1. Warm Ups: Monday, Oct. 24th
After gluing your revising and editing practice (“Blackbeard the Pirate”) into the warm-up section of your notebook, answer the following questions.
1. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 1?
Change joined to joins
Change Pirate to pirate
Insert a comma after Pirate
No change should be made.
2. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 2?
Change whether to weather
Change caribbean to Caribbean
Change knew to knows
Insert a comma after knew C
2. B

2. Due November 7th along with analysis sheet (dream HW).
Of Mice and Men
Due November 7th along with analysis sheet (dream HW).

3. Expository Writing: writing with a purpose to explain a topic or idea
These notes will go after the expository essay in your notebook. You will get an expository tab soon.
Expository writing Workshop Expository Definition: “serving to expound, set forth, or explain”
If this is the definition of expository, what do you think the definition of expository writing will be?
Expository Writing: writing with a purpose to explain a topic or idea

4. Organizational Styles
1. Compare/Contrast
Definition: explain how 2+ more things are alike/ different
Example: Explain the types of changes a student may undergo from middle school to high school.
As a writer you would have to explain what the student was like before (in middle school) and what student was like after (in high school).

5. Organizational Styles
2. Cause/Effect
Definition: identifies one or more causes and the resulting effects
Example: Explain the importance of being involved in your community.
As a writer you would have to explain what are different things that would cause you to become involved in the community and what the effects of your involvement would be (could be for yourself or for the community as a whole)

6. Organizational Styles
3. Definition
Definition: describes characteristics of features of something
Example: Explain what it means to be an American.
As a writer you would have to explain what are the characteristics that make a person American.

7. Organizational Styles
4. Explanatory
Definition: explains a writer’s position on a topic
Example: Explain whether second chances are important.
As a writer you would need to choose a position to explain.
Example: Explain why it’s necessary to give someone a second chance.
As a writer you are given the position to explain.

8. Expository Essay Prompt
Don’t get distracted by this section of the prompt. Do not include the quote in your essay. It’s just there to spark your ideas. If it helps, cross out the prompt all the way up the word “Write.” This is where your attention needs to go to insure you are answering the right question.

9. Brainstorming and Prewriting
It’s always best to create a plan of action BEFORE you start writing! When you organize your ideas, your writing is more cohesive.

10. Use what works for you!

11. Homework Essay Reflection (Question 1)
What strategy of brainstorming, if any, did you use? Reflect on the usefulness of brainstorming on the provided handout.

12. Warm Ups: Tuesday, Oct. 25th
Please make sure to make the correction directly on the “Blackbeard the Pirate” passage.
3. What is the correct way to write sentences 3 and 4?
Since Edward Teach helped Hornigold capture a French ship in the Caribbean in 1717; Captain Hornigold gave the captured ship to Teach.
Captain Hornigold gave the captured French ship to Edward Teach, even though Teach helped Captain Hornigold capture the ship in the Caribbean in 1717.
Captain Hornigold gave the captured French ship to Edward Teach; which Teach helped Captain Hornigold capture the ship in the Caribbean in 1717.
Since Edward Teach helped Hornigold capture a French ship in the Caribbean in 1717, Captain Hornigold gave the captured ship to Teach.
4. What change, if any, should be made to sentence 5?
Change queen anne’s revenge to Queen Anne’s Revenge
Change was changed to changes
Delete the comma after revenge
No change should be made.
3. D
4. A

13. Helpful Hints:
You need to brainstorm your reasons and possible examples BEFORE constructing a thesis.
Your thesis should not contain your examples.
Do not start your essay with a rhetorical question.

14. Organizing your Expository essay
Thesis Statements
A thesis statement is crucial to writing a strong essay. Without a thesis your reader will not understand the purpose of your writing.
Definition: a single sentence that expresses what you want your readers to understand; the controlling idea of your essay and road map for your paper
Last sentence of your introduction

15. Organizing your Expository essay
Thesis Statements
What does a thesis look like? (Basic organization of a thesis)
Position you are taking + transition word + topics/reasons of paper.
Examples:
Prompt: Explain the types of changes a student may undergo from middle school to high school.
Many students undergo changes from middle school to high school such as becoming more responsible and feeling more stress.
Many students undergo changes from middle school to high school because they become more responsible for their actions; furthermore, high school adds increased levels of stress to their lives.
Prompt: Explain the importance of being involved in your community.
Being involved in the community is important because it helps people stay connected and gives people pride in their community.
Being involved in the community is important because it helps people stay connected with their neighbors; in addition, being involved gives people pride in their community.

16. Homework Essay Reflection (Questions 2 and 3)
Do you have a thesis? If so, copy it down on the provided handout.
Did your thesis follow the template we’ve discussed? Rewrite your thesis using the strategy below.
If you don’t have one, create one now.
Format with semicolon: Main idea of paper + transition word + first reason of paper; transition word, second reason of paper.
Many students undergo changes from middle school to high school because they become more responsible for their actions; furthermore, high school adds increased levels of stress to their lives.
First transition word/phrase: because, due to, such as (since, for = use these two sparingly)
Transition word/phrases for after semicolon: furthermore, additionally, in addition, moreover, also

17. Expository Essay Structure (The Teal, Teal CCs)
Thesis- Answer the prompt using words from the prompt and giving two reasons.
Topic- Explain your first reason given in the thesis.
Evidence-Provide an example from literature, history, the community, or a personal experience that embodies your topic.
Analysis-Explain what the connection is between your example and your topic sentence.
Lesson- State what can be learned from this example to apply to real life. This is where we address the “so what” or “why is this important?”  
Topic- Explain your second reason given in the thesis.
Analysis-Explain what the connection is between your second example and your second topic sentence.
Connect- explain how your two examples are connected (connect your Es)
Conclusion-Why this is an important subject to you, society, or literature? (Connect your Ls)

18. Here’s where things change…
You don’t have books to pull text evidence from on the STAAR test or an in class timed essay! Since you won’t be able to embed quotes, where does your evidence come from? How can you prove your ideas without pulling direct quotes?

19. Definition: facts or examples to prove that your ideas are true
Evidence Options
Definition: facts or examples to prove that your ideas are true
Literary examples:
Using well known examples from literature to prove a point.
Ex: In Pat Frank’s Alas, Babylon, Randy takes initiative on burying Porky Logan because he’s trying to avert a medical crisis within the community.
Historical examples (events or people):
Using well known examples from history to prove your point.
Ex: Rosa Parks demonstrates how one woman’s involvement in her community impacted not only a single city but an entire country.
Current events examples (events or people):
Using current news stories relating to people or events to prove your point.
Ex: One vote in the upcoming election might seem like it won’t change the outcome; however, when a community comes together, several small votes can actually start a movement.
Personal examples:
Using your own life experiences to relate to your audience.
Ex: Having to balance school work, a job, and band rehearsals was one element of my high school experience that caused extreme stress.

20. Helpful Hints:
Do not use hypothetical examples. (“Imagine you are at school, and you fail a biology test.”)
Turn this into a personal example (“Last week I failed my biology test…”) and it’s stronger evidence.
TV shows and movie examples are a LAST resort. They are weak form of example.

21. Homework Essay Reflection (Question 4)
Did you provide examples? If so, what were they?
Reflect on your examples using the provided handout.
If you didn’t include examples to support your ideas, what did you use to prove your point?

22. Analysis
Definition: explaining to the audience how your evidence connects to your thesis.
Strong analysis (connects evidence to the big picture): Many students experience similar juggling acts as I did, trying to succeed both academically and extra-curricularly. These students lack the time management skills needed to balance all of their activities, leading to an amount of stress that was not experienced in middle school.
Weak analysis (only applies to the writer): Trying to keep up with all my stuff was just crazy. It was really hard to stay focused on all the things I was supposed to do. I don’t remember feeling that way in middle school.

23. Body Paragraph Organization
An example of an entire paragraph:
One negative change that many students experience from middle school to high school is an increased amount of stress. Having to balance school work, a job, and band rehearsals was one element of my high school experience that caused an increased amount of stress for me. I found that the more I committed to my extra-curricular program and my job, the more I let my class assignments and homework fall to the wayside. I had many late nights trying to finish my homework for the next day, but there are only so many hours in a day to get work done. Many students experience similar juggling acts as I did, trying to succeed both academically and extra-curricularly. These students lack the time management skills needed to balance all of their activities, leading to an amount of stress that was not experienced in middle school. Once a student gets behind academically, it takes a conscious effort to get back on track. Even though the increased stress can be difficult at times, learning time management skills take practice, but those experiences are a valuable life lesson for students to learn early on in their high school career.

24. Furthermore, In addition,
Strong Transitions
Your reader needs to see how your ideas connect or where your ideas are about to change.
Here is a toolbox of strong transition words to use in your writing
Therefore, Even though
However, Consequently,
Furthermore, In addition,