Essay lesson series

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
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Slide 1: Tekstslide
EngelsMiddelbare schoolhavo, vwoLeerjaar 4,5

In deze les zitten 51 slides, met interactieve quizzen, tekstslides en 2 videos.

time-iconLesduur is: 150 min

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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

Slide 1 - Tekstslide

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

Slide 2 - Tekstslide

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.

Slide 3 - Tekstslide


This hook is an example of
A
a quote
B
personal story
C
fact/definition
D
common misconception

Slide 4 - Quizvraag


This hook is an example of
A
a quote
B
personal story
C
fact/definition
D
common misconception

Slide 5 - Quizvraag

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. 

Slide 6 - Tekstslide

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.

Slide 7 - Tekstslide

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

Slide 8 - Quizvraag

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

Slide 9 - Tekstslide

Where in the essay should the thesis statement be?

Slide 10 - Open vraag

Slide 11 - Tekstslide

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

Slide 12 - Sleepvraag

More examples

Slide 13 - Tekstslide

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

Slide 14 - Open vraag

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.

Slide 15 - Tekstslide

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.)

Slide 16 - Tekstslide

End of lesson one

Slide 17 - Tekstslide

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.

Slide 18 - Tekstslide

Slide 19 - Video

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.

Slide 20 - Tekstslide

Where do you put the topic sentence?
A
At the end of your introduction
B
At the end of your body paragraphs
C
At the start of your body paragraphs
D
In the conclusion

Slide 21 - Quizvraag

What is the main purpose of a topic sentence?
A
It has no purpose
B
To give the reader an idea of what the paragraph is about
C
To confuse the reader

Slide 22 - Quizvraag

What should the topic sentence always be linked to?
A
The title of your essay
B
The conclusion
C
The thesis statement
D
It doesn't have to be linked to anything

Slide 23 - Quizvraag

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.

Slide 24 - Tekstslide

Linking words 

Slide 25 - Tekstslide

Can your topic sentences be debatable (someone might be able to agree or disagree)?
A
Yes
B
No

Slide 26 - Quizvraag

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!

Slide 27 - Tekstslide

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

Slide 28 - Tekstslide

food production/consumption
&
environment

Slide 29 - Woordweb

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.

Slide 30 - Tekstslide

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.

Slide 31 - Tekstslide

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







Slide 32 - Tekstslide

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.

Slide 33 - Tekstslide

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?

Slide 34 - Tekstslide

Slide 35 - Tekstslide

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

Slide 36 - Tekstslide

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.


Slide 37 - Tekstslide

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

Slide 38 - Tekstslide

End of lesson two: topic sentences & body paragraphs

Slide 39 - Tekstslide

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.

Slide 40 - Tekstslide

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

Slide 41 - Open vraag

How many paragraphs should you use for the essay, you think?
A
There is no limit
B
Less than 3
C
3 or 4
D
5

Slide 42 - Quizvraag

Slide 43 - Video

Which tips are you taking on board from the video?

Slide 44 - Open vraag

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

Slide 45 - Tekstslide

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 

Slide 46 - Tekstslide

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

Slide 47 - Tekstslide

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!

Slide 48 - Tekstslide

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


Slide 49 - Tekstslide

Choose one thesis statement
You will use this topic for your introductory paragraph.

The introduction of a curfew in the Netherlands

Slide 50 - Tekstslide

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.

Slide 51 - Tekstslide