Essay lesson series

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Essay lesson series

In this lesson series, you will learn what a thesis statement is and what topic sentences are.

You will also learn how to structure your essay and you will make a writing plan

Lesson one: How to write an introduction and the thesis statement

Start with a hook!

Write a strong opening sentence capturing readers’ attention.

e.g.: use literary quotes, write a quote from a famous person, surprise with a misconception, write an anecdote, tell a personal story, ask a question, share a fact or a definition, “Draw” a scene.

Start with a thesis statement.

This hook is an example of

1. a quote
2. personal story
3. fact/definition
4. common misconception

This hook is an example of

1. a quote
2. personal story
3. fact/definition
4. common misconception

topic and thesis statement

• A topic: Tells readers about the focus of your informative essay
• A thesis: States your opinion on the topic.

An essay thesis is part of your introduction but does not substitute it. Hook readers first, then introduce your topic, and only then state a thesis.

Your thesis explains to the reader what your paper will be about. In other words, it’s the heart of your essay. 

topic and thesis statement

In other words, your thesis should identify the topic, the claim, and the major points you’ll use in an essay to support the claim.

True or false: A thesis statement consists only of a topic.

1. True
2. False

False!

A thesis statement has a topic in it, and a claim (your opinion) you make with regards to the topic.

Where in the essay should the thesis statement be?

Major points

“Stress in the fast-food workplace has led to serious physical, psychological, and emotional problems for employees.”

topic

Claim

led to serious problems

physical problems, psychological problems, emotional problems

stress in the fast-food workplace

thesis statement

More examples

Thesis statements are a road map for your essay. Look at the example below:

The society in The Giver is a dystopia where citizens are manipulated by the Elders and where there is no room for freedom, memories are stolen and people cannot live a full life.
Define: topic, claim and major points

Now Brainstorm

For the topic below, make a claim and brainstorm on supporting ideas you could use to support your opinion/claim. 

the foreshadowing (a hint of what is to come later) in the first chapter in Animal Farm 

Choose one thesis statement

You will use this topic for your introductory paragraph.

The introduction of a curfew in the Netherlands

End of lesson one

Lesson two: the topic sentence and body paragraph

Now that you have your thesis statement, it's time to start deciding what you're going to write in the body paragraphs to support your claim.

In this lesson, you will learn what a topic sentence is, how to write one and how to support your thesis statement with the body paragraphs.

Where do you put the topic sentence?

1. At the end of your introduction
2. At the end of your body paragraphs
3. At the start of your body paragraphs
4. In the conclusion

What is the main purpose of a topic sentence?

1. It has no purpose
2. To give the reader an idea of what the paragraph is about
3. To confuse the reader

What should the topic sentence always be linked to?

1. The title of your essay
2. The conclusion
3. The thesis statement
4. It doesn't have to be linked to anything

Take out your thesis statement again

Which three ideas are you going to use to support your opinion?

Write these three ideas down below your thesis statement

These three ideas will be the main topics of your body paragraphs.

Look at the example on the next slide to see how this could be done.

Example: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time

Thesis statement: In a Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, Christopher's autism is more of a hindrance than a boon in finding out what happened to the dog, because (1)it causes him to be terrified of noises and (2)his autism also causes him to block up entirely when he is lied to.

Topic sentence one: First of all, Christopher can't concentrate on his quest because his autism causes him to be terrified of noises, which distracts him.

Topic sentence two: Secondly, when Christopher is lied to, his autism causes him to block up entirely which means he can't think straight.

Example: : Global Warming is a serious threat

Thesis statement: Government funding must be utilized to protect the environment from the
negative effects of global warming because it effects our economy (1), it will have a devastating effect on sea level rise  (2) and  it will cause more storms and weather extremes  in the near future (3). 

Topic sentence one: First of all, the effect of global warming will  have a huge negative impact on our economy.

Topic sentence two: Secondly, the melting of the polar icecaps causes a major sea level rise which is a dangerous  for our country.

Topic sentence three: What is more, weather extremes cause a lot of damage...

Now make a topic sentence for each of the supporting ideas.

Remember that these sentences should start with a linking phrase!

These sentences should include the topic and a clear link to the thesis statement.

Can your topic sentences be debatable (someone might be able to agree or disagree)?

1. Yes
2. No

Important:

It's important that your topic sentences are debatable. Someone should be ale to say 'yeah, I agree!' or 'no, I totally disagree with this'. That's the point of an essay - it's an opinion piece!

Use the PIE structure 

to structure the information you will use to support your topic sentence. 

For each paragraph, fill in the P, I, and the E

Use linking words to connect your ideas

End of lesson two: topic sentences & body paragraphs

Now write two body paragraphs for your essay.

Linking words/phrases

See Classroom for a complete overview

Lesson 3: Conclusion

the conclusion

• Restates en reinforces supporting evidence
  
• Restates the thesis statement
  
• Ends with prediction/ question / recommendation
• Your personal conclusion should include your opinion, but can also be objective. Do not name new arguments. 

the conclusion: an example

Topic: What are the causes of homelessness?

Passing by a homeless person is not uncommon, especially in urban settings. Homelessness can be caused by many factors, including job loss, lack of family support, and the diminishing availability of affordable housing. Although it is easy for some to think that homelessness is caused by mental problems or general laziness, there are other factors to consider. Only when the whole scope of the problem is known society can begin to come up with a comprehensive solution.

the conclusion: an example

Topic: What is the main cause of global warming?

Finally, most scientists agree that global warming is due to the rapid rise of greenhouse gases since the Industrial Revolution. While some may argue that factory farms are the main cause of global warming and others may say it is modern society’s transportation methods, the main cause is clear: mankind.

Lesson four: the essay in general

In this final lesson, you will learn how to structure your essay. You will also look at some do's and don'ts and you will make a writing plan for your essay.

What do you think should be the structure of your essay?

Structure

Title 

- blank line

Introduction - you introduce the topic  and explain in short what it is about. You try to link your explanation to your thesis statement. This means that, if your thesis statement is mostly about 'love', your short description should focus on that.

- blank line

Body paragraph 1 - PIE topic sentence 1 + support and explanation

- blank line

Body paragraph 2 - PIE topic sentence 2 + support and explanation

- blank line

Conclusion - a short summary of the information you have given

How many paragraphs should you use for the essay, you think?

1. There is no limit
2. Less than 3
3. 3 or 4
4. 5

Which tips are you taking on board from the video?

Make your writing plan for the essay

Use the structure you wrote down in the previous assignment.

Remember: a writing plan is there to help you structure your final work! Tip: include the PIE structure in your writing plan for the body paragraphs 

End of lesson four. Goals for this series:

You now know what thesis statements are

You now know what topic sentences are

You now know what structure your essay should use

You now have a writing plan for your essay

Final assignment

Type your essay 

Use a maximum of .... words

Include your name and the word count

Hand in your essay in Google Classroom

Remember the lay-out, structure and useful tips!

Language and writing style

Don't:

- Don't use abbreviations (etc. = etcetera, vs. = versus)

- Don't use contractions (don't = do not, won't = will not, 
   I'm = I am, can't = cannot, it's = it is, we'd = we had / we would)

- Don't switch between tenses too often. Try to stick mostly to 
   either the present or the past tense.

Do:

- Do: add as many linking words as possibe
   (moreover, however, in addition, furthermore, firstly, secondly)

- Do: use linking words such as "However" and "Moreover" at 
   the beginning of your sentences, and "but" / "and" in the 
   middle of them. 

Most importantly...

- Reread your essay! 
- Check your grammar!

- Check your spelling!
- Add some linking words / nicer vocabulary!

I often see too many mistakes that you could have seen yourself, because people want to quickly hand it in and leave. 

Common Grammar Mistakes

- Their (their house), They're (they are), There (there is no water)
- We're (we are), where (where were you?)
- Than (= vergelijkingen, bigger than), then (= toen/daarna)
- Witch (= heks), which (= welke), wich (= x)

- Noun vs. Verb: Effect (= een effect), affect (= beïnvloeden)
- Plural: child/children    "New York and London are (not is)"

Common Spelling Mistakes

- Capital letters: i > I , new york > New York   

- Verb instead of the noun: live = life , believe = belief  
- Missing letters: interpet = interpret , suprise = surprise 
- Added letters: aible = able , neccessary = necessary 

- Mixed up letters: maby = maybe , definetely = definitely 

When unsure, look it up! Especially if you have time left! 

Vocabulary

- Think about words with similar meanings, even for simple
    words: "he says" > claims, argues, believes, states

- Think of alternatives for words you would like to use more than once (use your dictionary or www.thesaurus.com)
   boos > woedend, kwaad, gefrustreerd, vol haat, ...
   angry > furious, infuriated, frustrated, resentful, upset, enraged

For more examples, 
check the vocabulary 
wheel in your reader
(under Essay Writing 3)

Linking Words

- Shows how your arguments / paragraphs are connected
- "Moreover, On the contrary, Nevertheless, Additionally"
- Check the list in your reader, also for other useful phrases

- Personal opinion: "In my view, To my mind, I believe that, ..."
- Concluding: "Finally, All in all, On the whole, In conclusion, ..."
- Etc.