Miss Cook

English I

Sentence 1: Hook

Sentence 2: Explain the hook. Address the issue you are researching (bullying, loneliness, family relationships, or PTSD).

Sentence 3: Explain why this issue is important.

Sentence 4: Introduce the novel and the author. Mention how the issue is addressed in the novel.

Sentence 5: Thesis Statement. THE MOST IMPORTANT SENTENCE IN THE ESSAY! BE SPECIFIC!!

AT LEAST 5 SENTENCES

get the reader INTERESTED by starting with something UNIQUE!

A startling fact

An anecdote (little story)

A meaningful quote

Interesting words or phrases

THE HOOK

• State your claim (list off your SUBTOPICS)

• Your subtopics will be addressed in your BODY PARAGRAPHS!

• Each body paragraph is about ONE of your subtopics

• USE THE SHAPING SHEET

THE THESIS STATEMENT

Suicide. Violent retaliation. Depression. Research suggests that these three serious things can be the results of school bullying. Teenagers worldwide are notorious for picking on other teenagers in malicious and hateful ways, making bullying an issue with severe consequences that needs to be addressed. Laurie Halse Anderson, an author who specializes in teen issues, explains how bullying affects one individual in her book Speak. The story’s protagonist, Melinda, is isolated and picked on by her peers throughout the novel. The story accurately expresses high school relationships, including how low self-esteem, anxiety and suicidal tendencies are direct results of school bullying.

Topic: Bullying

Based on the FINAL sentence of that paragraph (the thesis statement), what will the body paragraphs be about?

Paragraph 2: self-esteem

Paragraph 3: anxiety

Paragraph 4: suicidal tendencies

THE THESIS

“Alone. All alone. Nobody, but nobody can make it out here alone.” These lines from Maya Angelou’s poem “Alone” are expressive of human kind’s need for companionship. Teenagers in particular are people who need the support of friends and family members in order to stay healthy. Loneliness is one of many issues addressed in Laurie Halse Anderson’s novel Speak, in which a teenager girl is isolated by nearly everyone on her high school campus. In life, as in Speak, loneliness results in low self-esteem, depression and even suicide.

Topic: Loneliness

Based on the FINAL sentence of that paragraph (the thesis statement), what will the body paragraphs be about?

Paragraph 2: low self-esteem

Paragraph 3: Depression

Paragraph 4: Suicide

THE THESIS