THE ESSAY

An essay:

•has a point of view

An essay:

•has a point of view

•expresses ideas with convincing support

An essay:

•has a point of view

•expresses ideas with convincing support

•gives reasons and specific details

An essay:

•has a point of view

•expresses ideas with convincing support

•gives reasons and specific details

•gives a nonemotional response

An essay:

•has a point of view

•expresses ideas with convincing support

•gives reasons and specific details

•gives a nonemotional response

•gives a knowledgeable response

Topic sentence

Body sentences

Concluding sentence

Paragraph

Topic sentence

Concluding sentence

Introductory

Paragraph

Paragraph

Essay

Body sentences

Topic sentence

Concluding sentence

Introductory

Paragraph

1st Body

Paragraph

2nd Body

Paragraph

3rd Body

Paragraph

Paragraph

Essay

Body sentences

Topic sentence

Concluding sentence

Introductory

Paragraph

1st Body

Paragraph

2nd Body

Paragraph

3rd Body

Paragraph

Concluding

Paragraph

Paragraph

Essay

Body sentences

Introductory Paragraph

Attention getter

Transition sentences

Thesis statement

Introductory Paragraph

Attention getter

Transition sentences

Thesis statement

•A brief story related to the topic

You can open your Introductory Paragraph with:

Introductory Paragraph

•A brief story related to the topic

•A brief history of the topic

You can open your Introductory Paragraph with:

Attention getter

Transition sentences

Thesis statement

Introductory Paragraph

•A brief story related to the topic

•A brief history of the topic

•A famous quote or common

expression related to the topic

You can open your Introductory Paragraph with:

Attention getter

Transition sentences

Thesis statement

Introductory Paragraph

•A brief story related to the topic

•A brief history of the topic

•A famous quote or common

expression related to the topic

•The opposing view of the topic

You can open your Introductory Paragraph with:

Attention getter

Transition sentences

Thesis statement

Introductory Paragraph

•A brief story related to the topic

•A brief history of the topic

•A famous quote or common

expression related to the topic

•The opposing view of the topic

•A general statement followed by a

gradual transition to specifics

You can open your Introductory Paragraph with:

Attention getter

Transition sentences

Thesis statement

Introductory Paragraph

•A brief story related to the topic

•A brief history of the topic

•A famous quote or common

expression related to the topic

•The opposing view of the topic

•A general statement followed by a

gradual transition to specifics

• Facts, data, or statistics related to

the topic

You can open your Introductory Paragraph with:

Attention getter

Transition sentences

Thesis statement

The attention getter

and transition

sentences lead to

the….

Introductory Paragraph

Attention getter

Transition sentences

Thesis statement

Thesis Statement

• states the topic of the essay

• states an opinion/point of view

about the topic

• is something that can be proven in

the essay

• is one complete sentence

Attention getter

Transition sentences

Thesis statement

Introductory

Paragraph

1st Body

Paragraph

2nd Body

Paragraph

3rd Body

Paragraph

Concluding

Paragraph

Essay

After the Introductory

Paragraph, the body

paragraphs are next.

Body Paragraphs

There are 3 body paragraphs.

Each body paragraph gives specific, detailed

reasons and support for the thesis.

Thesis statement

Body Paragraphs

Topic Sentence

(transition + topic)

Topic sentence:

Begins with transition word(s) and introduces

the topic for the paragraph and support for

the thesis.

Each body paragraph will have the following:

Body Paragraphs

Topic Sentence

(transition + topic)

Explanation

(explain, define, clarify)

Topic sentence

Explanation:

One or two sentences giving an explanation,

definition, or clarification of the topic of the

paragraph

Each body paragraph will have the following:

Body Paragraphs

Topic sentence

Explanation

Example:

Two to five sentences giving details of an

example to support the topic of the body

paragraph. The example must be about a

personal experience, one you have read

about, or of someone you know.

Topic Sentence

(transition + topic)

Explanation

(explain, define, clarify)

Example

(personal, friend, family,

or one read about)

Each body paragraph will have the following:

Body Paragraphs

Topic sentence

Explanation

Example

Topic Sentence

(transition + topic)

Explanation

(explain, define, clarify)

Example

(personal, friend, family,

or one read about)

Each body paragraph will have the following:

Body

Paragraph

Introductory

Paragraph

1st Body

Paragraph

2nd Body

Paragraph

3rd Body

Paragraph

Concluding

Paragraph

Essay

After the Body

Paragraphs, the

concluding paragraph

is next.

Concluding Paragraph

Transition +

restated thesis statement

Transition sentences

Ending

The concluding paragraph:

•Begins with a transition word(s)

•Restates the thesis statement

•Gives final thoughts,

predictions, or final reflections

Essay Sample

Why Educate the Children of Illegal Immigrants?

Immigration laws have been a subject of debate throughout

American history, especially in states such as California and Texas, where

immigrant populations are high. Recently, some citizens have been

questioning whether we should continue to educate the children of

illegal immigrants. While this issue is steeped in emotional controversy,

we must not allow divisive "us against them" rhetoric to cloud our

thinking. Educating undocumented immigrants costs us, but not

educating them would cost us much more.

One worry of those who oppose educating illegal immigrants is that

many parents are crossing the borders solely to educate their children. This

worry is unfounded and it is more likely that parents are in desperate need of

work, economic opportunity, and possibly political asylum. As Charles Wheeler

of the National Immigration Law Center asserts, "There is no evidence that

access to federal programs acts as a magnet to foreigners or that further

restrictions would discourage illegal immigrants".

There are other concerns that are more legitimate, as undocumented

children crowd the school systems, but this can be addressed by less drastic

measures than barring children from schools. According to Brad Edmondson in

his article, "Life without Illegal Immigrants," the responsibility of educating

about 75% of undocumented children is borne by just a few states--California,

New York, Texas, and Florida. One way to help these and other states is to have

the federal government pick up the cost of educating undocumented children,

with enough funds to alleviate the overcrowded classrooms that cause parents

such concern. Such cost shifting could have a significant benefit, for if the

federal government had to pay, it might work harder to stem the tide of illegal

immigrants.

Finally, the costs to society as a whole are fairly obvious as well. That is why we

work so hard to promote literacy and prevent students from dropping out of

school. An uneducated populace is dangerous to the fabric of society, contributing

to social problems such as vandalism and crime, an underground economy, gang

warfare, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse, and infectious and transmissible

diseases. The health issue alone makes it worth our while to educate the children

of undocumented immigrants, for when children are in school, we can make sure

they are inoculated properly, and we can teach them the facts about health and

disease.

Do we really want thousands of uneducated children growing up on the

streets, where we have little control over them? Surely not. The lure of the streets

is powerful enough already. Only by inviting all children into safe and nurturing

and intellectually engaging schools can we combat that power. Our efforts will be

well worth the cost.

http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/hacker/arguing.htm

The ESSAY