INDEPENDENT WRITING (The Essay Format) A BACKGROUND INFORMATION Independent Writing Directions The Independent Writing Task is based on Knowledge and Experience It is a 30 minute student generated e.
INDEPENDENT WRITING (The Essay Format) A BACKGROUND INFORMATION Independent Writing Directions The Independent Writing Task is based on Knowledge and Experience It is a 30minute student-generated essay, written in response to a given topic You will use 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise an essay in response to a question that asks you to state, explain, and support your opinion on an issue An effective essay will contain a minimum of 250 -300 words Your essay will be judged on the quality of your writing, including the development of your ideas, the organization of your essay, and the quality and accuracy of the language Use your time effectively Following is the suggested timeline for your writing: Planning minutes B THE ESSAY FORMAT Writing Revising 20 minutes minutes Introduction begins with overal view narrows into the thesis or BODY Paragraphs Each paragraph begins with a topic follows with supporting information and examples Conclusion Begins with a summary (restates ideas) follows with the final thought Example Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The invention of the Internet has had negative effects on your civilization Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion What is the topic asking you for? Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? This is telling you what kind of essay you are going to write To be specific, this agreement/disagreement essay type In general, there are types: - Agreement/Disagreement essay - Preference essay - Opinion essay - Detail essay The invention of the Internet has had negative effects on your civilization Read the topic carefully It’s NOT how YOU feel about the Internet, but whether the Internet has had a POSITIVE or NEGATIVE impact on SOCIETY Remember that it doesn’t matter which position you take; what matters is which position is easier for you to think of ideas for Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion Be careful not to get vague Brainstorming Once you have read and fully understood the question, the next step is to brainstorm While there are a number of different brainstorming methods, you will be constrained by time Thus, the simplest method is to choose a side and generate as many ideas as you can shopping can communicate more easily Save time games DISAGREE share information I INTRODUCTION The introduction is obviously the first thing the reader will see, so it is important to start off strongly Too often, students will treat the introduction as something necessary, but not terribly important Introductions that are hastily written and poorly organized will end up hurting the overall development of your essay Begins with an overview Introduction Narrowse into the thesis thesis Overview/General statements: either introduce the topic or give background information on the topic Thesis statement: introduce the specific topic and the main points (subtopics) that are going to be discussed and supported in the body paragraphs Take a look at the prompt and the brainstorming above The three strongest ideas are: communicate more easily, save money, and save time Each idea will form one of the three body paragraphs that will make up the middle of the essay The thesis is composed of two main points: the topic and the controlling ideas Topic + controlling ideas = thesis For example: I feel that the Internet is positive for society since the Internet enables us to communicate more easily, save time, and save money topic controlling idea The thesis needs to accomplish two things: - Let the reader know the writer’s position Let the reader know the organization of the body PRACTICE 1: Write thesis statements for the following topics: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Eating a balanced diet is the most important factor for a healthy life Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer _ _ _ _ _ Some people say that computers have made life easier and more convenient Other people say that computers have made life more complex and stressful What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer _ _ _ _ _ Some people prefer to spend most of their time alone Others like to be with friends most of the time Do you prefer to spend your time alone or with friends? Use specific reasons to support your answer _ _ _ _ _ Some people prefer to live in a small town Others prefer to live in a big city Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer _ _ _ _ _ Some people like to travel with a companion Other people prefer to travel alone Which you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice _ _ _ _ _ How movies or television influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer _ _ _ _ _ PRACTICE Once you have prepared the thesis, you can add the general statements in order to make the complete introduction Take the topics above and try to expand them, then write out your own introductions For example: People have always been worried about the impact when new technology is introduced For instance, business people are worried General statement about profits since a new technology can make their company obsolete Yet, progress itself is not negative The positive or negative impact of technology results from how it is used One recent development in technology, the Internet, has both positive and negative potential However, overall, I feel that the Internet is Thesis statement positive for society since it enables us to communicate more easily, save time, and save money Students are required to choose one or several of the above topics in order to practice writing the introduction II BODY PARAGRAPHS Structure Body Paragraphs 1st Body Paragraph Begins with a topic & follows with supporting information and examples 2nd Body Paragraph Begins with a topic & follows with supporting information and examples 3rd Body Paragraph Begins with a topic & follows with supporting information and examples Each body paragraph will have the same basic format The topic sentence is the broadest idea of the paragraph Like a thesis, it defines and limits what will be discussed, except that the topic sentence limits just paragraph Following the topic sentence should be supporting sentences and then a couple of sentence giving specific examples EX: The following is the model body paragraph for the topic: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The invention of the Internet has had negative effects on your civilization Use specific reasons Thesis statement: I feel that the Internet is positive for society since it enables us to communicate more easily, save time, and save money One way that the Internet benefits society is that people can communicate much more easily This is because email and instant messaging have changed the way that people communicate with each other I spent a month studying English in America Even though I went by myself, I wasn’t homesick at all I was able to send emails every day to my family and friends, and I could include pictures of my trip In addition, when I used instant messaging, I could aslo see my family as I talked with them, which is much better than just talking over the phone Topic sentence Supporting sentence Specific Example PRACTICE 1: Write the other two paragraphs of the above topic The topic sentences are done for you Thesis statement: I feel that the Internet is positive for society since it enables us to communicate more easily, save time, and save money Another reason is that the Internet saves people time _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Thesis statement: I feel that the Internet is positive for society since it enables us to communicate more easily, save time, and save money The final reason is that the Internet saves people money _ _ _ _ _ _ PRACTICE 2: Write one body paragraph for each of the following topics Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Eating a balanced diet is the most important factor for a healthy life Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer Some people say that computers have made life easier and more convenient Other people say that computers have made life more complex and stressful What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer Some people prefer to spend most of their time alone Others like to be with friends most of the time Do you prefer to spend your time alone or with friends? Use specific reasons to support your answer Some people prefer to live in a small town Others prefer to live in a big city Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer Some people like to travel with a companion Other people prefer to travel alone Which you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice How movies or television influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer III CONCLUSION The conclusion should begin with a signal (In conclusion, All in all, To summarize,…) Following the signal, the summary of the main points will be written in a different way from the thesis statement (paraphrasing) At the end, the final thought showing the writer’s recommendation, suggestion, or prediction is included to wrap the essay up The following is the model conclusion for the topic: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? The invention of the Internet has had negative effects on your civilization Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion For these reasons, I believe that society has been helped by the invention of the Internet Summary As the Internet spreads and becomes more common, its importance to people’s lives cannot be overstated But the Internet is not a right, and not all people are able to access the Internet Thus, the gulf between the rich and the poor will continue to expand unless 10 Final thought people make the conscious effort to ensure that technology and education are made available for all people PRACTICE: Write out your own conclusions for the following topics Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Eating a balanced diet is the most important factor for a healthy life Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer Some people say that computers have made life easier and more convenient Other people say that computers have made life more complex and stressful What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer Some people prefer to spend most of their time alone Others like to be with friends most of the time Do you prefer to spend your time alone or with friends? Use specific reasons to support your answer Some people prefer to live in a small town Others prefer to live in a big city Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and details to support your answer 11 Some people like to travel with a companion Other people prefer to travel alone Which you prefer? Use specific reasons and examples to support your choice How movies or television influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer 12 ... save money Students are required to choose one or several of the above topics in order to practice writing the introduction ... Paragraphs 1st Body Paragraph Begins with a topic & follows with supporting information and examples 2nd Body Paragraph Begins with a topic & follows with supporting information and examples 3rd Body... _ _ _ PRACTICE 2: Write one body paragraph for each of the following topics Do you agree or disagree with the following