Notes
Process and purpose
- Prewrite, draft, revise (ideas, organization), edit (grammar, spelling), publish.
- Essay types: narrative, expository, argumentative, literary analysis.
Thesis and paragraphs
- A thesis is a specific, arguable, supportable claim, usually at the end of the introduction.
- Body paragraphs: topic sentence, evidence, commentary, concluding or transition sentence. Use transitions to connect ideas.
Introductions and conclusions
- Introduction: hook, background, thesis.
- Conclusion: restate the thesis in new words, sum up, explain why it matters. No new evidence.
Evidence and MLA
- Integrate quotes with ICE: introduce, cite, explain. Ellipses show omissions; brackets show changes.
- Cite quotes and paraphrases. MLA in-text: (Author page), e.g. (Nguyen 23). No author: shortened title.
- MLA paper: double spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point font; Works Cited alphabetized with hanging indents.
Topics in this unit
Each topic has its own short notes and practice.
Practice
It is specific, arguable and focused on how the author creates meaning.
Last name and page number, no comma.
Commentary connects evidence to the point.
A specific, surprising detail is more engaging than a cliché.
Revising improves content and organization.
The first line sits at the margin, so author names stand out.
Free response
Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.
Free-response question
A student writes this body paragraph for an essay arguing that schools should offer more art classes: "Art classes help students. 'Students in arts programs were 20 percent more likely to say they enjoyed school' (Patel 8). Also, art is fun."
(a) Rewrite the topic sentence so it is more specific and connects to a thesis.
Show the answer and scoring guide
Art classes make students more engaged in school, which can improve attendance and effort in every subject.
Check off the points you earned:
(b) Revise the evidence so the quotation is integrated using a signal phrase and correct MLA citation.
Show the answer and scoring guide
One study found that students in arts programs "were 20 percent more likely to say they enjoyed school" (Patel 8). (If the author is named in the signal phrase, cite only the page: According to Patel, ... (8).)
Check off the points you earned:
(c) Add commentary that explains how the evidence supports the topic sentence, and identify one weakness of the sentence "Also, art is fun."
Show the answer and scoring guide
Commentary: Students who enjoy school are more likely to show up and try harder, so art classes can boost engagement beyond the art room. Weakness: "Art is fun" is a vague opinion with no evidence, so it does not strengthen the argument.
Check off the points you earned: