TOMORROW and WEDNESDAY

• You will need a blue pen, a black pen, and a red pen.

• Make sure you bring paper.

• Bring your notes from today!

The Schaffer Writing Method

Learning to Writea Structured Essay

Essay

• A piece of writing that gives your thoughts (commentary) about a subject.

Introduction

• Also called the introductory paragraph

• The first paragraph of the essay

• Includes the thesis (which is usually at the end of the introduction)

Body Paragraph

• Where all of the important stuff is

• A middle paragraph in an essay

• It develops the point you want to make that supports your thesis

Concluding paragraph

• Also called the conclusion

• The last paragraph in your essay

• It may sum up your ideas, reflect on what you said in your essay, say more commentary about your subject, or give a personal statement about the subject.

Do’s and Don’ts of Conclusions

• A concluding paragraph DOES:– Include only commentary– Gives a finished feeling to your essay

• A concluding paragraph does NOT:– Include concrete detail (facts and

examples)– Repeat key words from your essay– Restate your thesis– Sound like your introductory paragraph

Thesis

• 1-2 sentences containing the topic of your essay and your position or opinion on the topic

• Usually comes as the last sentence in your introduction

Prewriting

• The process of getting your main points down on paper before you organize your essay into paragraphs

How is a paragraph like a cheeseburger?

Topic Sentence• Like the top bun on your hamburger.

• Topic Sentence = TS

• The first sentence in a body paragraph

• It must have a subject and opinion (commentary) for the paragraph all wrapped up into one tiny sentence

• It does the same thing to a paragraph that a thesis does for the whole essay – it tells you what that specific paragraph will be about

Concrete Details

• Like the meat of your cheeseburger

• Concrete details = CD

• The specific facts, examples, or details that form the backbone of your body paragraphs.

• These are NOT things that you make up. They are evidence.

Synonyms for Concrete Details

• Facts• Specifics• Examples• Descriptions• Illustrations• Support• Proof• Evidence• Quotations

Commentary

• Like the toppings on your cheeseburger

• Commentary = CM

• Your opinion or comments about the concrete detail.

• Why does that concrete detail prove my point? What does the statistic show? What does the example mean?

Synonyms for Commentary

• Opinion• Insight• Analysis• Interpretation• Personal

response• Feelings

• Reflection• Explanation• Evaluation• Inference

Concluding Sentence

• Concluding Sentence = CS

• The last sentence in a body paragraph

• It is ALL commentary and does NOT repeat key words.

• It should give a finished feeling to the paragraph.

Shaping the Essay

• The step after prewriting

• This is done BEFORE writing the first draft of your essay– You are still mixing the ingredients of your

hamburger – you aren’t ready to write your essay just yet

• You make an outline of your thesis, topic sentence, concrete details, and commentary ideas.

First Draft

• The first version of your essay (rough draft)

Final Draft

• The final version of your essay (after ALL revisions have been made)

Peer Response• Written responses and reactions to your

partner’s paper.

• What did they do well?

• What could they improve?

• ALWAYS KEEP IT POSITIVE, but don’t be afraid to give suggestions. Be specific and accurate.

• Have a good attitude when someone corrects your essay.

Chunk

• The smallest unified group of thoughts you can write in a paragraph.

Chunk = topic sentence + 1 concrete detail (CD) + 2 commentaries (CM)

EVERY body paragraph should have at least one chunk.

Ratio

• The number of commentaries for every concrete detail.

• Your ratio should be 1 part concrete detail (CD) and 2 parts commentary (CM).

• This is how you will be graded!!!!!

Word Count

• The minimum length per paragraph

• Your body paragraph should NEVER have less than three sentences (1 CD + 2 CM)