1. A Paragraph into an Essay
STRETCH
A Paragraph into an Essay

2. Part One: Restate the Question
Read the question or writing prompt.
S1. Identify your topic.
S2. Using as many as the same words as you can, restate the question or prompt into a thesis statement.
You may have to add words
Your thesis sentence should tell the reader “Who or What” you are writing about (the topic) and “Your opinion”, “Your Point” or “Your conclusion” (the main idea).
DO NOT:
Use the pronoun “I”
Use “because” or explain anything in the topic sentence.
Announce (such as “This essay will tell you…”)

3. Part Two: Support Your Topic Sentence with 3 Main Ideas or Reasons
S3 After you have written the topic sentence, come up with 3 main ideas or reasons that will prove your statement to be true or will explain why you feel this way.
State each reason in a separate sentence.
Again, DO NOT:
Use the pronoun “I”
Use “because” or explain your reasons at this point. You only want to introduce what they are.
Do not announce “In this paragraph, I will explain…”

4. Part 3: Create the Thesis Map
Return to the Thesis Statement.
Now, add the 3 Main Ideas or 3 Reasons you have selected.
State each reason in a separate sentence for best results
The combination of Thesis Statement + Statement of Main Ideas is called the Thesis Map.
The Thesis Map lets the reader know where you are going and why you’re going there.

5. EXAMPLE: A Thesis Map will have these 2 parts:
A CLEAR TOPIC SENTENCE: Summer vacation is my favorite time of the year. There is no school and I can do whatever I want. I can go swimming or enjoy a lot of other fun activities. There is also more time to spend with family and friends. I love summer!
THREE MAIN IDEA SENTENCES: Summer vacation is my favorite time of the year. 1)There is no school and I can do whatever I want. 2) I can go swimming or enjoy a lot of other fun activities. 3) There is also more time to spend with family and friends. I love summer!

6. Stretching
The three main ideas of state in the introduction will become the main ideas for the three body paragraphs in your essay.

7. From Paragraph to Essay
This is a sample introduction paragraph.
Compare the Introduction to the Body on the right to see how each idea in the essay map is used as a topic sentence in the three body paragraphs:
Summer vacation is my favorite time of the year. 1)There is no school and I can do whatever I want. 2) I can go swimming or enjoy a lot of other fun activities. 3) There is also more time to spend with family and friends. I love summer!
1) First, during the summer months, there is no school and I can do whatever I want. For example, I love to sleep in late. I need the rest because during the summer I can also stay up late and my parents don’t mind. Both of my parents work during the day, so I am free to lay on the couch and watch TV or play video games without being disturbed.
2) Second, One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to go swimming. On the hottest days of July and August, I will ride my bike to the community pool to swim and stay cool.
3) Finally, One of the best things about summer vacation is that there is more time to hang out with your family and friends. My friends and I often meet at the pool, or we go the park or the basketball courts. The sun stays out much later, too, so we can even play ball for a few hours after dinner.

8. Elaborate and Expand Elaborate upon each main idea.
Add 3-5 more details to support each main idea or reason
Details can include description, evidence, and examples
Details must also include an explanation
Each body paragraph should contain:
1a) A Transition (in the first sentence) and
1b) The main idea sentence (1 Sentence)
A Reason or Example
with a brief explanation (2 sentences)
4) A 2nd Reason or Example
5) With a brief explanation (2 sentences)

9. Expand Repeat this for all 3 main ideas.
This builds the 3 Body Paragraphs of your Essay.
Finish with a Conclusion Paragraph.

10. From Introduction to Conclusion
Compare the Introduction to the Conclusion paragraph
Summer vacation is my favorite time of the year. There is no school and I can do whatever I want. I can go swimming or enjoy a lot of other fun activities. There is also more time to spend with family and friends. I love summer!
In conclusion, I love summer vacation, and I am always disappointed when the calendar turns to September and I know that it is over. Summer is my time to relax, hang out by the pool, and spend time with my friends. Oh well, only nine more months before I can do it all again!
They say the same thing, but in a different way.

11. Conclusion
The conclusion should restate the main ideas of the introduction, but in a different way. You can:
rearrange the order of details
combine sentences
and/or replace words and phrases with
synonyms.

12. The Clincher
Like the “hook” in the introduction, a good conclusion will finish with a “clincher”.
The clincher, also referred to as the closer, is your last opportunity to connect with the reader. An effective conclusion will give your readers something to think about when they're done reading your essay.
It should make a lasting impression on the reader.

13. Final Tips Style Points:
Begin your essay with a “Hook”—an attention grabber. Then follow with your topic sentence.
Combine 2 related sentences using a semicolon (;) to create a compound sentence.
Combine related sentences using “, and” to create a compound sentence.
Use synonyms to avoid repeating words too often.
Editing:
Make sure every sentence begins with a capital letter.
Make sure very sentence ends with a period.
Check for spelling errors.
Check for sentence fragments and run-on sentences.