1. Writing an Essay
Career Fair Paper

2. Introduction – 1st paragraph
Start with a quote, question, or interesting statement.
Begin with a broad statement about the topic (careers in general)
Begin to narrow it down (picking a career)
Begin to introduce topic (using a Holland Code)
Discuss topic of paper (what your Holland Code told you)
Narrow topic even closer to what your paper is going to be about (Holland code options)
Thesis statement (clearly states what your paper is going to be about)

3. Remember the funnel idea…

4. Sample Intro. Paragraph…
Sally Student
My Teacher
English 8
19 January 2012
Someone once said, “Many people quit looking for work when they find a career.” This is a great thing to consider when starting the search for a possible career. But how do you do that? Take a guess at what you like? Ask a friend what they think would you would be good at? These may seem like options but should someone else’s opinion or a lucky guess be used to guide you into something that you do forty hours a week, sometimes more? What would be more effective would be a tool to help not only figure out what you’d be good at but also something you would enjoy, that matches your personality and that tool is called the Holland Code. The Holland code is a tool that measures all the things that are needed to help you find a career that would meet all your needs and leave you feeling happy. Based on the Holland Code, I should seek out jobs that allow me to interact with and help people as well as use my creativity and organizational skills. Based on my Holland Code and personal interests, the three jobs that I would most like to pursue are English teacher, guidance counselor, and Editor.

5. Writing a Thesis Statement
Answer the prompt thoroughly
Turn the prompt into a statement
Include the point you are trying to make AND the reasons you will use to make that point.
Example: Based on my Holland Code and personal interests, the three jobs that I would most like to pursue are English teacher, guidance counselor, and Editor.
(this is a general example – there are two ways this paper can be written and depending on how you write it, the thesis statement will be more in depth.)

6. Body Paragraphs…
Each body paragraph should have an introductory sentence telling what the topic of the paragraph is.
The “meat” of the paragraph should be the important information. Do not leave anything out. Be sure to summarize if necessary.
End the paragraph with a rephrasing of the topic.
REMEMBER: each body paragraph should look the same; HOWEVER, the second and third body paragraphs should each have a transition sentence from the previous paragraph.

7. Organization of Essay

8. Two Ways to Write a Comparison Paper
Body Setup By Theme/Topic
Body Setup By Point
Each body paragraph discusses all the details about each topic
Paragraph 1 – everything about topic 1 and only topic 1
Paragraph 2 – everything about topic 2 and only topic 2
Paragraph 3 – everything about topic 3 and only topic 3
Each body paragraph discusses certain topics about all three jobs.
Paragraph 1 – skills, knowledge, etc comparing all 3 jobs
Paragraph 2 – careers, education, etc comparing all 3 jobs
Paragraph 3 – job outlook, salary, etc for comparing all 3 jobs

9. Examples of Transitions to start paragraph -for second and third paragraph only…
You should choose words that show sequence…
while
first
meanwhile
soon
then
after
second
today
later
next at
third
tomorrow
afterward
as soon as
before
now
About
during
Until
finally

10. Sample of body paragraphs…
The first job that I found most interesting was that of an English teacher. According to Naviance, some of the skills, abilities, and knowledge an English teacher must have is….. Some of the daily tasks and activities an English teacher does are… Finally, in order to be an English teacher you must have … degree with … classes. The average salary is … and according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the job outlook is … There are many things to consider being and English teacher and these pieces of information are quite helpful.
The next job that seemed to be a good fit for me is Guidance Counselor. While many people think counselors just sit and talk to kids about their problems each day that is not true. A counselor… The job of counselor is quite diverse and offers a job where two days are rarely the same.
A job that interests me that has nothing to do with the education field is Editor. This job is quite different than teacher or counselor……..

11. Conclusion…
When writing a conclusion YOU MAY NOT EVER include new information.
Think of your conclusion as an upside down version of your introduction.

12. Conclusion Continued…
The first thing you should do is restate or summarize your thesis.
Your conclusion should only touch on the main points – you do not need to restate EVERYTHING – just summarize the information you have.
After summarizing, make some kind of statement of what you’ve learned, what impact this knowledge has, something that is meaningful and insightful.

13. Sample of Conclusion…
The world of work offers millions of opportunities and the jobs of English teacher, Guidance Counselor, and Editor are just three that interest me. Through study of these job descriptions, investigating my Holland Code, and speaking to some professionals in these fields, I realize that any one of these jobs would be perfect for me. They match my interests, my skills, my abilities, and are jobs that would really make me happy. Through teaching others, helping others, and trying to make other’s lives better, I know that I would be content and happy going to work each morning. I want to grow up and not just work a random job, but have a career that I love and I think any one of these jobs would bring me that happiness.

14. REMEMBER: Start with interesting fact or question or quote
Start with broad topic then narrow down to thesis statement
Thesis statement last sentence of first paragraph
Body paragraphs start off with topic then give information and details
The second and third body paragraph should start with a transition statement.
Each body paragraph should end with a concluding statement
Conclusion should start with restatement of thesis
Give brief summary of information presented
End with an insightful thought or statement of what you learned.

15. Sample Paper with Markings
sample paper.docx

16. Paper Graphic Organizer

17. Peer Editing Procedures
T:\8th grade English\Peer Editing Procedures.docx