Activity #1
-Having a good thesis to start the essay
-Having good supporting details
-Write an outline to organize your thoughts
-Think of at least three pieces of evidence and supporting details
-Write a first draft and revise it
-Have someone read it and make corrections
-Write a final draft
Activity #2
Be knowledgeable about your content -For every piece of writing, some research should be done.
Read the directions / prompt / question carefully -If directions are misread the whole essay could be written wrong or with the wrong information.
Brainstorm & Outline -I think this helps me the most because it organizes my thoughts.
Have an appropriate title -Why is it important to have a title? Does it make the student gain more points?
Directly answer the question / respond to the prompt -It's important to simply answer the questions because it gives the student all the points they need to pass.
Use a strong, clear thesis statement -I think this is one of the most important things to do because it starts off the essay and if it isn't good enough, the reader won't want to continue reading and the student can get points marked off.
Prove your thesis statement throughout the essay -This is also important because the thesis should include what is being said throughout the essay and should be proven right or else the argument being displayed won't be believed.
Make sure your arguments are presented in an organized way -If not, the reader will eventually get tired of trying to read it, going through the mess the student wrote.
Include evidence/examples and analysis of them -
Include key terms, academic vocabulary, appropriate research/documents/sources -This shows the reader that the student has done their research and knows what they are talking about using proper vocabulary.
Provide context
Acknowledge other POVs / opposing arguments (and disprove them, if possible) -This makes the student's argument more believable.
Use correct grammar and spelling -This helps the reader take the student more seriously.
Make sure the paragraphs and sentences flow together, that it’s a smooth read -If it isn't a smooth read, the reader won't really want to try and figure out what the student is trying to say because it is a waste of time
Finish with something profound -The ending should be a strong one because it's what the reader will mostly remember.
Proofread and revise*
The three key elements I highlighted are the most important because 1), the thesis starts off the essay and if it isn't a good one, the reader won't want to continue. The student must capture the reader with a strong hook and provide at least three topics about what they will be writing about with clear examples. Secondly, the evidence is very important because it backs up the argument trying to be proven. Without evidence, it is harder for the reader to believe what he student is trying to say. Lastly, proofreading and revising is very important becaus ewhile writing the essay, the student could make some mistakes that changes the whole meaning of the text so it's very important to check and see if there are any mistakes displayed by the student.
Activity #3
As a social studies essay writer, I would say that I'm not too bad, but not too good. Something I'm good at doing is finding evidence and backing up my argument. It's one of my favorite parts to prove that I'm right. I also write outlines really well so I use that to my advantage. I'm also good at starting off the essay with a good thesis statement, but I'm not too good at ending the essay with a concluding paragraph. I normally always proofread because there is always room for corrections. Something I'm not very good at is understanding certain things about history. I have to know the topic really well and study really hard before writing an essay on it.
Things I need to know:
-political, diplomatic, and military reasons for the United States victory in the Revolutionary war
-answer all parts of the prompt
-refer to the period 1775-1783
-make sure information is relevant
-create a good thesis (opener)
-provide analysis
-write clearly and organized
which parts of essay writing does the 8-9 essay incorporate? In other words, when you read the requirements for an 8-9 essay for this particular prompt, what are you reminded about excellent writing in general?
-Excellent writing should always be neatly written and easy to understand. It should make sense with what the prompt says and should answer all parts of the prompt. Excellent writing should always have a strong lead and even stronger ending so that the reader is really captured. All arguments should be backed up with relevant evidence and should be written clearly.
what are the main differences between an 8-9 essay and a 5-7 essay?
-The main differences are that in the 8-9 essays, only some evidence is provided when in the 8-9 essay there must be lots of evidence so that the argument is understood. Another difference is that the thesis in the 8-9 essay is much stronger, starting off the essay in a better way than the 5-7 essay.
Activity #5
-I would give this essay an 8-9. Althout it wasn't written very neatly, the author touched upon some great points and backed it up with relevant evidence. He/she explained thoroughly enough to make thetext very clear and understandable and answered all parts of the prompt. I just wish the thesis was a bit stronger and detailed so the beginning could be more capturing. I agree with the final evaluation because it was similar to what I had written. We both mentioned the need of a strongerthesis, but how good the argument was with the strong details provided.
Activity #6
(outline)
Thesis
First argument
1a) evidence
1b) evidence
Second argument
2a) evidence
2b) evidence
Third argument
3a) evidence
3b) evidence
Conclusion
Essay Structure 1) Title – always have a title that you have created -It should have to do with the essay and maybe even a phrase that is used in the essay
2) Intro Paragraph:
Introduce the topic with a general topic sentence.
Include a year or time frame. What if the time frame is unknown?
Provide context: explain key background and related info for the time period and topic.
Transition into a brief, general mention of the specific topic of the essay.
Provide a Thesis Statement that clearly responds to the essay question or topic. It should include the three main details of the essay
Make sure the sentences connect, that the paragraph flows.
3) Body Paragraphs:
Break the essay into specific subtopics (which should have been mentioned in your thesis statement)
Begin each body paragraph with a TOPIC SENTENCE that is basically a thesis statement for that paragraph’s subtopic Never begin with quotes!!!
Topic sentences should bridge the previous paragraph (may require only one word to make a bridge (e.g. “also”))
Follow general topic sentences with specific details, examples, evidence (from documents/research if applicable)
Include key terms, names, dates, events, and data (#s) This is important because if evidence is not given, the argument cannot be bcaked up
ANALYZE your evidence and examples - why are they important? what do they show? So what?!
PROVE YOUR THESIS throughout each paragraph *IMPORTANT* if the thesis isn't proven, the whole essay is a waste
4) Conclusion Paragraph:
Summarize some of the most important information from the essay.
Acknowledge opposing arguments (and refute, if possible).
Restate your thesis in different words. Still mention the three main topics
Explain why your topic is important in the big picture of history (so what?) and/or give a preview of what is or may be next to come...give your audience something strong to leave with. The ending should be just as strong as the beginning
Activity #7
When writing an essay I'm not a very good thesis writer. I'm very bad a beginning essays, but once I get into it, it's hard to stop. Sometimes I write way too much, putting in too many details that aren't needed. On the other hand, I'm very good at picking out the most important main ideas and getting evidence to back up my argument. I'm also a very good conclusion writer when I know what to talk about. Sometimes when I get stuck I go back and revise, which is another plus because I get a chance to check for mistakes.
Activity #8
-A thesis statement is a sentence or two that introduces the essay and includes the three main points with some detail in it. It's important because it's one of the first things the reader reads and starts off the whole essay.
what is the thesis statement used in that essay? What is your evaluation of that thesis statement? Thesis Statement used: A myriad of political, diplomatic, and military advantages all eventually produced a republican experiment that would shake the balance of power for centuries.
I think this thesis statement could be a bit stronger, and contain the three topics that are mentioned in the essay. It should also have a bit more detail about what the essay is going to talk about. Other than that, it was pretty good.
Activity #9
Thesis Statements
A thesis statement is an argument. It is a 1-2 sentence statement of the purpose of your essay: what will you be proving to the reader in the essay?
It should be toward the end of an introductory paragraph and include enough specifics that the reader has a general idea of the key points you will make to support your biggest claim.
Your thesis statement should likely be a compound sentence, including a preview of the major points you will make to support your big claim. So, instead of writing a simple thesis statement like "The end of World War II brought about major consequences" you should probably write something like "When World War II ended in 1945, the major consequences included the division of Germany, the start of the United Nations, and the beginning of the Cold War."
To write your thesis, ask yourself 4 questions:
a. What is my topic?
b. What argument am I prepared to make?
c. How can I state my argument as clearly and powerfully as possible?
d. Is my statement a direct answer to the question or response to the prompt or claim about the topic?
Compound Sentence: a sentence containing two or more clauses that are joined by conjuctions.
Activity #10 Prompt A: Choice 1 is better because it goes further into detail about why the colonists are winning the way, and it talks about the struggle they went through to gain victory. It also uses great academic vocabulary and answers the prompt completely and accurately.
Prompt B: Choice 1 is better than the second one because it responds directly to what the prompt says and it's accurate, but the second one doesn't have much detail and isn't really accurate. The first choice goes into more detail and explains this person's argument well enough so that the whole prompt is answered.
Prompt C: Choice 1 is better because it actually answers the prompt, while choice two goes way off topic. Choce one is also not the best, because it could go into more detail, but it is still better than number 2.
Activity #11
1- The best fast food restaurant running is Sonic. Their delicious hamburgers have people's mouths watering in seconds, and not to mention the super good prices. There is no other restaurant that could compare to Sonic.
2- No movie should ever have a sequel because the first one is always better than the rest. So much time and effort is put into the first movie because that's when all the characters are exposed and a plot is created. With a sequel, the story is just continues but it's usually not as good as the first one.
3- Immigrants should DEFFINETELY be allowed into the United states without speaking basic English. All humans should be treated equally, even if they are not all the same. America is the land of opportunities, and if not everyone is given that same opportunity, it would be completely unjust.
7- Malden High school is an excellent place to go to school because of its high-educated teachers who are always there to help, and becuase of the students who attend. Malden High is a place where the student body becomes a family and endures through several courses together, in which the teachers walk us through.
9- There are many reasons as to why teenagers drop out of school. Some may say it's because teenaers are lazy, others may say it's because they haven't come to their senses. I say it's because they think they aren't good enough. Although there are many different opinions on this topic, I think it is mostly because they convince themselves they aren't able to make it, and eventually give up.
Activity #12
There are many reasons as to why teenagers drop out of school. Some may say it's because teenaers are lazy, others may say it's because they haven't come to their senses. I say it's because they think they aren't good enough. Although there are many different opinions on this topic, I think it is mostly because they convince themselves they aren't able to make it, and eventually give up. They are usually troubled teens who have had a hard life, and just doesn't have a care in the world.
The reason people give up on something is because they think they aren't able to achieve their goal. When teens drop out of school, it could be that they don't think they are able to make it to the top. When they don't try hard enough, they fail and it brings the whole mood down and they eventually give it all up. What they don't understand is that there are so many people in school that can help them, and they aren't in it alone. If they had a little encouragement, maybe things would be different.
-Having a good thesis to start the essay
-Having good supporting details
-Write an outline to organize your thoughts
-Think of at least three pieces of evidence and supporting details
-Write a first draft and revise it
-Have someone read it and make corrections
-Write a final draft
Activity #2
The three key elements I highlighted are the most important because 1), the thesis starts off the essay and if it isn't a good one, the reader won't want to continue. The student must capture the reader with a strong hook and provide at least three topics about what they will be writing about with clear examples. Secondly, the evidence is very important because it backs up the argument trying to be proven. Without evidence, it is harder for the reader to believe what he student is trying to say. Lastly, proofreading and revising is very important becaus ewhile writing the essay, the student could make some mistakes that changes the whole meaning of the text so it's very important to check and see if there are any mistakes displayed by the student.
Activity #3
As a social studies essay writer, I would say that I'm not too bad, but not too good. Something I'm good at doing is finding evidence and backing up my argument. It's one of my favorite parts to prove that I'm right. I also write outlines really well so I use that to my advantage. I'm also good at starting off the essay with a good thesis statement, but I'm not too good at ending the essay with a concluding paragraph. I normally always proofread because there is always room for corrections. Something I'm not very good at is understanding certain things about history. I have to know the topic really well and study really hard before writing an essay on it.
Activity #4
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap10_us_history_q2.pdf
Things I need to know:
-political, diplomatic, and military reasons for the United States victory in the Revolutionary war
-answer all parts of the prompt
-refer to the period 1775-1783
-make sure information is relevant
-create a good thesis (opener)
-provide analysis
-write clearly and organized
which parts of essay writing does the 8-9 essay incorporate? In other words, when you read the requirements for an 8-9 essay for this particular prompt, what are you reminded about excellent writing in general?
-Excellent writing should always be neatly written and easy to understand. It should make sense with what the prompt says and should answer all parts of the prompt. Excellent writing should always have a strong lead and even stronger ending so that the reader is really captured. All arguments should be backed up with relevant evidence and should be written clearly.
what are the main differences between an 8-9 essay and a 5-7 essay?
-The main differences are that in the 8-9 essays, only some evidence is provided when in the 8-9 essay there must be lots of evidence so that the argument is understood. Another difference is that the thesis in the 8-9 essay is much stronger, starting off the essay in a better way than the 5-7 essay.
Activity #5
-I would give this essay an 8-9. Althout it wasn't written very neatly, the author touched upon some great points and backed it up with relevant evidence. He/she explained thoroughly enough to make thetext very clear and understandable and answered all parts of the prompt. I just wish the thesis was a bit stronger and detailed so the beginning could be more capturing.
I agree with the final evaluation because it was similar to what I had written. We both mentioned the need of a strongerthesis, but how good the argument was with the strong details provided.
Activity #6
(outline)
Thesis
First argument
Second argument
Third argument
Conclusion
Essay Structure
1) Title – always have a title that you have created
-It should have to do with the essay and maybe even a phrase that is used in the essay
2) Intro Paragraph:
3) Body Paragraphs:
4) Conclusion Paragraph:
Activity #7
When writing an essay I'm not a very good thesis writer. I'm very bad a beginning essays, but once I get into it, it's hard to stop. Sometimes I write way too much, putting in too many details that aren't needed. On the other hand, I'm very good at picking out the most important main ideas and getting evidence to back up my argument. I'm also a very good conclusion writer when I know what to talk about. Sometimes when I get stuck I go back and revise, which is another plus because I get a chance to check for mistakes.
Activity #8
-A thesis statement is a sentence or two that introduces the essay and includes the three main points with some detail in it. It's important because it's one of the first things the reader reads and starts off the whole essay.
what is the thesis statement used in that essay? What is your evaluation of that thesis statement?
Thesis Statement used: A myriad of political, diplomatic, and military advantages all eventually produced a republican experiment that would shake the balance of power for centuries.
I think this thesis statement could be a bit stronger, and contain the three topics that are mentioned in the essay. It should also have a bit more detail about what the essay is going to talk about. Other than that, it was pretty good.
Activity #9
Thesis Statements
- A thesis statement is an argument. It is a 1-2 sentence statement of the purpose of your essay: what will you be proving to the reader in the essay?
- It should be toward the end of an introductory paragraph and include enough specifics that the reader has a general idea of the key points you will make to support your biggest claim.
- Your thesis statement should likely be a compound sentence, including a preview of the major points you will make to support your big claim. So, instead of writing a simple thesis statement like "The end of World War II brought about major consequences" you should probably write something like "When World War II ended in 1945, the major consequences included the division of Germany, the start of the United Nations, and the beginning of the Cold War."
- To write your thesis, ask yourself 4 questions:
a. What is my topic?b. What argument am I prepared to make?
c. How can I state my argument as clearly and powerfully as possible?
d. Is my statement a direct answer to the question or response to the prompt or claim about the topic?
Compound Sentence: a sentence containing two or more clauses that are joined by conjuctions.
Activity #10
Prompt A: Choice 1 is better because it goes further into detail about why the colonists are winning the way, and it talks about the struggle they went through to gain victory. It also uses great academic vocabulary and answers the prompt completely and accurately.
Prompt B: Choice 1 is better than the second one because it responds directly to what the prompt says and it's accurate, but the second one doesn't have much detail and isn't really accurate. The first choice goes into more detail and explains this person's argument well enough so that the whole prompt is answered.
Prompt C: Choice 1 is better because it actually answers the prompt, while choice two goes way off topic. Choce one is also not the best, because it could go into more detail, but it is still better than number 2.
Activity #11
1- The best fast food restaurant running is Sonic. Their delicious hamburgers have people's mouths watering in seconds, and not to mention the super good prices. There is no other restaurant that could compare to Sonic.
2- No movie should ever have a sequel because the first one is always better than the rest. So much time and effort is put into the first movie because that's when all the characters are exposed and a plot is created. With a sequel, the story is just continues but it's usually not as good as the first one.
3- Immigrants should DEFFINETELY be allowed into the United states without speaking basic English. All humans should be treated equally, even if they are not all the same. America is the land of opportunities, and if not everyone is given that same opportunity, it would be completely unjust.
7- Malden High school is an excellent place to go to school because of its high-educated teachers who are always there to help, and becuase of the students who attend. Malden High is a place where the student body becomes a family and endures through several courses together, in which the teachers walk us through.
9- There are many reasons as to why teenagers drop out of school. Some may say it's because teenaers are lazy, others may say it's because they haven't come to their senses. I say it's because they think they aren't good enough. Although there are many different opinions on this topic, I think it is mostly because they convince themselves they aren't able to make it, and eventually give up.
Activity #12
There are many reasons as to why teenagers drop out of school. Some may say it's because teenaers are lazy, others may say it's because they haven't come to their senses. I say it's because they think they aren't good enough. Although there are many different opinions on this topic, I think it is mostly because they convince themselves they aren't able to make it, and eventually give up. They are usually troubled teens who have had a hard life, and just doesn't have a care in the world.
The reason people give up on something is because they think they aren't able to achieve their goal. When teens drop out of school, it could be that they don't think they are able to make it to the top. When they don't try hard enough, they fail and it brings the whole mood down and they eventually give it all up. What they don't understand is that there are so many people in school that can help them, and they aren't in it alone. If they had a little encouragement, maybe things would be different.