WHAT EVERY 9 TH GRADER NEEDS TO KNOW! 9 th Writing Survival Guide

The Prompt What type of essay are you being asked to write?  Narrative – A personal story  Expository - Informational  Argumentative – Fairly examines an issue, may take a side How many questions are being asked? Circle or underline keywords. Rewrite the prompt as a series of questions that must be answered.

Structure All essays have:  Introduction  Thesis Statement  Body Paragraph(s)  Conclusion

Introductions Hook – Something to grab the reader’s attention Background Information TAG (When referencing a text) – Title, Author, Genre Thesis – Makes a claim, must be arguable.

Body Paragraphs Topic Sentence Evidence– Support (quotes, paraphrase, references, personal anecdotes) Commentary – THE BULK OF YOUR ESSAY  Why did you include that concrete detail?  How does it support your topic sentence?  How does it support your thesis  Expand or explain Concluding Thought/Transition

Conclusion What it is NOT:  Not a place to say what you have already said.  Not a place to repeat your main points verbatim  Not a place to use clichés What it IS:  A place to bring your paper full circle  A place to relay why your topic is important  A place to make real world connections or implications

Transitions Used throughout your paper when moving from one idea to the next. Always used in topic sentences. First, next, finally… One idea, another possibility, the most important…

Signal Phrases Your words attached to a direct quote. Quotes can not stand on their own, you must introduce them! Usually includes the speaker and the situation Mr. Smith claims, “quote” Clearly Mr. Smith felt the same way when he claimed, “quote” “Quote,” claimed Mr. Smith.

FAQ’s How many paragraphs in an essay:  Depends on how much you have to say!  More support makes for a stronger paper, but length alone does not improve a grade.

How many concrete details should a body paragraph have?  Usually two, sometimes one if supported by meaningful commentary

How do I cite a source?  MLA Format  Author’s last name and page number in parenthesis (Collier 1).  If Author’s last name is stated in signal phrase, just page number.  If page number is unknown, leave it blank.

What is revision?  The heart of writing  Rearranging ideas, adding or deleting information, rewriting for varied sentence structure, ensuring that EVERY word is important! What is editing?  A last step  Checking for proper spelling, grammar, and syntax