Elements of Writing Necessary Elements Embedded Evidence

Elements of Writing Quality writing includes: – A Hook that grabs the reader’s attention and a Thesis Statement that states a position on a topic, based on evidence from a text or multiple texts. – Support for Thesis in the form of evidence (textual, etc.) and explanation. – Conclusion that restates the Thesis Statement and leaves the reader with something to think about (a “Ringer”). Most often these elements are organized as follows: – Introduction Paragraph with a Hook and a Thesis Statement – Supporting Paragraph with specific evidence/example and explanation – Conclusion Paragraph with Ringer statement

Elements of Writing – Analysis Follow the link to the Room for Debate titled “What College Students Care About in This Presidential Election”“What College Students Care About in This Presidential Election” Today you will select 4 responses to the Room for Debate topic and you will identify the following information in your Reader/Writer Notebook: – What kind of HOOK is in the introduction? (quote, question, fact, etc.) – What is the Thesis Statement? Does it clearly state the author’s position on the topic? – What does the author use to support his/her position? What kind of evidence/examples does he/she use? – What kind of “Ringer” does the author use? (quote, question, statement, etc.) Be sure to include the title and author of each response you select to analyze.

So, who wrote it best? With your shoulder partner, read through your notes and decide which responses were good, bad, and ugly. Out of the four responses, choose the one you thought was the best. In your Reader/Writer notebook, in complete sentences, explain why that response was the best example of good writing. Be prepared to share with the class.

Elements of Writing - Application Now it’s your turn! What do YOU care about in this presidential election? In your Reader/Writer notebook create an outline for your own response. Include the following: – Title: Give your response a title. – Hook: How are you going to “hook” your reader? – Thesis: What is your position on the topic? – Support: Provide at least 2 examples that support your position. – Ringer: What final thought are you going to leave with your reader?

Elements of Writing - Application On a loose-leaf sheet of notebook paper, write your own response to the topic: – “What do YOU care about in the presidential election?" Use your outline to guide your response. This is due before you leave today.

Peer Response Read your shoulder partner's response and do the following: – Label the parts of their response: "H" for the Hook "T" for the Thesis "S" for each Support "R" for the Ringer – Write a note of commentary at the end of their response, indicating what they did well and what they need to strengthen or improve.

Embedding Evidence Introduce: Each sentence that includes evidence should begin with your words. Integrate: When your evidence is properly integrated, you can read your sentence out loud and you will not hear that there is evidence in your sentence. In other words you have maintained the integrity of your sentence even though someone else's words are included in there. Quote: Always use quotation marks when putting someone else's words into your writing. It is never okay to do otherwise. Cite: In addition to using quotation marks, you must cite the source of the evidence using MLA rules. Punctuate: Using MLA rules, the period for the embedded sentence should be outside the citation. Discussion: This is a very important. For each embedded sentence, you should have at least 2 sentences of discussion.

Read the passage below and embed textual evidence in your response to the question. What impact has George Lucas made on the film industry? Filmmaker George Lucas's blockbuster film Star Wars changed the way movies are made. The quirky action- adventure film would be just one of the writer/director/producer's four entries on the list of the highest- grossing films of all time. Since his first attempts as a film-school student, Lucas challenged the way films were shot, edited, and mixed. His experiments in special effects led to the creation of his own company, which in a short number of years virtually revolutionized the filmmaking process. By the dawn of the twenty- first century, entire scenes may be created via computer technology—a cost-saving innovation that owes its existence to Lucas's visionary talents ("George..."). Remember to: Introduce: Each sentence that includes evidence should begin with your, the writer's, words. Integrate: When your evidence is properly integrated, you can read your sentence out loud and you will not hear that there is evidence in your sentence. In other words you have maintained the integrity of your sentence even though someone else's words are included in there. Quote: Always use quotation marks when putting someone else's words into your writing. It is never okay to do otherwise. Cite: In addition to using quotation marks, you must cite the page in which you found the evidence using MLA rules. Punctuate: Using MLA rules, the period for the embedded sentence should be outside the citation. Discussion: This is a very important +1. For each embedded sentence, you should have at least 2 sentences of discussion.

Embedding Evidence: Application Read both of the selections listed below and answer the question for each. Use textual evidence from the selections to support your answers, & use your notes to ensure you properly embed your text. – “from Stride Toward Freedom” page 1220 Citation: King, Martin L. Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story., Print. In-text Citation: (King) Question: What does King say is the best way to confront racism? How does he support this view? – “Necessary to Protect Ourselves” page 1224 Citation: X, Malcolm. "Necessary to Protect Ourselves." Interview by Les Crane Television. Transcript. In-text Citation: (X) Question: In what ways does Malcolm X think that government and the law have failed African Americans? Use textual evidence from one selection to support your answer to the following question: – How do we fight injustice?