Language Arts Lesson 6
Writing Strategies: Organization and Focus (Grades 9-12)

Instruction 6-1

Controlling Impression, Coherent Thesis (Grades 9-10) | Active Verb Usage (Grades 9-10) | Elements of Discourse (Grades 11-12) | Reaching Rhetorical and Aesthetic Purposes (Grades 11-12) | Structuring Ideas and Arguments (Grades 11-12) | How to Use Rhetorical Devices (Grades 11-12) | Natural, Fresh, and Vivid Language Usage (Grades 11-12) | Summary

CONTROLLING IMPRESSION, COHERENT THESIS (GRADES 9-10)

Writing an essay or any type of report can seem intimidating or scary. It doesn’t have to be! An essay is just several paragraphs that give your thoughts and opinions about a subject. In this lesson we’ll look at some techniques that will help you write strong, informative, interesting essays.

An essay is made up of an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The introduction usually contains the thesis statement. The thesis is the main idea of the essay. It is made up of one or more complete sentences that establish the theme of the essay in clear terms. A thesis is usually a sentence with a subject and opinion (also called commentary). The thesis is the reason that you are writing the essay, so make sure you choose something that you feel is very important!

The body is made up of one or more paragraphs that include details supporting the thesis statement. The conclusion draws the essay to a close. It often restates what has been said or suggests a different way of looking at it.

Let’s say you are writing an essay about the influence of the media on people’s political opinions. If you think the media tries to manipulate people, you would state this in the first paragraph of your essay. This would be your thesis statement.

You should include your thesis statement in the introduction, or first paragraph, of your essay. The introduction doesn’t need to be long. Try to grab your reader’s attention, and then present your thesis.

In the body of the essay, you would support your opinion of the media’s influence. Perhaps you’d quote some experts or list the results of studies showing how the media manipulates people into thinking certain ways. Think about the questions readers might have about your thesis and find ways to answer them. Think about arguments against your thesis. It’s your job to present convincing evidence and logic to support your opinion.

An essay is like listening to one side of a debate. Even if people don’t agree with your opinion, your arguments should be strong enough to make them rethink their own viewpoints.

After you have supported your thesis in the body of your essay, you will need to bring your essay to a logical or graceful end. The conclusion should reflect your thesis statement by summarizing main points. If your essay raises any new questions, try to bring them up in the conclusion.

Now that we’ve discussed the main elements of an essay, let’s talk about how to use them effectively. One of the most important steps to writing a good essay is prewriting. Prewriting is the process of getting your concrete details down on paper before you organize your essay into paragraphs.

First, you need to write your thesis statement. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but you should get your main idea down. You can always reword it later.

Next, you will need o do some research to support your thesis statement. You can use the library to find books, magazines, and other news sources pertaining to your topic. Don’t be afraid to ask the librarian to help you. You can also use the Internet to research your topic. Copy quotes down word for word, use quotation marks, and mention your sources. Make sure to spell names correctly. If you find scientific studies to support your thesis, write those down too.

It’s a good idea to use note cards for this phase of essay writing. Put one thought on each card. Write down the resource that you got it from.

After you are done researching, put your cards in the order that you think you want to present your arguments. Now it is time to write an outline. State your thesis first, and then organize your arguments underneath. Be sure to include both concrete details and commentary.

Concrete details are specific details that form the backbone or core of your body paragraphs. Concrete details include facts, specifics, examples, descriptions, illustrations, support, proof, evidence, quotations, paraphrasing, or plot references.+

Commentary is your opinion or comment about something; it is not concrete detail. Commentary includes opinion, insight, analysis, interpretation, inference, personal response, feelings, evaluation, explication, and reflection.

Now it’s time to write your first draft. Don’t worry about spelling and grammar as much as getting your thoughts down in a logical way. Try to write an attention-getting introduction, state your thesis clearly, present your arguments in the body, and sum up in the conclusion. Make sure that your tone and choice of words conveys your thesis throughout your essay.

After you’ve written your first draft, read it over. Get some opinions from people you trust—parents, teachers, or friends. Other opinions will help you see where you need to strengthen your arguments, and whether you need to reword something to make it clearer.

Now it’s time for the final draft! This time, make sure your spelling and grammar are correct. Use the feedback that you got to help you polish your essay.

These steps will help you to build and support a thesis for any type of report.

Links for Students, Parents and Teachers

Now let's do Practice Exercise 6-1 (top). Choose printer friendly or online exercises.

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