Do Now Read the sample college application essay prompts below and choose your top three Brainstorm possible topics for each of your three essay prompts You can write about A person who has influenced you or someone you admire ID: 930901
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Wednesday, September 19, 2012" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Do Now
:
Read the sample college application essay prompts below and
choose your top three
. Brainstorm possible topics for each of your three essay prompts.
You can write about
:
A person who has influenced you or someone you admire
An experience that reflects your personality in some way
A social or political issue that interests you
A fictional character or historical personage that interests or reflects upon you in some way
Your perception of diversity
Your favorite book
Your reasons for choosing that college/university
A meaningful activity
What you want to do 10 years from now
Slide2Thursday, September
20
, 2012
Do Now
:
Take the sample essay prompts from yesterday and choose your favorite. Answer the prompt in one sentence. Then, give three reasons why you chose your answer.
A person who has influenced you or someone you admire
An experience that reflects your personality in some way
A social or political issue that interests you
A fictional character or historical personage that interests or reflects upon you in some way
Your perception of diversity
Your favorite book
Your reasons for choosing that college/university
A meaningful
activity (volunteer work, job shadowing, etc)
What you want to do 10 years from now
Slide3The Five-Paragraph Essay
Ms. Zupancic
English 12
Slide4Why do we have to learn how to write a five-paragraph essay anyway?
SAT
College
Entrance
Essays
Job ApplicationsScholarships
Slide5Diagram
of a Five-Paragraph Essay
Introduction Paragraph
Body Paragraphs
Conclusion Paragraph
Slide6Purpose of an Intro Paragraph:
The
intro
previews the entire structure of the paper.
It must grab the reader’s attention.It gives the reader background information that the reader needs to understand about the topic. The intro identifies the topic of the paper as well as the author’s opinion about the topic.
Intro
Slide7The Intro Paragraph
Q. Why is an up-side-down triangle used to represent an intro paragraph?
A. The intro moves from
general
to
specific ideas.
General
Specific
Intro
Slide8Parts of the Intro:
Grabber (or Hook)
The
first sentence
of the
entire
essay.
Must grab or
“hook”
the
reader’s
attention
May determine whether anyone will want to read your essay.
Intro
Slide9Types of Grabber Sentences:
Question:
What is love?
Quote:
Paul McCartney once said, “All
you need is
love.”
Interesting Fact:
Many people feel that they are unhappy because one thing is missing in their lives—love.
Tell a story (only 2-5 sentences):
As I opened the brown paper bag containing my lunch I was disappointed to find another peanut butter a jelly sandwich. “Not again,” I muttered to
myself,
thinking angry thoughts towards my mother who had packed it that morning.
Then,
my eye caught the shiny wrapper of a Snickers Bar, my favorite candy! On a napkin, in my mother’s neat handwriting were the words, “I love you
.”Statistic: According to Care2.com, the average person burns 26 calories per one minute of kissing.
Slide10The Thesis is THE most
important
sentence of
your entire
essay!!!
It is the last sentence of your intro paragraph.
It is the most specific sentence of
your
essay.
THESIS STATEMENT
Intro
Slide11Parts of a THESIS:
Topic or Subject
+
Statement or Opinion
= Thesis Statement
Example:
Love is a powerful force which can add a sense of security, hope and belonging to a person’s life.
Topic:
Love
Opinion:
is a powerful force which can instill a sense of security, hope and belonging in a person’s life
Slide12Okay…if an essay is a car…what part of the car would be the thesis?
The thesis is like the steering wheel of a car because it has the power to decide
in what
direction the essay is going to go. More importantly, if your essay does not have a
thesis, your essay will have no
direction.
Slide13We know exactly what each body paragraph will be about…
Love is a powerful force which can add a sense of
security
, hope and
belonging
to a person’s life.
Security
Hope
Belonging
These are called:
Thesis Parts
Slide14The Body
Paragraphs:
The
Heart of Your Essay
Each Body Paragraph
must develop an idea or a sub-topic
that supports the
Thesis Statement.
Slide15Parts of a Body Paragraph
Topic Sentence:
The first sentence of a body paragraph
This sentence is a signpost that lets your reader know what you will be discussing in this paragraph.
This sentence
must relate back to the thesis.
Example
: A sense of security is felt when someone loves you because, you know they will never leave you.
Slide16Types of Sentences Found in a Body Paragraph:
Concrete Details
Any fact or statement
Quotes / Evidence
Words from a text or an expert on the subject
CommentaryYour opinion Telling why something is important
Slide17The
Clincher or
Transition Sentence
The last sentence of a body paragraph
clinches the
topic.A summarizing or transitional sentenceOften rephrases the topic sentence and introduces the next paragraph’s topicSignpost telling your reader you are done with one topic and moving on to the next.
Clincher
Slide18Conclusion Paragraph
Reword the Thesis
This sentence reminds readers what the point of your essay was.
Example
: People need to be loved in order to have a sense of security, a sense of hope in the future and a sense of belonging.
Slide19Draw your reader out…
Your conclusion must…
Tie up any loose ends.
Summarize main ideas or important points.
Answer the questions: So what? Why is this important?
Connect the reader back to the larger context of the world.
Slide20Diagram Review
Introduction
Body
Conclusion
Grabber or Hook
Thesis
Topic Sentence
Clincher
Rephrased Thesis
Slide21Really?!? Five Paragraphs?
Typically, an application essay will have a min. or max. line amount.
The #1 rule (OF ANY ASSIGNMENT) is to follow directions
If it asks for you to write a 250 words essay, then focus on a well put together one paragraph essay
If it asks for a 2-3 page paper, then focus on a well-written 3 or 5 paragraph essay (depending on the topic)
Slide22Reminders
Be unique
Make yourself stand out
Be concise
Be honest
Be coherentBe accurateBe vividBe likable
Be cautious in your use of humor
Be
controversial (if you can)
Be
smart
Slide23Avoid Common Mistakes
Not having a hook
Find the one thing that will make your essay stand out
Ignoring your online identity
Facebook
TwitterNot getting help early
and often (read essay aloud)
Plan ahead
Don’t rely on your parents
Slide24Video
Slide25First, you need a topic…
You
have been
a given a
“
prompt” to write about.You narrowed down your choices during the do now today.Using brainstorming techniques and an outline, you will take the topic and develop it over the course of the next two weeks. Questions?
What do I need to write
about?
Slide26Next, what will you do with your topic?
You need to think it over and decide:
Purpose
: Why am I writing this? This is a
“
persuasive
”
essay, so you are writing it to get somebody to think like you do.
Audience
:
Who am I writing this for? You are writing for an English
class (Zupancic) and/or for your college or scholarship application.
Format
: What structure should my essay have? You are usually writing the standard 5 paragraph persuasive essay.
Hmmmm…
Slide27Now, you have to plan your essay
Prewriting:
What ideas do I have?
Now
you have to come up with some ideas by brainstorming, clustering, or free writing. First, you think them up and then put them on paper.
Organizing: In what order do I put my ideas? You can put your ideas in spatial order like top to bottom, or
chronological order as in a time line, or in order of importance with the most important idea last so the reader is left with your strongest idea.
Checkmate!
Slide28What is the structural design of my essay?
The design of the 5 paragraph essay is
quite simple:
The
Introduction
with a strong lead-in, both sides of the issue, your thesis statement telling your side of the issue and the reasons that support your thesis.Your well-elaborated
first reason
with specific examples.
Your well-elaborated
second reason
with specific examples.
Your well-elaborated
third reason
with specific examples.
The
Conclusion
where you restate your thesis and your 3 reasons with a strong, decisive closing statement.
Be a writing architect!
Slide29Now you are ready to write!
First draft:
Since this is the first time you are
writing in class,
it does not have to be perfect
. The main thing you want to do is get your ideas on paper in the proper essay format. You can do the fine tuning in the…Revision: Now, the real writing starts. Steven King says you don’t start writing until you start revising. Look over your essay for errors, and also for what you can say better than before!
“
I am beyond
writer
’
s cramp.
”
Slide30And keep writing…then submit it!
Final Draft:
This is where it all comes
together,
when you get your essay to be as
“good as it gets.” But, before you hand it in, proofread
it one last time to be sure it
’
s just the way you want it to
be. Then,
submit it
.
“
There, I
’
m done!
”
Slide31Brainstorming
What is it?
Why do we need it?
A
gathering
of ideas from your brain onto paper.
The
variety
of ideas and the use of your
imagination
assist you in producing a lot of material with which to work.
It’s the best way to collect your thoughts.
It’s helpful for organization.
It ensures only quality ideas are used in the essay.
Slide32Brainstorming Technique
Number One
Freewriting
What is it?
Think about the topic. Then write, write, write. Whatever comes into your brain – even if it doesn’t have to do with the topic. Example:
"This paper is supposed to be on the politics of tobacco production but even though I went to all the lectures and read the book I can't think of what to say and I've felt this way for four minutes now and I have 11 minutes left and I wonder if I'll keep thinking nothing during every minute but I'm not sure if it matters that I am babbling and I don't know what else to say about this topic and it is rainy today and I never noticed the number of cracks in that wall before and those cracks remind me of the walls in my grandfather's study and he smoked and he farmed and I wonder why he didn't farm tobacco..."
Slide33Brainstorming Technique
Number One
Freewriting
Options:
Write for a specific time period
Write for a specific amount of paper
Slide34Number One
Freewriting
When is it helpful?
When you have NO ideas about a topic
When you have TOO MANY ideas about a topic
Maybe I could say this or maybe I could say that… hmmm
??????
Brainstorming Technique
Slide35Number Two
Making a Cube
What is it?
Imagine a cube. It has six sides. On each side, you have a different task regarding the topic.
Brainstorming Technique
Slide36Brainstorming Technique
Number Two
Making a Cube
Describe
Side One: Describe the topic.
Side Two: Compare the topic.
Side Three: Associate the topic.
Side Four: Analyze the topic.
Side Five: Apply the topic.
Side Six: Argue for or against the topic.
Compare
Associate
Analyze
Apply
Argue
Slide37Brainstorming Technique
Number Three
Clustering
What is it?
When you write down words or concepts associated with the topic – any ideas that come into your mind
Slide38Brainstorming Technique
Number Three
Clustering
Draw a bubble.
And write the topic above it.
Brainstorm!
Now look for words that connect with each other. Circle the words and connect them with lines.
Global Warming
rainforests disappearing
extinction
emissions
dangerous
dying animals
toxic
world wide
Cars/SUVs
factories
landscape changes
no icebergs
expensive to fix?
hurricanes
Reversible?
Slide39Brainstorming Technique
Number Four
Listing or Bulleting
What is it?
Create a list of terms/ideas/concepts about the topic. Create multiple lists depending on the purpose.
Global Warming
Toxic fumes
SUVs/Cars
Extinction
Belief/Disbelief
Kyoto Agreement
Belief/Disbelief
Scientists disagree
Average American
China/USA
Normal occurrence or abnormal event?
Slide40Brainstorming Technique
Number Five
Venn Diagram
What is it?
Draw two circles that connect, like this:
List two topics above the circles.
Brainstorm about the topics – what do they have in common and what is unique about each one.
Paris, France
Paris, Texas
Cities
Eiffel Tower
Capital
Became Paris in 400 A.D.
francophone
County seat
Anglophone
Founded in 1839
Slide41Brainstorming Technique
Number Five
Venn Diagram
When is it used?
When you are writing a comparison or contrast essay.
Paris, France
Paris, Texas
Cities
Eiffel Tower
Capital
Became Paris in 400 A.D.
francophone
County seat
anglophone
Founded in 1839
Slide42Brainstorming Technique
Number Six
Tree Diagram
What is it?
This diagram has a central idea to which you add branches that focus on details.
Slide43Number Six
Tree Diagram
When do you use it?
This type of diagram is helpful in classification essays.
Media
Print
Visual
Audio
Newspaper magazine booklet
television webpage movie
cd mp3 cassette
Brainstorming Technique
Slide44Brainstorming Technique
Number Seven
Act like a Journalist
What is it?
Using the question words in English to explore the topic.
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Slide45Brainstorming Technique
Number Seven
Act like a Journalist
When is it useful?
Use this technique when you want to write a narrative.
Who?
When?
What?
Where?
Why?
How?
Slide46Brainstorming Technique
Number Eight
T-Diagram
What is it?
Using a T shape, list a category that you want to compare or contrast about a specific topic or topics. Do this for a variety of categories.
Paris, France and Paris Texas
location
Europe
Northern France
North America
Northern Texas
Slide47Brainstorming Technique
Number Eight
T-Diagram
When is it useful?
This technique helps when you are writing a contrast or comparison essay.
Paris, France and Paris Texas
location
Europe
Northern France
North America
Northern Texas
Slide48Brainstorming Technique
Number Nine
Spoke or Web Diagram
What is it?
Write the topic in a circle. Then think of about causes and effects. Write these around the circle like spokes on a wheel.
Global Warming
too many people
cars/suvs
not recycling chopping down trees
Crazy weather
loss of polar ice caps
dying animals
Slide49Brainstorming Technique
Number Nine
Spoke or Web Diagram
When is it useful?
Use this technique when you want to explore cause and effect.
too many people
cars/suvs
not recycling chopping down trees
Global Warming
Crazy weather
loss of polar ice caps
dying animals
Slide50Brainstorming
In our class, you will need to show evidence of the brainstorming technique that you used to begin the essay process.
It’s part of your grade because it’s important!
Remember to ask for help or clarification if you need it.
Slide51Assignment
Due Monday
Complete the brainstorming for your topic.
I will be collecting it!
On Monday, we will be working on
your outline.