1. Expository Essay

2. Types of Expository Essays
Definition
Example
Compare and contrast
Cause and effect
Classification
Process analysis

3. Introduction Grab your reader’s attention Thesis Statement
Ask a question
State a fact/statistic
Tell a short short story
Quote from someone famous
Thesis Statement
Also called controlling idea
Does 3 things
Announces the topic to the reader
Reflects judgment about the topic
Provides the reader with a blueprint for what is to come in the paper.

4. Creating a Thesis Statment
1. TOPIC: School uniforms
2. TOPIC: Your parents and trust
3. TOPIC: Texting and driving
4. TOPIC: Changing high schools
5. TOPIC: Endangered species protection
6. TOPIC: Life on other planets
7. TOPIC: Nutritious foods
8. TOPIC: Going to college
9. TOPIC: Legalizing gay marriages
10. TOPIC: Lowering the driving

5. Creating a Thesis
How to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a thesis statement
Broad Thesis Statements are claims that are vague, ambiguous or over reading. These are claims that do not meet at least 2 of the 3 criteria and/or attempt to address a topic with too many issues to deal with in a given writing assignment.
Narrow Thesis Statements are claims that do not meet at least 2 of the 3 criteria and/or too specific and single-minded to be developed into a thorough essay.
Use the topic-comment approach to specifically identify what you believe to be your topic and the comments about the topic
By isolating the topics from the comments, writers can evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the comments they are attempting to put forth.

6. Thesis Practice
Directions: For each of the following statements, identify whether the statement is strong, too narrow, or too broad. If the statement is too narrow or broad, rewrite it to fix the problem.
1. Media violence is harmful to society.
2. The death penalty is wrong.
3. School uniforms provide many benefits to students, parents and educators.
4. Technology has changed our lives.
5. Violent crime is up.
6. The recall election will do more harm than good.
7. I like my apartment.
8. Taking care of older pets can be challenging.
9. Participating in volunteer work is essential to the development of strong character.
10. The neighbor’s cat is unfriendly.

7. Body Paragraphs Topic Sentence Evidence Commentary
Major support/reasons for your position/thesis
Evidence
Backs up your major support/reason
You can use facts, examples, and/or expert opinions
Make sure that you provide proper citations and works cited when you are quoting someone else. You need 2-3 per body paragraph
One evidence may be more than one sentence.
Use as much detail as possible
Commentary
Sums up your paragraph

8. MLA Parenthetical Documentation
If the author's name is mentioned in the text
If the author's name is used in the text introducing the source material, then cite the page number(s) in parentheses:
Branscomb argues that "it's a good idea to lurk (i.e., read all the messages without contributing anything) for a few weeks, to ensure that you don't break any of the rules of netiquette" when joining a listserv (7).
Use the same rule if you used the same author in the previous quote
Parenthetical documentation goes at the end of the sentence. Period goes after the parenthetical documentation.

9. MLA Parenthetical Documentation
If the author's name is not mentioned in the text
If the author's name is not used in the sentence introducing the source material, then include the author's last name in the parenthetical citation before the page number(s). Note that no comma appears between the author's name and the page number(s).
The modern world requires both the ability to concentrate on one thing and the ability to attend to more than one thing at a time: "Ideally, each individual would cultivate a repertoire of styles of attention, appropriate to different situations, and would learn how to embed activities and types of attention one within another" (Bateson 97).

10. MLA Parenthetical Documentation
If no author is identified
If a source does not include an author's name, substitute for the author's name the title or an abbreviated title in the text or parenthetical citation. Underline the title if the source is a book; if the source is an article, use quotation marks:
The use of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems has grown substantially over the past five years as companies attempt to adapt to customer needs and to improve their profitability ("Making CRM Work").

11. MLA Works Cited Page Easybib.com Setting up the page
Title the page Works Cited
Center your title.
Continue with the header as in paper, if your paper ended on page 5, then your Works Cited page is page 6.
Continue with the same set up as the rest of the paper, so double space between all lines on the Work Cited page.
 Setting up the entries
Begin each entry with the left margin.
Indent each additional line five spaces.
Single Spacebar after each period in a Works Cited page (usually double spacebar after each period in a paper.
List entries in alphabetical order.
Don’t number your entries.
Easybib.com

12. Conclusion Attention grabber again Restate Thesis with Main Points
Like when you warm-up and cool down when working out, you must do the same with your essays.
You could even create a circular effect with your attention grabber in the introduction.
In a persuasive essay, this is your call to action
Restate Thesis with Main Points
Don’t be repetitive
Use different words
Add you main points/3 reasons from each body paragraph (topic sentences)

13. Transitions
Don’t forget to use transitions between each paragraph and between different ideas within each paragraph. Example transitions:
Above all
Also
Another fact to consider
Another reason
Another thing
Best of all
Consider that
Especially
For example
In addition
In the first place
In particular
More important
Most important
Remember
The last point to consider
Worst of all

14. Additional MLA rules Double Space- Skip lines
On the first page only, include your heading on the top left hand side of the page
First and last name
Teacher’s Name
Class Name – Period Number
Due Date
On pages past the first page (thus not on the first page), you must put your last name followed by the page number at the top right-hand side of the page.
Go to “View” -> click on “Header/Footer” -> click “right indent” from the main toolbar -> type last name -> click the spacebar -> click “insert page number” from header/footer toolbar -> click on “page setup” from header/footer toolbar -> click on the “layout” tab -> check the box marked “different first page” -> click “OK”

15. Additional MLA Rules Must have 1 inch margins all the way around
Only 12 point Times New Roman font is allowed
Indent the beginning of a new paragraph
If you include dialogue, every time a different person speaks, it should be in a new paragraph.
 Don’t put extra lines in between paragraphs
Don’t bold, italicize or underline anything!!!
Don’t use parenthesis, unless citing in a research paper
Give a creative title-
Can’t be bolded, underlined, change font type, color, or put in a larger font.
Centered

16. Additional MLA Rules
Do not include slang (ex. “cause”, “gonna”, “hangin out” ), except if it appears in the dialogue and enhances the story
 Don’t use contractions (didn’t = did not, I’m = I am, They’re = They are, We’ve = We have)
 Do not abbreviate words (ex. bc, etc.) or symbols ($, %, &, – you are not texting!!!!
 Numbers one through nine must be spelled out, you may use numbers for 10 and beyond. If a number starts a sentence, the number must be spelled out, no matter the amount of the number.

17. Additional MLA Rules
 Check for correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization (the first word of a sentence, “I”, proper nouns, etc)
Be cautious of spell check because it will not pick up homophone errors, like their, there, and they’re or too, to, and two
  Avoid Clichés
 Avoid “very” – synonyms: awfully, dreadfully, exceedingly, exceptionally, extremely, greatly, etc.
 Avoid “a lot” – synonyms: many, several, multiple, bountiful, plentiful, numerous, etc.

18. PREWRITE The most important thing you can do for your essay
All you have to do is turn your outline/prewriting into sentence format.