Transcript The Writing Process Workshop

Led by: Kristina Yegoryan
In 1 Workshop Learn About:
Essay Writing
Writing Process
Organization
Researching
MLA Formatting
WHAT DOES THE WORD
“ESSAY” MEAN?
WHAT IS ITS ORIGIN?
The word “essay” means “to try.”
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written
from an author's personal point of view.
It is a short piece of non-fiction: an editorial, a feature
story or a critical study.
It differs from the article as in the essay the pleasure of
reading takes precedence over the information in the
text!
The term Essay was FIRST used by Michel Montaigne during
the
16th cen. (Renaissance) Montaigne attempted to “assay” (weight)
his thoughts on human perception.
17th cent. (Age of Enlightenment)- Essays were a favored tool of
polemicists who aimed at convincing readers of their position
18th, 19th cent.: Essays were written for a general public
20th cent.: Some used essay to explain the new movement in art
(T.S. Eliot) and some used for literary criticism (Woolf,
Charles du Boss)
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At times it is difficult to test a student’s
knowledge with multiple-choice tests.
Essay writing shows:
Student’s interpretation
Critical thinking
Projection/expression of ideas
Writing skills
HOW DO WE
WRITE?
At times students think that
writing a paper a night
before can be a miracle
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1) PREWRITING
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2) DRAFTING
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3) REVISING
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4) EDITING
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(PUBLISHING)
Narrative ( to tell a story/incident)
Expository (to explain or acquaint with something)
Exemplification (brings in many examples to
support a choice/argument)
Cause and Effect
Descriptive
Definition
Compare and Contrast
Persuasive/ Argumentative (prove a point)
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Organization and Structure
(academic essays have the 5 paragraph base- structure:
Introduction, 3 Main Body Paragraphs, and Conclusion)
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Author’s voice (the essayist)
You do not need to use “I” when stating your arguments or
opinion- your essay/ your writing does present your voice
and your argument/opinion
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Implied audience/reader :
Encoding (writer’s purpose) vs Decoding (reader’s
interpretation) of the information in the essay
“ The reader of an essay is called on to join in the
making of the meaning”
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Rhetorical appeals: Ethos, Pathos, Logos
(by Aristotle)
Watch this video for understanding Rhetorical appeals:
http://www.wimp.com/teachpersuasion/
(What Aristotle and Joshua Bell teach us about Persuasion)
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Introduction: It sets the tone and the direction for
the composition. The paragraph starts with
Attention Getter/ Hook and concludes with a
Thesis Statement.
Body: The body can consist of any number of
paragraphs that support the thesis statement.
Typically compositions contain one to three body
paragraphs. Each body paragraph has its own
topic sentence with supporting evidence or
commentary.
Conclusion: It brings the composition to a close. It
usually starts with a general sentence that
summarizes the introduction/the topic. Conclusion
includes a restatement of the thesis in different
words and ends with a “Call to Action” or advice.
1. Attention Getter / Hook
Use any of these hook strategies:
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
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Rhetorical question
General statement
Very specific statement
Fact or a startling statistics, or a quote
2. Definition/ Depiction
3. The Twist (However,…)
4. Explanation
5. Thesis Statement ( the last sent/the main argument)

A sentence that goes at the end of your
introductory paragraph. IT IS THE LAST
SENTENCE OF INTRODUCTION
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The main idea of the whole essay.
A debatable statement, the author’s
argument /opinion.
It is usually 1 sentence or 2 max.
Open vs. Complete
An Open Thesis does not contain the body points.
i.e. Everyone should drive a hybrid car.
A Complete Thesis includes the body points.
i.e. Everyone should drive a hybrid car because they pollute
less, they get better mileage, and they help reduce gasoline
costs.
Although counter argument, actually your
argument
Idea
because
, and 3
rd
,
1st supporting idea 2nd supporting
supporting idea.
1. Summary sentence
(General statement –going back to Introduction
or if started with a rhetorical ?-then answer to the question)
2. Restatement of Thesis (re-saying your argument
(Ex. Since A, B, and C + your argument)
3. “Call for action”( a suggestion/advice what to do)
Hence, we should do…. (shouldn’t)…
MLA stands for Modern Language Association
MLA format offers:
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guidelines for the overall look of a paper
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makes the paper credible with a method of
documenting sources
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Use Times New Roman font, 12 point size
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Double-Space the whole paper
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All margins should be set to 1 inch
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Single or double spacing after punctuation is acceptable
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Each page should have “header” of last name and page
number at the upper right-hand corner of each page
Continued
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Heading in the left corner of the 1st page:
Student’s Full Name
Instructor’s name
Class name
Date ( Day Month Year ) Ex. 20 November 2012
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The title of the paper is centered
Do not underline, bold, or “quote” the title
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When ending a quote with punctuation, punctuation is inside the
quotation marks
Ex: “ O Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” (Romeo and
Juliet 2.2.36).
Is a list of the references used in the paper
and serves as an acknowledgement for the
sources.
With the detailed information in the Works
Cited list one can find the original source if
needed for further research
Works Cited is usually a separate page
attached in the end of the essay or document
The sources are listed in the alphabetical
order without numbers or bullet- points
Let’s try to structure a sample essay!
1. Watch the 3 min Ted Speech on 30 Day Goal by
Matt Cutts, and think about your 30 day
challenge and try to come up with a Thesis
Statement for your 5 paragraph Narrative
essay!
http://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_da
ys.html
2. Watch the 3 min Ted Speech on 8 Secrets of
Success by Richard St. John, and think about
your 3 secrets of success to form a strong thesis
statement before you structure a 5 paragraph
TANK
YOU for
YOUR Attention!