your audience is.

7. FLAVOR: THESIS This is your statement or theory that you have to prove or maintain. Each paragraph should act as support for your thesis.

8. PURPOSE OF YOUR CAKE: INFORMATIVE VS. ARGUMENTATIVE - Argumentative / Persuasive If your argument is that red velvet cake should be classified as a heart-healthy snack, attack everyone who thinks your wrong. “While studies prove that a slice of red velvet cake stimulates heart health, the opposition argues that this stimulation is unhealthy. Not only is this incorrect, but tremendously untrue because the cake is the same color as a heart…red.”

9. PURPOSE OF YOUR CAKE: INFORMATIVE VS. ARGUMENTATIVE - Informative If your purpose is to inform, then present information from an unbiased and objective perspective. Present & elaborate on points without including your opinions, only stating facts/statements. “Studies prove that a slice of red velvet cake stimulates heart health, This is true because the cake is the same color as a heart…red.”

10. FROSTING BETWEEN LAYERS: TRANSITIONS Everything is better when it’s smoother; everything is nicer when it flows beautifully. Like music, books, or even this presentation. What if this was just a PowerPoint with words on different slides? Boring right? Transition sentences for new paragraphs keep the essay consistent and united. Like FROSTING, yum.

11. FRUIT: ZINGER A zinger is just like a hook, except it is used at the last sentence of the entire essay. A zinger is when you put the cherry on top of all of your hard work. It’s you performing to the best of your ability and essentially “dropping the mic” and leaving your audience stunned, wanting more, and appreciating what just happened.

12. YOUR CAKE IS NOW DELICIOUS.