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Effective Essay WritingCenter for Academic Student Achievement& Academic Insight Mentors

Two EssaysIn-Class Essay

Out-of-Class Essay

In-Class Essay

IDENTIFY TOPICProfessor

Answer the question

Identify/defend your opinionDEVELOPING A STRONG THESISThesis: tell what your paper is about - Be direct and to the point; avoid Fluff.

My position is __________ because X,Y,Z

STRUCTURE/OUTLINEWrite your argument.What are the main points you want to hit?What is the flow of your argument?Are there anyExamples

WRITE How point relates to thesisPOINT ONE leads to POINT TWO which leads to POINT THREE therefore THESIS is true!

In class essay- USUALLY only need one good sentence for each.INTRODUCTION / CONCLUSION READAlways re-read the entire essay once you finish!

Look over the rubric and make sure you address everything the instructor wants.

STRATEGIESTalk to seminar, SI leaders, ProfessorsJot down thoughts: quick outlineBe direct when you answer the questionRe-write the question in your answer- even if you dont know the answer, at least attempt it.

MORE STRATEGIESUse any pertinent vocabulary words and define them; it shows your professor you know what you are talking about. If you are running out of time, outline the rest of the essay.Keep track of your time- prioritize.

Out of Class Essay

IDENTIFY TOPICSyllabus/Professor

Preliminary Research

Identify the topic

Identify/defend your opinion

STRUCTURE / OUTLINEResearch about the topicWrite your argumentWhat are the main pointsAre there anyExamplesQuotesResearch/statistics

DEVELOPING A STRONG THESIS-Remember- Thesis tell what your paper is about- Be direct and to the point; avoid fluff.

THESIS = MAIN IDEA

An Introduction should include: The main idea or general issue of your paper: what is the assignment asking you to do?

Relevant context: what back ground info. Does your reader need to know in order to understand your general idea

A clear thesis: what are you claiming/arguing/asserting?An Conclusion should include: Summarizing the Main Idea: It is important to summarize the main idea or ideas in your paper. Also include a summary statement, which is essentially a restatement of your thesis

So What? : The most important question that your conclusion paragraph must ask is So what? Whats the purpose of writing this paper? Why should the reader care about what youve written?

PROVING YOUR POINTAnticipate & Address Objections; find the other side of the argument.This can be done even in informative type of essays, by proving each issue to be more significant than other issues.Organization is also a great way to prove your point, using your strongest points for the beginning and end.

READAlways re-read the entire essay once you finish!

Have someone else read over it.

REVISIONBe focused, and prioritize ideas. Global Vs. Local, meaning; making sure you are arguing all your ideas, and is all organized; and local meaning, that your grammar, punctuation, etc, is correct.Make sure the paper is in the proper font/format.DO NOT TRUST SPELL CHECK!!!!

STRATEGIESDont procrastinate. You want to have enough time to have other people look over your work.Read your paper backwards - start from the end.Finish your paper at least a day early so you can put it away and come back to it.Move from writer to reader

ONLINE CITATION MACHINESIt is ok to use these resources!!!!!It is a great way to make sure your bibliography is in the correct format!http://www.citationmachine.net/

Helpful Site- http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

GET HELP!Your ProfessorWRITING CENTER!!!!!!!!!

TURN IT IN

GOOD LUCK