Connection
to Thesis
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J Come back to
your thesis at the end of each body paragraph. Your main objective is to
prove to the reader that your thesis is true. Try to be convincing by
explaining how the info from each body paragraph (Docs & Outside Info)
proves or supports your thesis. The thesis should not be just in the intro
& conclusion.
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Introduction
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J Start your
essay with some background. Describe who, what, when where, why, etc. This
should be two to four sentences long. Don’t just come out with the thesis
without explaining the context.
J Your thesis
needs to be an opinion that can be argued against. ( ______ is bad,
unjustified, right, could have been avoided, the worst, etc.
J Consider
writing a separate sentence for each support point to bulk up intro.
JSupport points
should be listed in the intro in the same order they come in paper
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Use of Documents
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J Do not quote
the documents directly. Paraphrase any information
J Be sure to cite
your documents at the end of the sentence and with correct grammar (Doc D).
J Explain what
the doc is as if the reader does not have a copy of the documents. So instead
of saying, “In Doc D…” say, “In a poll given to Americans in 1972…” Utilize
the “source” info found with each doc in the lead-in sentence
J Analyze each
document (explain how it proves thesis) with a follow up lead-out sentence. ie. This document brings to our attention…or
This validates the thesis by… or Taking this into account… or This example
shows…
J Only refer to a
single document once and only for a sentence or two
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General Suggestions
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J Do not pose
questions. Instead just provide your answers to the questions
J Do not line
your points up with “the first, another, final reason” or “First, Second,
Lastly” or “First, then, next, finally” approach. Just cut out filler phrases
J There is no
need to state “I think…” or “I believe…” Your name is on the paper and unless
you clarify that you are explaining what someone else was thinking, it is
implied
J You simply must
use spell check. Proper spelling, grammar, and capitalization are always
expected. Develop the habit of doing this easy task now.
J The topic of the
paragraph should be in the topic sentence
J Write as is the
reader does not know anything about the topic
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Outside Info
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J Outside Info
can be anything that is not the in the Docs including info from a lesson or
research, or details from the background essay.
J Prior knowledge
is not outside info. If you know something, it is yours, and does not need to
be cited. Outside info is something you found in your preparation
J Use outside
information to balance out with the documents, do not mindlessly regurgitate
the docs. It should be a 50/50 split.
J Be sure to cite
your Outside Info at the end of the sentence and with correct grammar (OI).
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