Famous Couples Expository Essay

Dates to Remember!• Monday, November 18th – Sign-ups for

couples starting @ 6:45am.

• Friday, November 22nd – Outline check (during VW Unit 3 quiz)

• Block Day, December 4th and 5th – Peer edit day (rough draft due!)

• Friday, December 6th – Final printed copy and Turn It In upload by 3:15.

Essay Requirements

• 5 body paragraphs (introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion)

• 3 blended quotes (one in each body paragraph) from 3 credible sources

• A correctly formatted Works Cited page• MLA format (heading, pagination, margins,

font, title, etc.) • A printed copy, as well as a TurnItIn submission

Thesis Statement ExamplesKermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are unsuccessful in their relationship due to a difference in interests, commitment levels, and species.

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are successful in their relationship due to their shared passion in music, their decision to not publicly discuss their relationship, and their commitment to daughter Blue Ivy.

Parallel Structure

• Parallel Structure: using the same pattern of words when creating a list. (I like hiking, swimming, and to fish = not parallel)

Beyoncé and Jay-Z are successful in their relationship due to their shared passion in music, their decision to not publicly discuss their relationship, and daughter Blue Ivy.

Due to…their shared passionDue to…their decisionDue to…daughter (doesn’t fit the pattern)

Parallel Structure

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy are unsuccessful in their relationship due to a difference in interests, commitment levels, and species. a difference in interests a difference in commitment levels a difference in species

Body Paragraph Expectations

• Topic sentence which states the reason you will focus on in that paragraph.

• 2-3 sentences of evidence of that reason, based on your research, that includes a blended quote.

• 3 sentences of analysis to back up your evidence. Think “big picture” here.

• Concluding sentence to wrap everything up.

Body Paragraph Example

Though this relationship has had many struggles over the years, the biggest reason that Kermit and Piggy were unsuccessful as a couple is their difference in species. In 2011 Miss Piggy and Kermit appeared on the Larry King Show and Piggy made a comment “about the struggle of coming out to [her] fellow pig friends about loving Kermit” (Ford). There is a lot of shame in both the frog and swine communities about this relationship due to the fact that these two are different kinds of animals. Frogs and pigs live in different habitats, eat different kinds of food, and have different life spans. When couples are not able to connect in even the most basic of ways, the relationship is doomed from the start. There has to be some common ground for a relationship to truly thrive. If these two can’t even relate to one another on the very trait that defines them, they will not be able to make compromises on smaller issues either.

MLA Format• Heading, Page numbers, double

spacing, etc.• Works Cited Page – hanging indent,

alphabetical, no bullets/numbering, double spaced, on a separate page

• In Text Citations: First word of the bibliography at the end of the sentence that contains the quote.

Example: In 2011 Miss Piggy and Kermit appeared on the Larry King Show and Piggy made a comment “about the struggle of coming out to [her] fellow pig friends about loving Kermit” (Ford).

Titles• Title needs to be creative • I should know just from your title who your couple is and

whether they succeeded or failed• Use this pattern for a winning title…Something Catchy: the names of your couple and a hint to their success or failure

Examples: Bacon and Frog Legs: The Doomed Romance of Miss Piggy and Kermit the FrogHe Liked It so He Put a Ring on It: The Modern Fairy Tale of Jay-Z and Beyoncé

Tips for Success

• Your most well developed reason goes last; hide your weakest reason in the middle of your essay.

• Your Works Cited page needs to match your in-text citations. • Use the resources on my website and the “writing basics”

handout you received today for help.• Get other people to read your essay or read your essay out

loud to yourself to catch mistakes.• Don’t procrastinate!!!• Watch your pronoun use. -2 pts for every first/second person word • COME TO TUTORING!