Trio/SSS/WC Led by:

Kristina YegoryanIn 1 Workshop Learn About: Essay Writing Writing Process Organization Researching MLA Formatting

WHAT DOES THE WORD “ESSAY” MEAN?

WHAT IS ITS ORIGIN?

The word “essay” means “to try.”

An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view.

It is a short piece of non-fiction: an editorial, a feature story or a critical study.

It differs from the article as in the essay the pleasure of reading takes precedence over the information in the text!

The term Essay was FIRST used by Michel Montaigne during the

16th cen. (Renaissance) Montaigne attempted to “assay” (weight) his thoughts on human perception.

17th cent. (Age of Enlightenment)- Essays were a favored tool of polemicists who aimed at convincing readers of their position

18th, 19th cent.: Essays were written for a general public

20th cent.: Some used essay to explain the new movement in art (T.S. Eliot) and some used for literary criticism (Woolf, Charles du Boss)

At times it is difficult to test a student’s knowledge with multiple-choice tests.

Essay writing shows: Student’s interpretation Critical thinking Projection/expression of ideas Writing skills

HOW DO WE WRITE?

At times students

think that writing a paper a night before

can be a miracle

1) PREWRITING 2) DRAFTING

3) REVISING

4) EDITING

(PUBLISHING)

Narrative ( to tell a story/incident)

Expository (to explain or acquaint with something)

Exemplification (brings in many examples to

support a choice/argument)

Cause and Effect Descriptive Definition Compare and Contrast Persuasive/ Argumentative (prove a point)

Organization and Structure

(academic essays have the 5 paragraph base- structure:

Introduction, 3 Main Body Paragraphs, and Conclusion)

Author’s voice (the essayist)

You do not need to use “I” when stating your arguments

or opinion- your essay/ your writing does present your

voice and your argument/opinion

Implied audience/reader : Encoding (writer’s purpose) vs Decoding (reader’s

interpretation) of the information in the essay

“ The reader of an essay is called on to join in the making of the meaning”

Rhetorical appeals: Ethos, Pathos, Logos (by Aristotle)Watch this video for understanding Rhetorical appeals: http://www.wimp.com/teachpersuasion/(What Aristotle and Joshua Bell teach us about

Persuasion)

Introduction: It sets the tone and the direction for the composition. The paragraph starts with Attention Getter/ Hook and concludes with a Thesis Statement.

Body: The body can consist of any number of paragraphs that support the thesis statement. Typically compositions contain one to three body paragraphs. Each body paragraph has its own topic sentence with supporting evidence or commentary.

Conclusion: It brings the composition to a close. It usually starts with a general sentence that summarizes the introduction/the topic. Conclusion includes a restatement of the thesis in different words and ends with a “Call to Action” or advice.

1. Attention Getter / Hook Use any of these hook strategies:

Rhetorical question General statement Very specific statement Fact or a startling statistics, or a quote

2. Definition/ Depiction3. The Twist (However,…)

4. Explanation5. Thesis Statement ( the last sent/the main argument)

A sentence that goes at the end of your introductory paragraph. IT IS THE LAST SENTENCE OF INTRODUCTION

The main idea of the whole essay.

A debatable statement, the author’s argument /opinion.

It is usually 1 sentence or 2 max.

Open vs. Complete

An Open Thesis does not contain the body points.

i.e. Everyone should drive a hybrid car.

A Complete Thesis includes the body points.

i.e. Everyone should drive a hybrid car because they pollute less, they get better mileage, and they help reduce gasoline costs.

Although counter argument, actually your

argument because 1st supporting idea, 2nd supporting

Idea, and 3rd supporting idea.

1. Summary sentence (General statement –going back to Introduction

or if started with a rhetorical ?-then answer to the question)

2. Restatement of Thesis (re-saying your argument

(Ex. Since A, B, and C + your argument)

3. “Call for action”( a suggestion/advice what to do) Hence, we should do…. (shouldn’t)…

MLA stands for Modern Language Association

MLA format offers:

guidelines for the overall look of a paper

makes the paper credible with a method of

documenting sources

Use Times New Roman font, 12 point size

Double-Space the whole paper

All margins should be set to 1 inch

Single or double spacing after punctuation is acceptable

Each page should have “header” of last name and page

number at the upper right-hand corner of each page

Continued

Heading in the left corner of the 1st page:

Student’s Full Name

Instructor’s name

Class name

Date ( Day Month Year ) Ex. 20 November 2012

The title of the paper is centered

Do not underline, bold, or “quote” the title

When ending a quote with punctuation, punctuation is inside the

quotation marks

Ex: “ O Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” (Romeo and Juliet

2.2.36).

Is a list of the references used in the paper and serves as an acknowledgement for the sources.

With the detailed information in the Works Cited list one can find the original source if needed for further research

Works Cited is usually a separate page attached in the end of the essay or document

The sources are listed in the alphabetical order without numbers or bullet- points

Let’s try to structure a sample essay! 1. Watch the 3 min Ted Speech on 30 Day Goal by

Matt Cutts, and think about your 30 day challenge and try to come up with a Thesis Statement for your 5 paragraph Narrative essay!

http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html

2. Watch the 3 min Ted Speech on 8 Secrets of Success by Richard St. John, and think about your 3 secrets of success to form a strong thesis statement before you structure a 5 paragraph Argumentative essay!

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_s_8_secrets_of_success.html

TANK YOU for YOUR Attention!