Do you have two short quotes? Hopefully, there is at least one in each paragraph. Each short quote should be embedded grammatically into your paragraphs. Do you have one long (block) quote? This is a quote that it is at least 4 lines long. It is indented one inch and you do not use quotation marks. Did you check out page 5 when you constructed your thesis? Double check to make sure you did not use words forbidden in the four bullets.

Read the rough draft aloud, but to yourself. How does it sound? Are you staying with and supporting your thesis? Are you communicating with your reader? Does every sentence add to the paper, or are you just filling space? Highlight any fluffy stuff in pink. Are you using your research appropriately and often? Have you included parenthetical documentation when necessary? What are you trying to say? Make necessary changes. In other words, edit your paper.

A visual approach to organizing content. And yes. This is for a grade.

Color-coding your essays creates a visual picture of the various elements of any essay.

Color-coding is a useful organizational tool.

Any correctly written essay will have the same color patterns, regardless of author, topic or complexity.

A person who knows the proper color-coding patterns will always have an essay that is organized.

The hook should be colored red This may be up to a full paragraph or more, if you used an anecdote to grab the reader’s attention.

The thesis statement is colored yellow Check: Is it the LAST sentence in your introduction? If your intro is one paragraph or two, the thesis statement is still the last sentence.

The topic sentences are colored green Check: You should have at least three (3) and they should be the FIRST sentences in your body paragraphs. If you have more than three paragraphs, each one will still have a topic sentence.

Commentary is colored orange Check: Commentary does not include quotes. It is your own words that explain the quotes and/or information. Most of your paper should be orange.

Your evidence should be blue. Include any quotes and paraphrases. Remember, you should have at least three quotes, but no more than 30% of the entire paper should be quoted. Make sure each quote is cited in-text or parenthetically.

Go back to your thesis. Can you number your points? Revise your essay so the main points are not included. Ex: The life of the typical college student is characterized by time spent (1) studying, attending (2) class, and socializing (3) with peers. Look at your topic sentences. Do they follow logically from the thesis statement? Draw an arrow from each topic sentence back to the thesis statement.

Do all the green topic sentences relate to the yellow thesis? Do all the orange commentary sentences relate to the green topic sentence at the beginning of the paragraph? If any part does not relate, fix it! This first draft will be turned in for a grade