Led by: Kristina Yegoryan BRIDGE Workshop Led by: Kristina Yegoryan In 1 Workshop Learn About: Essay Writing Writing Process Organization Researching MLA Formatting

WHAT IS AN ESSAY? WHAT DOES THE WORD “ESSAY” MEAN? WHAT IS ITS ORIGIN?

ESSAY The word “essay” means “to try.” An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. It is a short piece of non-fiction: an editorial, a feature story or a critical study. It differs from the article as in the essay the pleasure of reading takes precedence over the information in the text!

THE ORIGINE AND HISTORY of ESSAY The term Essay was FIRST used by Michel Montaigne during the 16th cen. (Renaissance) Montaigne attempted to “assay” (weight) his thoughts on human perception. 17th cent. (Age of Enlightenment)- Essays were a favored tool of polemicists who aimed at convincing readers of their position 18th, 19th cent.: Essays were written for a general public 20th cent.: Some used essay to explain the new movement in art (T.S. Eliot) and some used for literary criticism (Woolf, Charles du Boss)

WHY DO WE NEED TO WRITE ESSAYS?

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF WRITING ACADEMC ESSAYS ? At times it is difficult to test a student’s knowledge with multiple-choice tests. Essay writing shows: Student’s interpretation Critical thinking Projection/expression of ideas Writing skills

HOW DO WE WRITE? At times students think that writing a paper a night before can be a miracle

THE PROCESS OF WRITING A PAPER 1) PREWRITING 2) DRAFTING 3) REVISING 4) EDITING (PUBLISHING)

The Main Essay Types are: Narrative ( to tell a story/incident) Expository (to explain or acquaint with something) Exemplification (brings in many examples to support a choice/argument) Cause and Effect Descriptive Definition Compare and Contrast Persuasive/ Argumentative (prove a point)

What To Remember When Writing an Essay Organization and Structure (academic essays have the 5 paragraph base- structure: Introduction, 3 Main Body Paragraphs, and Conclusion) Author’s voice (the essayist) You do not need to use “I” when stating your arguments or opinion- your essay/ your writing does present your voice and your argument/opinion

What To Remember When Writing an Essay Implied audience/reader : Encoding (writer’s purpose) vs Decoding (reader’s interpretation) of the information in the essay “ The reader of an essay is called on to join in the making of the meaning” Rhetorical appeals: Ethos, Pathos, Logos (by Aristotle) Watch this video for understanding Rhetorical appeals: http://www.wimp.com/teachpersuasion/ (What Aristotle and Joshua Bell teach us about Persuasion)

PARTS OF ESSAY Introduction: It sets the tone and the direction for the composition. The paragraph starts with Attention Getter/ Hook and concludes with a Thesis Statement. 
Body: The body can consist of any number of paragraphs that support the thesis statement. Typically compositions contain one to three body paragraphs. Each body paragraph has its own topic sentence with supporting evidence or commentary. Conclusion: It brings the composition to a close. It usually starts with a general sentence that summarizes the introduction/the topic. Conclusion includes a restatement of the thesis in different words and ends with a “Call to Action” or advice.

INTRODUCTION 1. Attention Getter / Hook 2. Definition/ Depiction Use any of these hook strategies: Rhetorical question General statement Very specific statement Fact or a startling statistics, or a quote 2. Definition/ Depiction 3. The Twist (However,…) 4. Explanation 5. Thesis Statement ( the last sent/the main argument)

A Thesis Statement is… A sentence that goes at the end of your introductory paragraph. IT IS THE LAST SENTENCE OF INTRODUCTION The main idea of the whole essay. A debatable statement, the author’s argument /opinion. It is usually 1 sentence or 2 max.

Are there different types of thesis statements? YES Open vs. Complete An Open Thesis does not contain the body points. i.e. Everyone should drive a hybrid car. A Complete Thesis includes the body points. i.e. Everyone should drive a hybrid car because they pollute less, they get better mileage, and they help reduce gasoline costs.

A Simple Thesis Formula Although counter argument, actually your argument because 1st supporting idea, 2nd supporting Idea, and 3rd supporting idea.

CONCLUSION The 3 most important sentences to have: 1. Summary sentence (General statement –going back to Introduction or if started with a rhetorical ?-then answer to the question) 2. Restatement of Thesis (re-saying your argument (Ex. Since A, B, and C + your argument) 3. “Call for action”( a suggestion/advice what to do) Hence, we should do…. (shouldn’t)…

FORMATTING YOUR PAPER

WHAT IS MLA ? MLA format offers: MLA stands for Modern Language Association MLA format offers: guidelines for the overall look of a paper makes the paper credible with a method of documenting sources

Basic Features of MLA Style Use Times New Roman font, 12 point size Double-Space the whole paper All margins should be set to 1 inch Single or double spacing after punctuation is acceptable Each page should have “header” of last name and page number at the upper right-hand corner of each page Continued

Basic Features of MLA Style Heading in the left corner of the 1st page: Student’s Full Name Instructor’s name Class name Date ( Day Month Year ) Ex. 20 November 2012 The title of the paper is centered Do not underline, bold, or “quote” the title When ending a quote with punctuation, punctuation is inside the quotation marks Ex: “ O Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” (Romeo and Juliet 2.2.36).

How should paper look based on MLA FORMAT

WORKS CITED Is a list of the references used in the paper and serves as an acknowledgement for the sources. With the detailed information in the Works Cited list one can find the original source if needed for further research Works Cited is usually a separate page attached in the end of the essay or document The sources are listed in the alphabetical order without numbers or bullet- points

ACTIVITY TIME! Let’s try to structure a sample essay! 1. Watch the 3 min Ted Speech on 30 Day Goal by Matt Cutts, and think about your 30 day challenge and try to come up with a Thesis Statement for your 5 paragraph Narrative essay! http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days.html 2. Watch the 3 min Ted Speech on 8 Secrets of Success by Richard St. John, and think about your 3 secrets of success to form a strong thesis statement before you structure a 5 paragraph Argumentative essay! http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_st_john_s_8_secrets_of_success.html

Questions? TANK YOU for YOUR Attention!