Essay Writing 101 CHW 3MR Supplemental

Essay Writing Learning Objective: We will feel confident in our ability to prepare for and write our essays!

Minds-On 1) What are the challenges students face in writing an essay?

2) What are the key parts of an essay?

Essay Writing 101 1500 words (no more than 1800 words) At least 7 sources (the more, the better) Around 6 paragraphs (this means 4 body paragraphs plus the intro and the conclusion) Keep your thesis in the front of your mind... You must be proving it with every single sentence Include at least 3 references per paragraph (direct quotations and/or indirect references)

Introduction About 200-250 words Include a brief introduction to your topic... not too much... Just 2 or 3 sentences Your thesis, make sure it is really clear. Get a couple of other people to read your intro over and make sure they can identify your thesis Plan of development: write one sentence about each of your sub-topics. Conclude with another reference to your thesis

Sub-topics Your first sentence should both introduce your sub-topic and connect it to your thesis. If you need 2 sentences, that’s all right Don’t worry about a sentence that lists your evidence for the paragraph. A better sentence just informs the reader that you will provide such evidence Then, provide your proof and an explanation of how it proves your thesis. You should have between 2 and 4 examples of evidence in each paragraph Conclude with a sentence that summarizes your paragraph and reconnects to your thesis

References You must reference any specific fact (dates, statistics, etc) All quotations and indirect quotations Ideas borrowed from one of your sources Use Chicago Style for a history essay Use APA style for a law essay

Using quotes Don’t: Begin or end a paragraph with a quote Use quotes where your own words would be better Expect the quotes to prove your thesis all on their own

Do: Use them wisely Remember to insert the footnote number (endnote) after the closing quotation mark Introduce and then explain your quotation Use quotations to prove your point

Conclusion This is like your introduction but in reverse Start by reflecting back on your thesis Review the sub-theses that you used to prove your thesis At the end, restate your thesis and try to come up with the significance of your research and the entire essay About 200 words

Remember: Title page with a catchy title (no pictures or borders please. Let your words impress me.) Bibliography (alphabetical order by author’s last name) The last page of your essay Your essay will not be accepted without a bibliography Create your title page and bibliography in a separate file to avoid numbering them Attach the mark sheet to the back of your essay