ESSAY BUILDER TOOL

This is NOT meant to be a worksheet that you complete just so you can “get credit.” This is NOT a useless assignment that I am making you work through so that you have something to fill your time. This is NOT a fill in the blank game that I want you to do with out any real thought.

This IS a tool that I have created that I hope will help you think through your essay. As a growing writer, I need you to now realize that you must think when it comes to the essay process. There has to be a personal goal that you hope to achieve in your essay. This essay builder is meant to help you think through your ideas and organize information in an effective.

In order to achieve success, complete each step of this essay builder tool using critical thinking and active text exploration.

1. What prompt or essay focus area are you writing in response to?

2. Brainstorming Relevant Text

Significant Plot/Novel detail / How this text connects to my essay focus

3. ARRANGING TEXT DETAIL—Put your text details into a logical order that would best help explore and explain your essay focus…

A. Detail =

B. Detail =

C. Detail =

D. Detail =

E. Detail =

4. THESIS CREATION: Looking back at your essay focus and your text details, come up with a thesis statement that captures the text you are focused on AND your personal claim.

THESIS =

5. TOPIC SENTENCES—Now, you must create topic sentences for your three body paragraphs. The topic sentence should establish your reading focus and the part of the text you will explore.

A. Topic Sentence #1:

B. Topic Sentence #2:

C. Topic Sentence #3:

6. Creating an Outline: Your final step is to put your ideas in order. An outline should establish the following:

  • Introduction Idea—not full intro., but an idea of how to start and how to lead in to essay focus
  • Thesis statement
  • Topic sentences followed by TEXT DETAIL followed by what text shows in relation to Thesis idea
  • Concluding Reflection Idea