Plato academy largo Fsa boot camp 2019 Fsa Write practice , ela 8, ms. szilage

introductions The purpose of an introductory paragraph is to provide the reader with a clear direction. It is your job as a writer to not only provide the reader with the directions, but to also convince them to read on.

To write a strong introduction, you must: 1. Hook the reader Interesting Statement: making a bold statement Quotation: using a direct quote from the text that is interesting or alarming Description: painting a picture in the reader’s mind Anecdote: providing a brief story that illustrates the point Rhetorical Question: asking the reader a question that does not require an answer, but gets them to think about a topic or issue

To write a strong introduction, you must: 2. Introduce the topic. 3. Give a clear thesis statement (topic + point) that provides the purpose outlined in the prompt. 4. Give a preview of what is to come.

Argumentative prompt Write an essay in which you argue whether or not people should become vegetarians. Be sure to use evidence from the text to support your response.

Student example of a strong introduction People who are vegetarians end up having healthier bodies than people who are non-vegetarians. Even so, there are still billions of people who still eat meat not caring about how it will effect their bodies. Thus, people should become vegetarians so that they will have healthier bodies and a healthier life.

Body paragraphs Following a strong introduction will be the body paragraphs, based on the point the author is making in their thesis statement.

To write a strong body paragraph, you must: 1. Begin with a main idea statement (topic + point). The main idea of the paragraph provides the focus. 2. Provide textual evidence that supports the main idea Your opinion is not textual evidence! You don’t need to use the whole sentence every time, you can pull key words and phrases as well You can paraphrase, or put the ideas from the text into your own words.

To write a strong body paragraph, you must: 3. Cite where you got your evidence from. You must tell the reader where the evidence you provided come from, whether providing them with the text title or author’s last name. 4. Elaborate on the evidence. When you include textual evidence, it is your job as the writer to make a connection. How does the evidence support the main idea? Don’t explain what the evidence means, rather help the reader to understand the importance of the evidence. 5. Wrap-up the paragraph by restating the main idea in a different way.

Student sample of a strong body paragraph Equally important, the American people should stop eating meat in order to help prevent heart disease. Firstly, the Vegetarian Times explains that “vegetarian diets are more healthful than the average American diet, particularly in preventing, treating, or reversing heart disease” (Vegetarian Times 3). To illustrate, innocent people are dying from heart disease, and yet all they have to do to save their own lives is stop eating meat. As such, people should become vegetarian to stop heart disease and stop all the lives that are being lost from it. Added to this, from the website downtoearth.org is that “vegetarians have been shown to have a 24% lower risk of dying of heart disease then non- vegetarians” (downtoearth.org 1). Therefore, it is insane that people are still taking the chance of getting this horrible disease. Clearly, people should stop taking the chance of getting heart disease and become vegetarians.

Elaboration In order to elaborate in your writing, you must first determine the main idea, or your response/ answer, and find evidence to support your response.

When you elaborate, you… add details to expand on your response and the evidence you’ve found. make a connection between the main idea and how the evidence supports it. are NOT interpreting, or explaining, what the evidence means. avoid using the terms “this means” or “I think”.

Strong student sample of elaboration Another reason the FWC should not have reinstated the Florida Black Bear Hunt for 2015 is because it may do more bad than good. Many people are afraid that the hunters could “virtually wipe out the [entire} population” (Pulver, 16). In this year’s hunt, hunters killed 36 mother bears. With this amount dead, the FWC has doomed “scores of cubs to death” (Pittman, 10). With no mother for milk and protection, what are these young bears going to do? They are going to die. And it is the FWC’s fault because they reinstated the bear hunt. Maybe next year they will realize that this is not the best way to protect the communities.

Counter claims A strong counter claim in your argumentative essay is written after your body paragraphs to support your main points and before your conclusion. Your counter claims should show why someone might believe the opposite of your claim with credible sources and relevant evidence. The reader is more likely to buy into your claim if you can also provide a strong counter claim.

Student sample of strong counter-claim with rebuttal When you are on the perimeter of a group, you are on the outside looking in. You can decide to join in or not, but you can’t really participate in decision-making, and that can get frustrating. It is nice to know people from many different groups with many different interests, but if none of them are close friends, then you are still missing out.

conclusion When writing an essay, you must provide the reader with closing thoughts and reinforce the claims you made throughout the entire essay.

To write a strong conclusion, you must: 1. Reinforce the thesis or that your claim has been proven. 2. Leave the reader with a certain impression. 3. Provide the essay with a sense of closure.

To write a strong conclusion, you must avoid: Summarizing Introducing new claims and/ or topics. Just rephrasing the thesis statement.

Student sample of strong conclusion: All in all, the Florida’s bear hunt should not have reinstated for the 2015 hunting season. The hunt had two illegal kills, and four late kills turned in. There was a group called Speak Up Wekiva which also wanted them to not reinstate the black bear hunt. They did not change the bear hunt, even with so much responses to not do it. Did the FWC really think about the amount of bears or the impact from the hunt to know not to start the hunt? They may have thought that there were enough, but what about the people who wanted it to not happen, did they think about them and their opinion?

First, read your exemplar essay. Now You Try it! First, read your exemplar essay. Second, follow the directions and answer of the questions on your Exemplar Essay Analysis sheet. Third, be prepared to discuss with your classmates.