Writing

Pre-writing I. Pre-write- Getting your ideas on paper A.Free write- writing random ideas or words about a topic B. Webbing- Creating a spider web of ideas C. Questioning- Answering who, what, where, when, why, and how about the topic

Outlining II. Outlining- Using the prewrite to organize your paper a. Introduction i. Attention Grabber- Gets the reader’s attention ii. Connector- Connects the AG to the Thesis iii. Thesis- Main idea statement

b. Body- This is three paragraphs detailing the “meat” of your essay C. Conclusion i. Re-state thesis- Use the same concept of the thesis statement but using different wording ii. Connector- Connects the RET to the FT iii. Final Thought- a statement or question that leaves the reader pondering

III. Drafting- Using your outline to write a very rough copy of your essay. This draft may have incorrect spelling and punctuation and may be full of markings. This will always be double spaced (skip lines). IV. Revising- A peer should revise your paper to correct any mistakes V. Final Draft- This should be a perfected copy of your essay; there should be no grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

Wording VI. Wording a. Write in formal language unless guided otherwise i. Do not use slang (aint, y’all, what up cu?) ii. Do not use personal pronouns (I, me, us, we, our, my)- anything that includes yourself. Use impersonal words such as society, one, people, students, citizens, employees, etc.

iii. Do not use clichés- tired sayings (It’s raining cats and dogs, I’m so hungry I could eat a horse, Old as dirt) iv. Do not use contractions- spell it out v. Do not use jargon- unnecessary big words that really don’t make sense in your paper but you are using to impress

b. Use transitional expressions at the beginning of each body paragraph and throughout each paragraph. Some examples are although, next, finally, however, Even though, in conclusion, Furthermore, also, in comparison, to the left, in contrast. c. Do not use “duh” expressions (I am writing to tell you…I hope you learned… Go do what I said…)

Halloween Pumpkin carving Trick-or- treating Haunted houses Costumes Candy Mazes Monsters Contest Funny faces

Example outline A. Introduction I. AG: Halloween can be scary, funny, and entertaining. II. Connector: There are many activities to take part in during Halloween. III. Some people enjoy activities such as: haunted houses, carving pumpkins, and trick-or-treating.

Body B. Body- I will discuss haunted houses, carving pumpkins, and trick-or-treating. Each paragraph should be 5-7 sentences. I. haunted houses II. Carving pumpkins III. Trick or treating

Conclusion C. Conclusion: I. Re-state thesis: Overall, the possibilities of having fun during Halloween are endless, carving pumpkins, hunted houses, and trick- or-treating are just a few. II. Connector: Some people wait all year for this holiday. III. Final thought: Although, it may be spooky, in the end it is still fun and games.