1. Travel Essays

2. Excellent Formal Titles  The Trail of Questionable Decisions: The Risks that One Woman Took While Hiking the Kokoda Trail  Stranger Danger: Risking Comfort for an Adventure in “On and Off the Kokoda Trail”  Cassowary Catastrophe: Pushing the Boundaries of One’s Comfort Zone for a Stronger Self in “The Adventures of Mega Chicken”

3. Introduction  Great Hooks!!!  “Imagine hiking through fifty five miles of dense forest with only the company of two strangers, poisonous snakes, and other creatures of the Kokoda trail in Papua New Guinea”.  “The Southern Cassowary of Australia is a beautiful flightless bird with a blue head and arching horn, who can eviscerate you in seconds”

4. Remember: also provide sufficient Background information! Imagine your reader has not read the story!!!

5. CLEAR THESIS: Answers BOTH parts of the Guiding Question  In “On and Off the Kokoda Trail”, Grimberg risks her well being and safety by attempting the hike unprepared, and learns to appreciate her luxuries and think under stressful circumstances”

6. Specific Topic Sentences  These DIRECTLY SUPPORT THESIS  ALL QUOTES RELATE  States the focus of paragraph

7.  Topic Sentence: The less publicized world menu of bizarre chow is exactly the type of risky path Sterling Was aiming to follow…  “A potato bug is a six-legged pustule who, if he has any grace, is an offence even to himself! And I ate him” (38).  Topic Sentence #2: The Palette’s reward was unbelievable yet the shared cultural knowledge between beings was insurmountably better  “We exchanged that special masculine glance that is the gastronomic equivalent of an ancient warrior arm-clasp…”(41).

8. INTEGRATE QUOTES IN CONTEXT  Greenwald wanted to remind himself “that the longest journey begins not at an international airport, but at the threshold of one’s own front door” (3).  During Grimberg’s hike, when she began to realize her lack of preparation, she states: “Between them, Penny and Thomas had the compass, the map, the stove, the tent” (42).

9. Reminders  Quotes are generally left out of introductions and conclusions  Usually body paragraphs do not end with a quote- but instead end with follow up connecting quote to topic sentence/thesis  NO first person in formal writing (I, You, Your, Mine, My, etc.

10. Key  w/c= Word choice (weak words)  Awk= Awkward syntax; sounds funny  Very is usually crossed out

11. Rewrites  Edits are mandatory for essays scoring a 45/55 or below.  Turn in NEW COPY attached to Essay Packets/Rubric; Highlight all changes  DUE next week Monday/Tuesday- turn in to the bin (No amnesty ticket needed).  All students are able to turn in edits for more credit.