Personal Essay

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Personal Essay
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Introduction
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Hook

• Catches the readers attention and makes them want
  to keep reading
• Question
• Quote that needs no explanation
• Anecdote
• Statement

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Example Hook

• What does the average American dream for?

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Tag/Background Information

• Title, Author, Genre
• For an essay with multiple texts you do not need
  to include this but the idea of the American
  Dream was coined by a person so we can use this
  as a tag
• Background Information
• Information that will help the reader understand
  the context of the essay (location, age, time
  period, relevance, important words that may be
  misinterpreted, etc.)

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Example Tag

• The term the American Dream was coined by James
  Truslow Adams in 1931 and was originally defined
  as a land in which life should be better and
  richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity
  for each according to ability or achievement

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Thesis Statement

• The central purpose/argument of your essay. It
  typically has a subject, an argument and
  evidence. Sometimes the thesis will only have a
  subject and an argument and the evidence is
  explored in the body of the essay.

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Thesis Statement Example

• The American Dream is the hope to achieve more
  than the last generation, the right to equality
  and ones ability to have control over their
  life. It is illustrated in literature and media
  by questioning injustice and presenting new ideas.

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• What does the average American dream for? For
  each American this may differ but there are
  components that remain the same among time period
  and class. The term the American Dream was coined
  by James Truslow Adams in 1931 and was original
  defined as a land in which life should be better
  and richer and fuller for everyone, with
  opportunity for each according to ability or
  achievement The American Dream is the hope to
  achieve more than the last generation, the right
  to equality and ones ability to have control
  over their life. It is illustrated in literature
  and media by questioning injustice and presenting
  new ideas.

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Lets try one together

• What rights should students have in school?
• Brainstorm a list of possible writes

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Try one on your own

• Should students be required to wear school
  uniforms?
• The question why is implied because you couldnt
  write an entire essay on the word yes or no.
• Remember
• to brainstorm pros/cons
• start with a hook
• give background information
• write a thesis that has all three parts

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Body
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Thesis Map

• Before you can write the body of your essay you
  need a thesis statement. Your thesis will map out
  your essay.
• The American Dream is the hope to achieve more
  than the last generation, the right to equality
  and ones ability to have control over their
  life.

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Paragraph Format

• Topic Sentence (TS)
• Evidence
• Explanation (also know as analysis)
• Evidence
• Explanation
• This layering may go on if you have more evidence
  that supports the topic of this paragraph
• Concluding or Transition Sentence (CS)

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Terminology Used in Writing Essays

• Topic sentence (TS)
• Evidence (EV)
• Explanation (EX)
• Concluding sentence (CS)

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Topic Sentence (TS)

• Is NOT a FACT
• Must present an informed opinion
• An opinion that can be supported by facts from
  the text
• Ask yourself Could someone logically argue
  against it?
• Yesgood TS
• No rewrite TS

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Sample TS

• Part of the American Dream is having the hope to
  achieve more than the last generation.
• Could someone logically argue against it?
• Yes
• You do not need hope to work hard
• Doing the same as the last generation is fine

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Sample TS

• Part of the American Dream is having the hope to
  achieve more than the last generation.
• Is this a fact from the text?
• No, but I can support it with facts.

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Practice- TS

• Using your self-practice introduction, write a
  topic sentence for each of the ideas in your
  thesis.

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Evidence (EV)

• Ideas from a story, discussion or your life
• Fact from text
• Paraphrase from text
• Summary from text

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Sample EV

• TS Part of the American Dream is having the
  hope to achieve more than the last generation.
• What fact/action from the text supports this?
• CD In Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America
  he illustrates hope for a better tomorrow,
  Tomorrow,/ Ill be at the table/ when company
  comes (8-10).

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Why is this evidence?

• EV In Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America
  he illustrates hope for a better tomorrow,
  Tomorrow,/ Ill be at the table/ when company
  comes (8-10).
• Action/fact from the text

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Practice- EV

• Make sure to use quotations and place the
  period after the (parenthesis).
• Example In Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing
  America he illustrates hope for a better
  tomorrow, Tomorrow,/ Ill be at the table/ when
  company comes (8-10).

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Where are we now?

• TS Part of the American Dream is having the
  hope to achieve more than the last generation.
• EV In Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America
  he illustrates hope for a better tomorrow,
  Tomorrow,/ Ill be at the table/ when company
  comes (8-10).
• How many explanation sentences do I need?
• As many as it takes to explain your evidence and
  show how the evidence supports your topic
  sentence/thesis

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Explanation (EX)

• Thoughts from your head regarding EV
• The so what? why? or how
• Analysis
• Interpretation

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Sample EX

• EV In Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America
  he illustrates hope for a better tomorrow,
  Tomorrow,/ Ill be at the table/ when company
  comes (8-10).
• EX This illustrates the importance of hope
  because without it Hughes would have given up.

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Why is this a EV?

• EV This illustrates the importance of hope
  because without it Hughes would have given up.
• Has commentary words (importance determination)
• Its your interpretation of what the quote means
  or shows about the American Dream.

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Practice- EX

• Write your first Commentary Sentence
• Sentence starters
• This shows
• This point illustrates
• Hughes highlights

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Sample of Second EX

• Ex This demonstrates the importance of hope
  because without it Hughes would have given up.
• Why is this part of the American Dream?
• How is it illustrated in the text?
• EX2 Hope is part of the American Dream because
  it is what drives Americans to keep working hard.
• Ex3 Hughes illustrates this value by giving a
  personal example of what he hopes for.

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Why is this a EX?

• Exs Hope is part of the American Dream because
  it is what drives Americans to keep working hard.
  Hughes illustrates this value by giving a
  personal example of what he hopes for.
• Commentary words
• More interpretation of what text means/shows

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Practice- EX

• Sentence Starters
• _____ is part of the American Dream because
• _______ illustrates this value by
• ________ demonstrates this value by
• ________ confirms this value by

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Looks good, but whats missing?

• Part of the American Dream is having the hope
  to achieve more than the last generation. In
  Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America he
  illustrates hope for a better tomorrow,
  Tomorrow,/ Ill be at the table/ when company
  comes (8-10). This illustrates the importance of
  hope because without it Hughes would have given
  up. Hope is part of the American Dream because it
  is what drives Americans to keep working hard.
  Hughes demonstrates this value by giving a
  personal example of what he hopes for.

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What is a CS?

• Do not REPEAT the TS
• No evidence
• All commentary
• Transitions into your next point.

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Sample CS

• The hope for more than the last generation often
  reveals the lack of equality in America.
• All commentary
• No evidence
• Refers to TS without repeating the vocabulary
• Transitions to next idea

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Practice

• Write concluding sentence

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• Part of the American Dream is having the hope
  to achieve more than the last generation. In
  Langston Hughes poem I, Too, Sing America he
  illustrates hope for a better tomorrow,
  Tomorrow,/ Ill be at the table/ when company
  comes (8-10). This quote shows the importance of
  hope because without it Hughes would have given
  up. Hope is part of the American Dream because it
  is what drives Americans to work hard. Hughes
  illustrates this value by giving a personal
  example of what he hopes for. The hope for more
  than the last generation often reveals the lack
  of equality in America.

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Conclusion
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Lasting impression

• Make a statement that does not introduce new
  ideas but makes the reader think about the point
  of your thesis

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Try one of the following

• Include a brief summary of the paper's main
  points.
• Ask a provocative question.
• Use a quotation.
• Evoke a vivid image.
• Call for some sort of action.
• End with a warning.
• Universalize (compare to other situations).
• Suggest results or consequences.

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Have some freedom

• Restate the purpose of your thesis
• Summarize/wrap up your argument
• Make sure
• You do not introduce any new information
• You have at least 4 sentences