ELA 20: Sept 11 Thesis writing…
- We reviewed today some of the possible topics for their reflective essay. Some students were still a little unsure, believing that they just had to write about memories of their childhood and how they know different things as adults, like that it wasn’t a ghost they heard but a skunk instead. We’re looking more for a belief you had as a child that has changed as an adult; some sort of new realization of something in your past and only now do you recognize it’s impact on your life or the value of the experience.
Examples former students used were memories of being held back in elementary school and how they have always felt insecure about school as a result of that. Another could be the memory of being bullied in elementary or middle school and coming to the self-realization that you yourself have been a bully to some. One girl got very personal and wrote about how she felt less valuable than other people she knew and didn’t feel like she got enough attention at home so she decided to start “cutting”, a self-mutilation act where people physically cause to themselves the emotional pain they may feel inside. Students don’t have to come up with anything as personal as any of these examples, but in these examples students found new realization or value in past experiences. That is the purpose of this assignment and it is one, I hope with all sincerity, that these students can find personal enjoyment and enlightenment from. Plus they get a mark. lol
- Once we had corrected the direction some of the essay topics were going, we focused on the formulation of a good Thesis statement for their essay outline. We reviewed the main parts of an essay, as far as organization goes.
- Opening sentence: meant to catch the reader’s attention and maintain it.
- Thesis statement: must contain the three topics your essay will address, in the order they will be discussed. (We also talked about how you must order your three topics from the least valuable topic to the most. The emphasis at the end, hopefully, leads the reader to a really strong climax near the end of the essay.)
- Transition sentence: is not always necessary but, if done properly, shows maturity in your writing and control. This sentence is meant to smoothly transition from the thesis into the first topic paragraph.
- Topic sentences belong at the beginning of the first, second, and third body paragraphs. You want to make a statement that again catches the reader but, of foremost importance, your sentence must contain the topic of that paragraph.
- Closing statement: is your thesis statement reworded. You can list your three topics again, in the same order they were presented, or you can use one general sentence to nicely round your discussion of the topics off. It must bring the focus of the entire essay back to the reader’s mind.
- Students spent the majority of the class working on rough draft writing and consulting with peers. This was the second of three writing periods they will use of class time. The essay will be due this coming Friday, typed.