PROCESS ESSAY

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PROCESSESSAY
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YOU, YOU, YOU

• This is the only essay in which you are directly
  addressing the reader, so get all the yous out
  of your system now.
• you, you, you, you, you
• you are
• NOT youre
• your is allowed

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INTRODUCTIONSCENARIO

• SCENARIO
• Create a context for this process
• What situation would dictate the reader needing
  to know how to perform this task?
• Why should the reader know how to do this
  activity?
• purpose answer the so what?! factor

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INTRODUCTIONOVERVIEW OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS

• OVERVIEW
• Now that you have gained our interest and
• created a need by virtue of the scenario, now
  tell
• us exactly what we are in for
• How many steps?
• What is the difficulty level?
• How long should it take?
• Divide into recognizable parts
• Describe the result (sense details After
  following my easy, 5-step process, you will have
  created a warm, nutritious meal.)

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INTRODUCTIONPURPOSE STATEMENT

• PURPOSE STATEMENT
• like a thesis statement
• what will concern why readers should do
• Combine overview with your purpose to get a
  thesis statement
• purpose answer the so what?! factor

In six easy steps that should take you ten
minutes, you can create a fast yet nutritious
meal for yourself.
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INTRODUCTION EXAMPLES

• EXAMPLES OF CREATING A SCENARIO INTRODUCING
  THE TOPIC
• 1) Have you ever been driving home late at night
  on a dark, deserted road and..
• 2) Girls, are you tired of being seen as only sex
  objects? OR Feminism is dead, and women are
  now, more than ever, seen as simply sex objects.
  Well, girls, if that is how they are going to
  treat us, then we should use it to our advantage.
  One of the best instances to use, as Mama always
  said, the gifts th Good Lord gave ya is when
  you are pulled over by a police officer for a
  moving violation. I have three simple steps for
  getting out of a speeding ticket.
• BODYs 1st sentence The first step in changing
  a tire is to.

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BODY

• STEP-BY-STEP
• assume nothing
• presume your audienceNOVICES
• reader knows nothing about your topic
• reader has never performed this task before
• DIRECTIVE (how-to, technical writing)
• vs/
• INFORMATIVE (close to narrative)

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BODY

• THIS IS AN ESSAY, SO
• NO LISTS
• NO RECIPES (keep in essay format)
• do not forget the ARTICLES (a, an, the)
• do not forget the INTRODUCTION CONCLUSION
  paragraphs

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BODY

• COHERENCE
• CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
• TRANSITIONS
• first, then, next,
• First, get the. AND Next, use the (vs.)
  The first step is to AND The next task
  involves
• SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS
• after, before

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BODY

• DETAILS
• STEP 1 gather all materials 1st (items should
  NOT just magically appear in the middle of the
  process)
• HOW EXACTLY (dont skip over steps the devil
  is in the details)
• use DESCRIPTIVE DETAILS
• since this is not necessarily a 5-paragraph
  essay, group steps into related PHASES/STAGES

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BODY

• FLAVOR
• make PERSONAL SUGGESTIONS or PREFERENCES (if no
  specific brand/flavor is required) (i.e., amount
  of salt)
• make TIPS (better use a pot holder)
• give SPECIFIC INSTANCE if it depends
• briefly explain the REASON for a step if it is
  not obvious (do this to prevent a mess)

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BODY

• GRAMMAR
• spell INGREDIENTS correctly
• no THINGS (steps, tasks) (items, utensils)
• 350 degrees (not the symbol for degrees)
• medium-sized pan (hyphen, -ed)
• THENnot a conjunction (use , and then)
• COMMAS (Introductory subordinate clause,)
  (between two I.C. joined by a C.C.)
• COLONS (First, gather the following ingredients
  milk, sugar, and flour.)

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CONCLUSION

• CONSIDER THE PROCESS AS A WHOLE
• repeat/reference the PURPOSE of your process (why
  did you tell us how to do this)
• describe the FINISHED PRODUCT (smells, taste,
  sight, feel, sound)
• total TIME of the process
• CLINCHER SENTENCE

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LITMUS TEST

• CAN THE READER DO IT?

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TOPICS

• HOW TO
• SCHOOL
• Take Notes
• Study
• Prepare for a Test
• Prepare for a Job Interview
• Create a RÉSUMÉ
• Deal with Stress (in a healthy manner)
• Deal with a Death in the Family

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TOPICS

• HOW TO
• KIDS brush teeth, tie shoe laces, tie a tie
• FOOD make lasagna, spaghetti, German apple
  cake, cheeseburger, grilled cheese, PBJ,
  home-made Easter candy, dye Easter eggs, Jell-O
  shapes
• SPORTS play football (be specific block, pass,
  punt, tackle) shoot foul shot, jump serve in
  volleyball, swim (specific stroke or dive)

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TOPICS

• PAMPER give yourself a pedicure, make Janes
  special bubble bath
• CAR change a tire, change brakes, change oil,
  change wiper blades, pump gas, drive
  standard/manual transmission (stick shift), buy
  used car/the perfect car for you
• JOB waitress/server, nurses aide, transfer
  patient, install carpet, customer service

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TOPICS

• HAIR wash, perm, color, treat, highlight
• CLEAN wash hair, clothes, car, dog clean
  hamster cage
• OTHERS plan a vacation, plant a garden, ice
  fish, follow the traditions of Islamic ablution,
  convert to Judaism

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FINAL HINTS

• REMEMBER, this is an essay and not a recipe, SO
• essay format, no lists (does NOT look like a
  recipe card)
• when gathering supplies, write as items in a
  series (not as a list, not as a recipe card)
• After doing that step, you will need to gather
  the following materials x, y, and z. (notice
  the colon after the following do not use a
  colon after a Linking Verb)

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PREWRITING

• LISTS
• 3 tasks done at work each time
• 3 foods you like to make
• 3 technical/electrical/mechanical skills you have
• 3 chores done weekly

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PREWRITING

• 2) STEPS
• brainstorm
• list every step in the process
• list related sense details

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PREWRITING

• 3) BEFORE YOU WRITE
• do the process yourself
• details are then fresh in your mind you will
  not skip any steps
• plus, suggestions make themselves apparent

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HOW TO MAKE MACARONI CHEESE

• STEP
• 1

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STEP 2
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STEP 3
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STEP 4
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STEP 5
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STEP 6
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STEP 7
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CONCLUSION
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OTHER PROCESSES
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OTHER PROCESSES