Summer Reading

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Summer Reading

• A Review of the Five-Paragraph Essay

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The Essay

• What makes an essay different from a paragraph or
  a short answer?
• An essay has a distinct (separate) introduction,
  body, and conclusion.
• Most of the essays that you will write in 8th
  grade will be five-paragraphs long.
• A five-paragraph essay has an introduction, three
  body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

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The Five-Paragraph Essay
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Thesis

• The heart of every five-paragraph essay is the
  thesis.
• The thesis of an essay is the essays argument
  the main idea of the essay plus the main idea of
  each of the body paragraphs.
• Therefore, the best way to begin a 5-paragraph
  essay is to begin with the thesis.

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Writing a Thesis

• Your thesis should always be the last sentence of
  your introduction.
• Make sure that your thesis answers the prompt!
• Your thesis should contain three separate ideas.
• Each idea should be broad enough that you can
  devote an entire body paragraph to elaborating
  and supporting it.
• Each separate idea in your thesis will become the
  main idea of one of your body paragraphs.

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Your thesis is always the last sentence in your
introduction and must contain three distinct
points
Introduction
Each thesis point becomes the main idea of a body
paragraph.
Body Paragraph 1
Body Paragraph 1
Body Paragraph 1
The first sentence of your conclusion is always a
restatement of your thesis.
Conclusion
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Your Summer Reading Prompt

• In most stories, the protagonists undergo a set
  of experiences that changes the way they look at
  themselves and the world around them. Therefore,
  examining how a protagonist changes is an
  effective way to begin literary analysis. Choose
  one of your two summer reading novels and write a
  well-organized and well-supported 5-paragraph
  essay that demonstrates how the protagonist
  changes.

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Your Summer Reading Prompt

• In most stories, the protagonists undergo a set
  of experiences that changes the way they look at
  themselves and the world around them. Therefore,
  examining how a protagonist changes is an
  effective way to begin literary analysis. Choose
  one of your two summer reading novels and write a
  well-organized and well-supported 5-paragraph
  essay that demonstrates how the protagonist
  changes.

Look for key terms and ideas in the prompt.
Here, you need to use the five-paragraph form and
specific details from the novel to demonstrate
how the protagonist is different from the
beginning of the novel to the end.
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A Sample Thesis

• Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an
  immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences
  throughout the novel transform her into a
  confident young woman.
• Notice that this thesis does the two important
  things
• It responds to the prompt in one sentence.
• It contains three distinct points.

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A Sample Thesis Examined
The first thesis point (and body paragraph) will
describe the protagonist at the beginning of the
story.

• Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an
  immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences
  throughout the novel transform her into a
  confident young woman.
• This type of thesis breaks the protagonists
  journey throughout the novel into three stages.
• The thesis points correspond to protagonist in
  the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

The second thesis point (and body paragraph) will
describe the protagonists changes during the
story.
The third thesis point (and body paragraph) will
describe the protagonist at the end of the story.
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Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an
immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences
throughout the novel transform her into a
confident young woman.
Thesis
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Although Kira
Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an
immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences
throughout the novel transform her into a
confident young woman.
begins as an immature and inexperienced girl
Thesis
her experiences transform her
into a confident young woman
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Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an
immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences
throughout the novel transform her into a
confident young woman.
Kira begins the novel as an immature and
inexperienced girl.
As she faces new challenges, Kira begins to
change.
Kira becomes a confident woman who understands
her role in the future of the village.
Kiras adventures in Gathering Blue change her
from a immature girl into a confident woman
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Other Methods

• Of course, there is more than one way to organize
  your ideas and more than one way to create a
  thesis statement!
• Whatever method you use, make sure that
• Your thesis answers the prompt directly.
• Your thesis contains three distinct points.
• The main idea of each body paragraph is one of
  your three thesis points.
• Your body paragraphs proceed in the same order as
  your thesis points.

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The Outline

• Once you have your thesis statement, the next
  step is the creation of an outline.
• An effective outline can help you make sure that
  your ideas flow that they are in a logical
  order.
• Use the Sample Five-Paragraph Outline on the
  Writing Resources Homepage to help you organize
  your thoughts.

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The Body Paragraph

• Remember, the main idea of each body paragraph
  should be one of your thesis points.
• The main idea should be the first sentence of
  each body paragraph.
• Each body paragraph should include three specific
  quotations from the novel.
• Make sure your introduce your quotations and
  explain their relevance!

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Body Paragraph Outline
Main Idea (Thesis Point)
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Notice that each body paragraph should include
three supporting ideas and three quotations from
the novel. Make sure to introduce and explain
the relevance of each quote!
Body Paragraph Outline
Main Idea (Thesis Point)
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Putting It All Together

• A 5-paragraph essay consists of three parts an
  introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
• The key to writing an effective essay is the
  creation of a thesis.
• The thesis statement is used to create the
  outline.
• Each body paragraph should include three specific
  supporting ideas and three quotations.
• Make sure to introduce and explain your
  quotations!