The Writing Process Steps in Writing an Essay Revising and Writing the Editing first draftPre-Writing Planning and Final Draft! Organizing
Introduction What is the writing process ? Writing an essay takes time. That’s why writing is oftenreferred to as a process. In other words, there are severalsteps to go through before you have a complete essay readyto turn in for a grade. In this lesson we will talk about thosesteps. They are: Pre-Writing Organizing Writing the First Draft Revising and Editing Final Copy
Pre-Writing Step One Pre-writing literally means, “before writing.” Before youactually begin writing your essay, you will need to do thefollowing things: choose a topic to write on brainstorm or generate ideas for your topic focus in on central ideas
Organizing Step Two Making an outline can help you organize what you want towrite. This is a rough plan for your essay and can help makethe process of writing much easier. Essay Outline I. Introduction Thesis: _____________________ II. Body 1. Topic Sentence: _____________ - supporting idea - supporting idea 2. Topic Sentence: ____________ - supporting idea - supporting idea 3. Topic Sentence: ____________ - supporting idea - supporting idea III. Conclusion
Writing the First Draft Step Three After getting ideas and making an outline of your essay,it is time to start writing the essay. When you begin writingyour rough draft, try to remember the following guidelines. Don’t worry about writing the ‘perfect’ paper the first time. Your goal in writing a rough draft is to develop and support the ideas listed in your outline. Don’t focus on spelling and grammar as you write your rough draft. You can check this later in the writing process.
Revising and Editing Step Four After you write your first draft, go back over it and look for ways to improve your essay. Revision Editing Spelling, Content and Grammar, Organization Punctuation, etc.
The Final Copy Step Five The last step is turning in your essay to be graded. Lookat the guidelines below for turning in the final draft of youressay. word-processed all new paragraphs indented five spaces 8 ½ by 11 inch white paper double spaced, size 12 font one inch margins on all sides
Pre-WritingHow do you organize your ideas when youare preparing to write? • Brainstorming • Asking Questions • Discussing • Outlining • Free Writing • Charting • Concept mapping • Timeline
Homework (1 whole sheet) How does your school life influence your future? What is the importance of the school to your life? Why do you need to go to school? Why do you go to school?
Creating Your Title• Your essay’s title should: – Be original – Be a reasonable length – Reflect your topic – Be lively and attention-getting• Your title should NOT: – Be generic/repeat the assignment – Be in ALL CAPS – Be in boldface, “quotation marks,” underlined, or italicized – Be followed by a period
Write Your Introduction• Your introductory paragraph should do the following: – Be a minimum of 4-6 sentences – Move from general to specific, with the thesis as the last sentence in the intro – Get the reader’s attention – Set the tone for the rest of the essay• Strategies for developing an Introduction include – Providing background information – Telling a personal anecdote – Beginning with a quotation – Using an opposite – Asking a question
Thesis Statement• The thesis statement expresses the MAIN IDEA of your essay, the central point that your essay develops/supports.• Your thesis SHOULD: – Accurately predict your essay’s direction, emphasis, and scope – Make no promises that the essay will not fulfill – Be direct and straightforward.
Body Paragraphs: Topic Sentence• A Topic Sentence expresses the main idea of the body paragraph.• Begin each body paragraph with a Topic Sentence that – Narrows the focus of the paragraph – Accurately predicts the direction of the paragraph – Refers back to the Thesis statement• Each BP should contain: – Topic Sentence—main idea of BP – Primary Support—explanation – Secondary Support—examples
Body Paragraphs continued• Body paragraphs must have – Unity—everything refers back to main point – Support—examples and details – Coherence—all points connect to form a whole; one point leads to another – Concise - brief
Write Your Conclusion• The concluding paragraph should – Contain a minimum of 4 sentences – Refer back to the main point, but not simply repeat the thesis (rephrase/restate) – NOT introduce any new ideas – Create a sense of closure – Call to action
Assignment1. Bring your formal theme.2. On a whole sheet of paper, front - prewriting activity back - first draft
First DraftFirst paragraph: Introduction Thesis statement (lastsentence)Second/Third/Forth Paragraph: Topic Sentence. Explain. Give examplesFifth Paragraph: Conclusion