Writing with Structure Schaffer PowerPoint Writing with Structure

Schaffer Method The Schaffer Method of writing the Multiparagraph Essay gives writers a structure or guide to follow

Terminology In order to succeed in this unit you will need to familiarize yourself with the terminology of the method.

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

Terminology Essay All essays you will write in this unit will have at least 4 paragraphs.

Each Essay will have: A minimum of Four paragraphs: An introduction paragraph Two body paragraphs A concluding paragraph

Introduction Also called the introductory paragraph The first paragraph in an essay Includes the thesis, which is MOST OFTEN at the END of the paragraph.

Body Paragraph Middle paragraph in an essay Develops a point that supports your thesis

Concluding Paragraph The last paragraph 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.

Concluding Paragraph Your conclusion is ALL COMMENTARY and does not include CONCRETE DETAIL

Concluding Paragraph Your Conclusion DOES NOT repeat KEY WORDS from your paper Your Conclusion does not repeat KEY WORDS from your THESIS or INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

Concluding Paragraph Your conclusion should give a finished feeling to your whole essay It should leave the reader satisfied like a runner who has just finished a race!

Thesis A sentence with a subject and opinion. IN this method opinion is also called COMMENTARY

Thesis Your thesis statement should usually come at the end of the introductory paragraph

Pre-writing The process of getting your concrete details down on paper BEFORE you organize your essay into paragraphs

Pre-writing Bubble Cluster Main Idea

Pre-writing Spider Diagram Main Idea

Pre-writing Outlines I. Main Idea A. Secondary Idea 1. Sub Idea a. Example B. Example

Pre-Writing Line Clustering In line clustering you put the subject of the essay you are working on at the top. You then complete three steps to do a line cluster

Line Clustering LIST List all of the ideas that come into your mind regarding your subject You should list SIX ideas Each IDEA should have at least FIVE words in it

Line Clustering LIST (Example) Subject: Dogs are my favorite kind of animals Very loyal and loveable all of the time Fun to play with both inside and outside the house They take a lot of care and attention Large dogs need much more space than small dogs Small dogs can stay in your lap and in your bed Small dogs can make neighbors more upset

Line Clustering After you list everything you then think of ways you can CATEGORIZE the things in your list together Example from the left: Categories can be: A: Benefits of Dogs B: Challenges of Caring for Dogs Subject: Dogs are my favorite kind of animals Very loyal and loveable all of the time Fun to play with both inside and outside the house They take a lot of care and attention Large dogs need much more space than small dogs Small dogs can stay in your lap and in your bed Small dogs can make neighbors more upset

Line Clustering STEP THREE: Label each of your IDEAS in your LIST by the CATEGORY

Line Clustering Category A: Benefits Category B: Challenges Very loyal and loveable all of the time Fun to play with both inside and outside the house Small dogs can stay in your lap and in your bed Category B: Challenges They take a lot of care and attention Large dogs need much more space than small dogs Small dogs can make neighbors more upset

Columns The last form of Pre Writing in the Schaffer Method is forming Columns

Columns The subject of your pre writing goes in this box #1

Columns Dogs #1 Two main ideas go in the second two boxes #2

Columns Dogs #1 #2 Responsibility Companions

Columns #1 #2 #3 Dogs Responsibility Companions Each idea in #3 has at least five words Each idea in #3 has at least five words

Columns #1 #2 #3 Dogs Responsibility Companions Very loyal and loveable all of the time -They take a lot of care and attention #3

Concrete Details (CD) Specific details easy to “see” or imagine Like a BRICK—easy to see

Concrete Details (CD) These “specific” details form the BACKBONE or core of your body paragraphs Will the details in your paragraph, help your paragraph STAND UP STRAIGHT?

Concrete Details (CD) Your paragraphs will only be as STRONG as your DETAILS

Concrete Details (CD) Synonyms for CONCRETE Details FACTS SPECIFICS EXAMPLES DESCRIPTIONS ILLUSTRATIONS

Concrete Details (CD) Other Synonyms: Support Proof Evidence Quotations Paraphrasing Plot references

Commentary (CM) Your opinion or comment about something NOT concrete detail

Commentary (CM) Synonyms for Commentary include: Opinion Insight Analysis Interpretation

Commentary (CM) Synonyms for Commentary: Inference Personal Response Feelings Evaluation Explication Reflection

Topic Sentence The FIRST SENTENCE in a body paragraph. Must have a SUBJECT and OPINION (Commentary) for the paragraph.

Topic Sentence The Topic Sentence does the same thing for a BODY PARAGRAPH that the THESIS does for the whole essay

Concluding Sentence Of course, the concluding sentence is the LAST sentence in a body paragraph.

Concluding Sentence This sentence is ALL commentary (opinion). Just like the Concluding Paragraph in the Essay it does NOT: Repeat key words

Concluding Sentence This sentence should give a finished feeling to the paragraph. It is done, complete.

Shaping the Essay The STEP after Pre-writing. This is done BEFORE the first draft of the essay You are still mixing the ingredients needed to write your essay

Shaping the Essay Like a potter who has all of the materials he or she needs, you take the stuff you have done in pre-writing, and put it into a form

Shaping the Essay You make an outline of your thesis, topic sentences, concrete details, and commentary ideas. Shape it into a lump It is NOT the finished product yet, just the lump of clay, ready to work with.

First Draft Now you begin to MOLD your essay, making your first creation. The ROUGH draft

First Draft Just like any artist, the rough draft or first draft will need to be redone. That is the nature of creating good work.

Final Draft The final version of your essay The beautiful finished product Just like a potter who reuses the clay, you have reused the material from each draft to craft a beautiful essay

Final Draft This final product includes ALL of the hard work that has gone before Without all of the previous attempts, it would not be as good as it is now.

Peer Response These are WRITTEN responses and REACTIONS to a partner’s paper.

Peer Response Make sure that your response is SPECIFIC and ACCURATE

Chunk This is the smallest unified group of thoughts you can write It is ONE sentence of concrete detail + 2 sentences of commentary

Chunk CD:CM 1:2+ You will see this formula used to represent a CHUNK This means one CONCRETE DETAIL must have TWO sentences of commentary CD:CM 1:2+

Chunk Example: CD= My bedroom is the place where I like to relax and let go of the day’s worries. For example, I can play any music I want, from my mother’s old Beatles’ records to my own Shakira compact discs.

Chunk CM: Commentary on that CD #1This shows that in my room I don’t have to be concerned about the sound bothering other family members.

Chunk CM #2: This shows that being able to listen to my songs in the privacy of my own room helps me unwind and take my mind away from my daily problems

Weaving Blending CD (concrete details) and CM (commentary) in a body paragraph Just as a person uses different cloth on a loom to weave a rug, putting them in and around each other

Weaving This is a more complex skill in writing, you will learn to WEAVE after you master the original format.

Ratio You should have the correct ratio of 1 part concrete detail (CD) to 2+ parts commentary (CM) Your teacher will evaluate your writing using this ratio

Word Counts The minimum length per paragraph to earn a “C”

Topic Sentence Topic: General sentence with a subject and an opinion also called COMMENTARY Example: Washington is one of the most beautiful states in the country. Example: South Park is one of the most popular shows on Comedy Central.

Topic Sentence According to the Schaffer Method Every thesis should have a subject and one commentary Every paragraph should start with a thesis Analogy: Riding a bicycle with training wheels is like writing with the Schaffer model

Topic Sentence Thesis and Commentary Practice: Write a subject that you have strong feelings about Write a commentary statement about it

Sample Thesis Statements Circle the subjects and underline the commentary Sometimes boyfriends are nothing but heartaches I really hate changing schools Having divorced parents is awful The worst day of eighth grade was when I broke my arm Waves are the funnest things to ride

Sample Thesis Statements Circle the subject and underline the commentary Camping is fun because I can get away from most of society Being in high school can have its advantages I love to watch TV because it’s interesting Music is the best thing that ever happened Ice Hockey is a hard sport and very painful.