T HE 6 T RAITS OF W RITING ORGANIZATION

ORGANIZATION DEFINED ORGANIZATION is the structure of the paper. the existence of a sensible order

C HARACTERISTICS OF W RITING THAT E XHIBITS G OOD O RGANIZATION The order makes sense and is easy to follow. The paper contains an effective lead and conclusion. The ideas are connected with transitions.

L EADS /H OOKS Make a surprising statement. Provide a description. Ask a question. Relate an anecdote. Address the reader directly. State a quote.

T HESIS Most important sentence in your entire essay Offers your readers a quick preview of essay

B ODY Topic sentences carry the focus of the thesis and state the main idea of each paragraph. Contains major details to support the topic sentence Contains minor details to support the major details Concludes with a summary statement and transitions into the next paragraph

C ONCLUSION Restate (in different words) your thesis statement. Summarize the main points again Zinger --- a closing statement wraps-up your paper, then leaves the reader wanting even more. It leaves the reader pondering your paper.

T RANSITIONS Transitions are words and phrases that serve as bridges from on idea to the next, one sentence to the next, or one paragraph to the next. They are the glue that hold your ideas together. It is a good idea to use a transition between each paragraph.

U NITY AND C OHERENCE Unity - having ideas in an essay all relate to the main idea…staying on topic Coherence —understandability…marked by writing that a reader can easily follow