1. Ms. Mitchell Freshman Literature
How to Write an Essay
Ms. Mitchell
Freshman Literature

2. Header vs. Heading Header Heading Very top of the page
Repeats on every page
Right hand side
Last name, followed by page number
Ex) Simpson 1
Underneath the header
Only on first page
Left hand side
Your name, followed by teacher’s name, followed by course name, followed by date
Ex) Jessica Simspon
Ms. Smith
Freshman Composition
1/30/14

3. Header How To (Step 1) Open a blank word document.
At the top of the screen go to “View” and then select “Header and Footer”

5. Header How To (Step 2) Justify your alignment to the right
Click in the header
Type your last name
Hit “Close”

6. Right alignment
Close
Last name

7. Header How To (Step 3)
At the top of the screen, click “Insert” then select “Page Number”

8. Header How To (Step 4)
Once you’ve selected “Page Number” a box will appear.
Using the options, select that you want your page numbers at the TOP of the page and on the RIGHT hand side.

9. Header How To (Step 5)
Clicking “Okay” on the previous box will insert the page numbers. Your header will now look like this:
It will automatically repeat on all subsequent pages

10. Heading How To (Step 1)
After you’ve completed the header, click anywhere in the body of the paper.
Change your text alignment to “align left”

11. Heading How To (Step 2)
Change your spacing to 2.0 (double)

12. Heading How To (Step 3) Begin typing the heading.
Only hit the “return” or “enter” key ONCE between each line
Format is as follows:
Your Name
Your Teacher’s Name
Class/Course Name
Date

13. Creating a Title Every paper needs a creative and unique title
After writing the heading, hit the “return” or “enter” key ONCE
Center align your text
DO NOT use bold, underline, or italics, or “quotes” for your own title
You must use proper formatting when referencing another work in your title:
Ex) A Tale of Two Citites: Best of Times or Worst of Times?
In this case the title of the published text would be italicized and the rest of your title would not be

14. Proper heading with no extra space beneath
Title

15. Spacing and Misc.
Remember: Spacing should be double spaced ALWAYS. No exceptions.
You only need ONE space after a period or other piece of punctuation.
You only need to hit “return” or “enter” ONCE between paragraphs or lines as long as you are formatted with double spacing.
Margins on the tops and sides of the page should be 1inch. I will know if they’re not.
Your font should only be size 12
Your paper should only be in one of the following fonts:
Times New Roman
Arial
Cambria
Calibri

16. Formatting Titles: When do I…?
Use the “shelf-rule” or “Barnes and Noble rule”: If you can walk into Barnes and Noble and pick it up off the shelf in its full form, it gets either underlined or italicized
Rule of Thumb: Pick one and stick with it for the duration of your paper. For typed works italics are required, but when you write by hand you can underline.
If you cannot pick it up off the shelf, it goes in “quotes.”
Examples 

17. Formatting Titles: When do I…?
Underline or Italicize
Use Quotation Marks
Books
To Kill a Mockingbird
CDs, Albums
ARTPop
Movies
Pulp Fiction
Television Shows
Modern Family
Newspaper titles
The New York Times
Magazine titles
Seventeen
Poems
“Annabelle Lee”
Song titles
“Applause”
Episode titles of a TV show
“Three Dinners”
Article, chapter, or essay titles
“How to get flawless skin”

18. 1. GENERAL STATEMENT/HOOK
Introduction
BROAD
1. GENERAL STATEMENT/HOOK
2. DEFINITION(S)
3. TRANSITION STATEMENT
4. THESIS
NARROW

19. General Statement/Hook
Interesting opening remark to hook your audience and make them want to read your paper
Should be general and broad. Should not mention the text or the author.
Example: “The definition of morality differs from person to person.”

20. Definitions
This is where you define any key terms your reader will need to know to understand your paper (if necessary!)
Why? If your paper is about why Atticus Finch is a moral character, you have to define for your reader what a moral character, or what morality, means to you for your paper to be clear.
Example: “A moral character is someone who always does what is right even when it is difficult.” (NOTE: I did not mention Atticus Finch here—I just have a generic definition.)

21. Transition Statement
This is where you mention the text and the author.
This should be getting more specific than your hook and definitions, but not be as specific as your thesis.
Example: “In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch meets the definition of a moral character.”

22. Thesis
This is the crux (heart) of your paper. Everything you write in the body of your paper should connect to your thesis.
A thesis statement is an opinionated statement that presents the argument of the paper.
This is an ARGUMENT that can be debated, but you are out to prove.
You want your reader to say “hmmmmm, I’ve never thought of that before! I should read more!”

23. Thesis
Example: “By always doing what is right, even when it is difficult or to his own detriment, Atticus Finch exemplifies what it means to be a moral character.”
This is an opinion (not a fact) because someone could say to me: “No! That doesn’t make him a moral character! That just makes him a moron!”
Then I would argue why I am correct and use examples to prove my point!

24. All Together Now!
The definition of morality differs from person to person. A moral character is someone who always does what is right even when it is difficult. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch meets the definition of a moral character. By always doing what is right, even when it is difficult or to his own detriment, Atticus Finch exemplifies what it means to be a moral character.

25. Body Paragraphs The meat and bones of your paper
This is where you prove your thesis
Each paragraph should have it’s own topic or focus
A good rule of thumb is that a full length essay has at least three body paragraphs. Sometimes this will vary.
Each paragraph that starts with a topic sentence that tells the reader what the paragraph is about.
A topic sentence is NOT a plot point.
Example: A moral person will do the right thing even if their reputation is at stake.

26. Body Paragraphs
Context
Evidence
Analysis

27. Context
Before you can give evidence (quotes) to prove your thesis, you have to give your reader some context.
How much context you give depends on your audience.
You should not repeat everything that happens in the book before your quote, but rather, just give enough to “set the scene.”

28. Context
The following clip demonstrates context. Watch the clip and see if you can determine what part was the context.

29. Context
Example:
Topic Sentence: A moral person will do the right thing even if their reputation is at stake.
Context: Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping a young white woman in the town of Maycomb. Because Tom is black and the case is impossible to win, no lawyer is willing to take the case—except Atticus Finch.

30. Evidence: Quotes
You can’t prove your thesis with your own ideas alone. You MUST use the author’s own words to support your point.
You have to revisit the text and find specific examples that prove your point and then quote these examples in your paper.

31. Evidence: Quotes
Our paragraph so far: A moral person will do the right thing even if their reputation is at stake. Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping a young white woman in the town of Maycomb. Because Tom is black and the case is impossible to win, no lawyer is willing to take the case—except Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is willing to fight an unwinnable fight because it is right.
Quote: “‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win’” (87).

32. Formatting Quotes
You always have to give credit to the original author when you use someone else’s words
To do this you start with “quotation marks” around the words you’re using
At the end of the quote, outside the quotation marks, you put the page number in (parenthesis) with a period outside the parenthesis.

33. The words you’re borrowing from the text
Formatting Quotes
Example: “blah blah blah blah blah” (32).
Close quotation mark
Period to end.
The words you’re borrowing from the text
Open quotation mark
Parenthesis around the page numbers

34. The words you’re borrowing from the text
Formatting Quotes
Question marks and exclamation points go inside the quote
Example: “blah blah blah blah blah?” (32).
Close quotation mark
Period to end.
The words you’re borrowing from the text
Open quotation mark
Parenthesis around the page numbers

35. Formatting Quotes with Dialogue
Close single quote to show dialogue ending
Close quotation mark
“‘blah blah blah blah blah’” (32).
Open single quote to show dialogue
Period to end.
The words you’re borrowing from the text
Parenthesis around the page numbers
Open quotation mark

36. What About...? If I don’t want a whole quote?
If you delete part of a quote to make it flow logically in your paper, use ellipses to indicate your missing text.
Example: “The best class. . . is freshman literature” (Johnson 3).
When your sentence ends with a question mark but your quote does not, it looks like this:
Example: How can students follow Ms. Johnson’s advice to “split homework into manageable chunks of time after school” (15)?

37. Block Quotes If a quote is longer than 4 lines IN THE ORIGINAL WORK:
Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin; maintain double-spacing.
DO NOT use quotation marks
Only indent the first line of the quotation by an additional quarter inch if you are citing multiple paragraphs. Your parenthetical citation should come after the closing punctuation mark.

38. NOTE: THIS WOULD BE DOUBLE SPACED
Block Quotes
Your words
No quote marks!
Nelly Dean treats Heathcliff poorly and dehumanizes him throughout her narration: They entirely refused to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs, hoping it would be gone on the morrow. By chance, or else attracted by hearing his voice, it crept to Mr. Earnshaw's door, and there he found it on quitting his chamber. Inquiries were made as to how it got there; I was obliged to confess, and in recompense for my cowardice and inhumanity was sent out of the house. (Bronte 78) Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. . .
Period at end
Citation
Your words

39. Author’s Name
Once you have mentioned the author once, you DO NOT need to mention him/her again.
If you mention the author in the intro DO NOT mention him/her in the citation
If you mention the author in the paragraph DO NOT mention him/her in the citation
If you have not yet mentioned the author, DO mention him/her in the FIRST citation only

40. Embedding Quotes must be embedded or integrated into the sentence.
Example:
Explaining this to his children, Atticus states, “‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win’” (87). GOOD!!
. . .blah blah blah. “‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win’” (87). BAD!!!

41. Embedding BORING ways to embed: Ms. Spears said, “……” (10).
Mr. Mackelmore supports my argument because he wrote, “….” (15).
- Ms. Gomez argued that “….” (20).

42. Practice
You Try: Author= Kanye West Pg. #= 1 Quote: “Why can’t everyone in the world be more like me?”
Try It Out: Author= Ms. Johnson Pg. #= Quote= “If you try your hardest, you will be successful in Literature”
And One More: Author= Miley Cyrus Pg. #=78 Quote= “I’m not a role model. I never asked to be”

43. Analysis Analysis comes after your quote.
Analysis is composed of your ideas. It is opinion not fact.
Analysis is where you explain how or why the quote proves your thesis statement.
Analysis is the most important part of your paper next to your thesis.

44. Analysis
Our paragraph so far: A moral person will do the right thing even if their reputation is at stake.Tom Robinson, a black man, is accused of raping a young white woman in the town of Maycomb. Because Tom is black and the case is impossible to win, no lawyer is willing to take the case—except Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is willing to fight an unwinnable fight because it is right. Explaining this to his children, Atticus states, “‘Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win’” (87).
Analysis: As a lawyer, Finch’s reputation in town depends on the number of cases he wins. However, Finch believes that there are things more important the professional reputation and one of those things is doing what is right. He is willing to take the case, even if it means sacrificing his reputation in town, to show his children the importance of acting in a moral manner. He knows that Tom Robinson is entitled to a defense attorney and Atticus Finch is willing to give Robinson that, regardless of what it means for himself.

45. RESTATE & EXPAND THESIS STATEMENT
Conclusion
SPECIFIC
REVIEW MAIN IDEA
RESTATE & EXPAND THESIS STATEMENT
FINAL THOUGHTS
BIG PICTURE COMMENT
BROAD

46. Conclusion Review Main Ideas Restate and Expand Thesis
Go back to your paragraphs and look at the main idea for each one.
Write 1-2 sentences that remind your reader of those ideas
Restate and Expand Thesis
Go back to your thesis statement. Find another way to say the same thing. Elaborate if you can.

47. Conclusion Final Thoughts Big Picture Comment
Make an important point about the BIG ideas you mention earlier
Big Picture Comment
Don’t bring in a new argument but try to find someway to connect your ideas to the real world
What do you want your reader to walk away knowing