Essay lesson series

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• Middelbare school
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• Leerjaar 4,5

Essay lesson series

In this lesson series, you will learn what a thesis statement is and what topic sentences are.

You will also learn how to structure your essay and you will make a writing plan

Lesson one: How to write an introduction and the thesis statement

Start with a hook!

Write a strong opening sentence capturing readers’ attention.

e.g.: use literary quotes, write a quote from a famous person, surprise with a misconception, write an anecdote, tell a personal story, ask a question, share a fact or a definition, “Draw” a scene.

Start with a thesis statement.

This hook is an example of

1. a quote
2. personal story
3. fact/definition
4. common misconception

This hook is an example of

1. a quote
2. personal story
3. fact/definition
4. common misconception

topic and thesis statement

• A topic: Tells readers about the focus of your informative essay
• A thesis: States your opinion on the topic.

An essay thesis is part of your introduction but does not substitute it. Hook readers first, then introduce your topic, and only then state a thesis.

Your thesis explains to the reader what your paper will be about. In other words, it’s the heart of your essay. 

topic and thesis statement

In other words, your thesis should identify the topic, the claim, and the major points you’ll use in an essay to support the claim.

True or false: A thesis statement consists only of a topic.

1. True
2. False

False!

A thesis statement has a topic in it, and a claim (your opinion) you make with regards to the topic.

Where in the essay should the thesis statement be?

Major points

“Stress in the fast-food workplace has led to serious physical, psychological, and emotional problems for employees.”

topic

Claim

led to serious problems

physical problems, psychological problems, emotional problems

stress in the fast-food workplace

thesis statement

More examples

Thesis statements are a road map for your essay. Look at the example below:

The society in The Giver is a dystopia where citizens are manipulated by the Elders and where there is no room for freedom, memories are stolen and people cannot live a full life.
Define: topic, claim and major points

Examples three-pronged thesis statement

1. We should wear school uniforms because they would help reduce discipline, be cheaper than other clothing, and help create school pride

2. Zoos should be banned because animals need to remain in the wild, zoos cannot provide natural experiences for animals, and animals in zoos get sick and die.

Examples of thesis statements

3. The vaccine created by our team of researchers is promising in the fight against the virus. (The research paper would present evidence and reasons why the vaccine might work against the virus.)

4. The moral of this novel is that love always wins. (The essay would present evidence and reasons to support that this is the moral of the novel.)

End of lesson one

Lesson two: the topic sentence and body paragraph

(Now that you have your thesis statement, it's time to start deciding what you're going to write in the body paragraphs to support your claim).

In this lesson, you will learn what a topic sentence is, how to write one and how to support your thesis statement with the body paragraphs.

Topic sentence

A topic sentence is the sentence that tells the main idea of a paragraph. This sentence tells the reader what the paragraph will be about, and then the rest of the paragraph is built around this topic.

Where do you put the topic sentence?

1. At the end of your introduction
2. At the end of your body paragraphs
3. At the start of your body paragraphs
4. In the conclusion

What is the main purpose of a topic sentence?

1. It has no purpose
2. To give the reader an idea of what the paragraph is about
3. To confuse the reader

What should the topic sentence always be linked to?

1. The title of your essay
2. The conclusion
3. The thesis statement
4. It doesn't have to be linked to anything

Example: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Thesis statement: In a Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Christopher's autism is more of a hindrance than a boon in finding out what happened to the dog, because (1)it causes him to be terrified of noises and (2)his autism also causes him to block up entirely when he is lied to.

Topic sentence one: First of all, Christopher can't concentrate on his quest because his autism causes him to be terrified of noises, which distracts him.

Topic sentence two: Secondly, when Christopher is lied to, his autism causes him to block up entirely which means he can't think straight.

Linking words 

Can your topic sentences be debatable (someone might be able to agree or disagree)?

1. Yes
2. No

Important:

It's important that your topic sentences are debatable. Someone should be able to say 'yeah, I agree!' or 'no, I totally disagree with this'. That's the point of an essay - it's an opinion piece!

Thesis statement example

Food is an increasingly urgent environmental issue, and to reduce humans’ impact on the planet, it is necessary to change global patterns of food production and consumption.

The thesis statement sums up the argument and purpose of the whole essay

food production/consumption
&
environment

Brainstorm 

Draft a topic sentence that sums up the main point you want to make in each paragraph. 

The topic sentences should be more specific than the thesis statement, but always clearly related to it.

Now make a topic sentence for one of the supporting ideas.

Remember to use linking words in your essay.

These sentences should include the topic and a clear link to the thesis statement.

Topic sentence 

Research has consistently shown that the meat industry has a significant environmental impact.

Expand 

Expand on the point with evidence, examples, or argumentation.

You might mention specific research studies and statistics that support your point about the overall impact of the meat industry.

More examples 

The Civil War had its devastating effects on the South because it was fought mostly on its territory.

Abraham Lincoln is one of the most powerful and influential politicians of all times.

What's the controlling idea of these topic sentences?

Use the PIE structure 

to structure the information you will use to support your topic sentence. 

For each paragraph, fill in the P, I, and the E

Recap

A carefully thought out topic sentence has two functions. 

1. It helps you, the author, to stay focused. 

2. A clearly stated topic and controlling idea will give readers the tools they need to clearly understand what you have to say.

Remember 

Topic sentences set the tone for the paragraph and should relate back to the thesis or the main idea of the paper.

End of lesson two: topic sentences & body paragraphs

Lesson three: the essay in general

In this final lesson, you will learn how to structure your essay. You will also look at some do's and don'ts and you will make a writing plan for your essay.

What do you think should be the structure of your essay?

How many paragraphs should you use for the essay, you think?

1. There is no limit
2. Less than 3
3. 3 or 4
4. 5

Which tips are you taking on board from the video?

Structure

Title 

- blank line

Introduction - you introduce the topic  and explain in short what it is about. You try to link your explanation to your thesis statement. This means that, if your thesis statement is mostly about 'love', your short description should focus on that.

- blank line

Body paragraph 1 - PIE topic sentence 1 + support and explanation

- blank line

Body paragraph 2 - PIE topic sentence 2 + support and explanation

- blank line

Conclusion - a short summary of the information you have given

Make your writing plan for the essay

Use the structure you wrote down in the previous assignment.

Remember: a writing plan is there to help you structure your final work! Tip: include the PIE structure in your writing plan for the body paragraphs 

End of lesson three. Goals for this series:

You now know what thesis statements are

You now know what topic sentences are

You now know what structure your essay should use

You now have a writing plan for your essay

Final assignment

hand-written essay (3x)

Use a maximum of 350  words

Include your name and the word count

Remember the lay-out, structure and useful tips!

Now Brainstorm

For a topic of your choice, make a claim and brainstorm on supporting ideas you could use to support your opinion/claim.

Choose one thesis statement

You will use this topic for your introductory paragraph.

The introduction of a curfew in the Netherlands

Take out your thesis statement again

Which three ideas are you going to use to support your opinion?

Write these three ideas down below your thesis statement

These three ideas will be the main topics of your body paragraphs.

Look at the example on the next slide to see how this could be done.