Name:

Period:

Date:

“The Scarlet Ibis” Essay Packet

In this packet, you will find the following:

  • Structure of an essay
  • Finding Evidence
  • Thesis Instructions
  • Thesis Practice & Synonym List
  • Essay Pre-writing
  • Starting an Introduction
  • Shaping the Essay
  • Self Edit

On the final due date of the essay, you will turn in the following:
  • Essay Packet
  • Handwritten Rough Draft
  • Typed Final Draft
  • Scoring Rubric

Introduction:

Body Paragraph 1

Body Paragraph 2

Body Paragraph 3

Conclusion:

Finding Evidence Practice:

During the reading of the story “The Scarlet Ibis” locate quotes/evidence that indicate whether Brother is kind or cruel. Record them below, making sure to include the TLQPP.

1. Kindness

  • CD # 1 ______

______

  • CD #2 ______

______

  • CD # 3 ______

______

  • CD # 4 ______

______

2. Cruelty

  • CD # 1 ______

______

  • CD #2 ______

______

  • CD # 3 ______

______

  • CD # 4 ______

______

A thesis is the topic sentence for the entire essay. Your thesis statement also includes a subject and opinion. A thesis differs from a topic sentence in that a thesis statement is broader and can include several topic sentences whereas a topic sentence is narrow and only fits information on one paragraph.

THESIS = subject + opinion + blueprint

THESIS / TOPIC SENTENCE
Broad statement that can include several topic sentences / Statement for one paragraph
Last sentence of introduction & first sentence in conclusion / First sentence in body paragraphs
THESIS / TOPIC SENTENCE
In “Priscilla and the Wimps,” Priscilla is brave and loyal because she stands up to the Kobras and protects her friend Melvin. / In “Priscilla and the Wimps,” Priscilla is brave because she stands up to the Kobras.
In “Priscilla and the Wimps,” Priscilla is loyal because she protects her friend Melvin.
In “The Interlopers,” both Georg and Ulrich get what they deserve because they focus on revenge. / In “The Interlopers,” Georg gets what he deserves because he focuses on revenge.
In “The Interlopers,” Ulrich gets what he deserves because he focuses on revenge.
In “The Most Dangerous Game,” Rainsford changes from a moral person to an immoral person due to his experience with General Zaroff. / In “The Most Dangerous Game,” Rainsford is a moral person.
In “The Most Dangerous Game,” Rainsford changes to an immoral person.
In “The Necklace,” Madame Loisel behaves selfishly and causes her husband’s ruin. / In “The Necklace,” Madame Loisel is selfish.
In “The Necklace,” Madame Loisel causes her husband’s ruin.

Thesis Practice

THESIS / TOPIC SENTENCES
In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Brother treats Doodle cruelly both physically and mentally. / Brother treats Doodle cruelly physically.
Brother treats Doodle cruelly mentally.
In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Brother treats Doodle cruelly through his thoughts and actions. / Brother treats Doodle cruelly in his thoughts.
Brother treats Doodle cruelly in his actions.

SYNONYM LIST

Directions: Use the thesaurus to find synonyms for the words “cruel”and “kind” that you can use in your essay.

Cruel / Kind

Starting an Introduction

Listed below are five ways to start an introduction that will grab your reader’s attention. Your teacher will read through them with you and share the example. Then, you will select one of these forms to begin your essay.

  1. Begin your essay with a rhetorical question and then answer the question. The question you pose must relate to the topic of your essay.

Example: How often does the average person brush his/her teeth? Are individuals smoking more and enjoying it less? These and countless other catch phrases are examples of a daily bombardment of material seen and heard from television sets. Consciously or subconsciously today’s society is influenced significantly by television.

  1. Create a startling statement to catch your reader’s attention. The statement you make must relate to the topic of your essay.

Example: Cigarette smoking results in millions of deaths every year. Even though the surgeon general has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous, millions of people continue the habit as though they are oblivious to the effects of long term smoking. Respiratory ailments, heart disease and various forms of cancer are but three ailments from which the chronic smoker may suffer.

  1. Start with an anecdote, a story about a brief, amusing incident. The story you choose must relate to your topic and must be told in 3-4 sentences.

Example: She was fourteen; we knew her as “Shel,” but her real name was Michelle. Shel was nothing unusual or outstanding for that matter, although she did run with a fast bunch of kids. That night at the party she was trying to be like the other kids when she overdosed. Even though the emergency staff did all that was humanly possible, Michelle did not make it. Sadly, there are many cases like Shelly’s because our society has become a drug oriented culture.

  1. A brief quotation from prose or poetry, related to your topic, can also catch your reader’s attention. The quote should not be longer than a sentence or two.

Example: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of my teeming shore; I lift my lamp besides the golden door.” These words can be found at the base of the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor. For years this statue has symbolized a long awaited freedom in America. In recent times, the United States has seen new refugees from Vietnam, and they too, should be welcomed to the land of freedom.

  1. A brief quotation from a famous person or noted authority, related to your topic, can also catch your reader’s attention. The quote should not be longer than a sentence or two.

Example: Well over one hundred years ago Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided cannot stand.” Though much progress has been made in the fight for equality among races, a new division has become rampant in the United States. Today a house “divided” is more likely to refer to a family where there is only one parent. Divorce has increased to such an alarming degree, it is said that two out of three marriages will end in divorce. If so many marriages are destined for failure, people need to ask themselves what are the effects of divorce on the total family structure.

“The Scarlet Ibis” Shaping the Essay

INTRODUCTION

First sentence is an attention getter. For example, begin with telling the reader what the theme of the story is,including title and author.

______

Next few sentences are the plot of the literary work, Focus on the plot relating to your thesis statement. Write 1-3 sentences.

______

Last sentence is the thesis statement.

In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Brother treats Doodle cruelly both physically and mentally.

BODY PARAGRAPH #1

Topic Sentence: ___Brother treats Doodle cruelly physically.

Concrete Detail #1 (transition, lead-in, quote, and page number)

______

Commentary

______

Commentary______

Concrete Detail #2 (transition, lead-in, quote, and page number)

______

Commentary

______

Commentary

______

Concluding Sentence (restate topic sentence with synonyms)

______

BODY PARAGRAPH #2

Topic Sentence: ______Brother treats Doodle cruelly mentally.

Concrete Detail #1 (transition, lead-in, quote, and page number)

______

Commentary

______

Commentary

______

Concrete Detail #2 (transition, lead-in, quote, and page number)

______

Commentary

______

Commentary

______

Concluding Sentence (restate topic sentence with synonyms)

______

CONCLUSION

First sentence: Restate thesis using synonyms.

______In “The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst, Brother treats Doodle cruelly both physically and mentally.

Next few sentences: Summarize main arguments of your essay using different words. 2-3 sentences.

______

Last sentence: End with your opinion about the topic. Do not use “I,” “me,” or “my”!

______

Final Self-Edit Sheet

1. ______Does your essay have an original title?(Not the Story Title)

2. ______Does your essay have four paragraphs?

3. ______Does your introduction have an attention getter?

4. ______Does your introduction include the title of the short story?

5. ______Is the title of the short story correctly punctuated? “The Scarlet Ibis”

6. ______Does your introduction include the author? (James Hurst)

7. ______Does your introduction end with a clear thesis statement includinga

subject and an opinion?

8. ______Do your body paragraphs have clear TSs with subject and opinion?

9. ______Do your body paragraphs have two, quoted CDs w/ pg.#?

10. ______Do you have a TLQ and is it punctuated correctly?

11. ______Do you have two sentences of CM for each CD?

12. ______Is your CM all opinion and does it go beyond the obvious?

13. ______Does each body paragraph have a CS that wraps up your paragraph?

14. ______Does your conclusion restate the thesis in a new way using synonyms

for key words?

15.______Does your conclusion summarize your opinion about Brother’s personality?

16.______Does your conclusion end with your opinion about the story?

17.______Does your essay avoid repetitive words and personal pronouns?

18. ______Is your essay free from spelling and punctuation errors?