April 9

Homework: Read to page 46 in The Catcher in the Rye

Today you will begin your District Writing Assessment.
You will be glad to hear that the district has now realized that the old 5-paragraph essay is, well, boring. Here's a very short summary of fairly subtle changes that you'll need to make in your writing from here on out: Moving Beyond 5-Paragraph Form




















































1. Write an interesting intro 
Write an interesting intro that pulls the reader into the topic immediately. No more formulaic, boring intros! There is no "standard" approach to writing an intro.
Here are a few recommended approaches: Writing Introductions--7 Approaches.
When you see these approaches, you might say, "I thought those were what we're supposed to use as a hook." Exactly. Now, however, it's not just a hook. It's a developed idea--an example that in the 5-paragraph form would be saved for a body paragraph. 
What you're doing is writing an interesting body paragraph at the first of the essay.
2. Abandon the standard thesis statement
You don't have to state your thesis in the opening paragraph. Sometimes it's better to leave your thesis implied at the beginning and state it at the end of your essay. You shouldn't write a 3-pronged thesis that gives away everything--that's formulaic and boring and lessens the reader's interest in what you are saying. 
Note: You need to understand your thesis before you start writing, even though you might not state it at the beginning of your essay. The essay must be focused around your controlling idea. 
3. The logic of the essay is to be more natural
If you think about it, when you're discussing an issue with someone in real life, you don't start off with a thesis statement. Often you say things like, "Do you think that we should have an open campus so that students can go out to eat?" And then you add, "I heard something on the news that said they shouldn't. Here's how the argument went: blah, blah, blah." And then you follow with, "I can understand that point. They're saying that blah, blah, blah." Then your friend might say (what would be another paragraph in an essay), "Yeah, but I was talking with the manager at Wendy's and he said, blah blah. I can understand that point, too. What he's saying is blah, blah. That point makes sense because blah."
Real life logic moves from idea to idea like the above conversation and ends with a conclusion. This is a strong way to write an essay.
4. Use body paragraphs
Use body paragraphs with topic sentences, examples, and discussion of your example
You must support your point in the essay. Just because you don't have to start off with a typical thesis statement doesn't mean that you don't have to support what you are saying with examples and reasoning. This means that usually most of your body paragraphs will be the same as they would be in a 5-paragraph essay. Sometimes, however, your writing will follow a different format, such as a letter or a thoughtful reflection. In this case, your main idea is only hinted at as you write and your main idea is stated at the end of the essay (see example 1).
5. Development of your idea (elaboration)
Strong essays develop their point by showing a progression of ideas. This is something that you would do when following 5-paragraph form, too.
6. Write a strong conclusion
You will need to write a strong conclusion for your essay. Because your thesis will not be thoroughly developed at the beginning of the essay, you need to state it at the end. This conclusion will most often follow the same form that it would in a 5-paragraph essay.