I have received several messages from you guys about the essay we are currently writing. Here is a quick overview of what we went over in class:

An essay has three parts:
An Introduction
A Body
and a Conclusion

The introduction should be one paragraph long and contain several elements:
An introductory sentence containing the author’s name and the name of the work you are discussing.
Your thesis statement, or the point you are trying to make with your essay. This is the most vital part of your writing. Present a solid thesis statement and back it with the body paragraphs and you will have an amazing essay. This should be the final sentence of your opening paragraph.
Example thesis: Hornby’s characters explore what it means to be “cool” by adopting the actions of one another, though they soon realize that they are looking for connections, not cool in their lives.

The body of your essay is made up of all the paragraphs between the introduction and the conclusion.
Each paragraph of the body should contain:
A topic sentence. What is this paragraph going to be about? As you did with your thesis statement, sum up the point of this paragraph in the first sentence, then include your ideas/explanations. Your ideas and explanations should be backed with examples or quotations from the text.
Example topic sentence: The bullying Marcus endures at school highlights his outsider status.

Example quotation: Marcus’s relationship with Ellie was a matter of surprise for everyone. “Just about every kid in the room stopped . . . and turned around” when Ellie called to Marcus in the busy cafeteria (Hornby 170).

If you find yourself writing about several different topics in the same paragraph, break it into several pieces, making sure each new paragraph applies to your thesis. If it does not apply, chuck it or change your thesis. (This is why the outline is an important step; it is easier to throw out a bullet than a paragraph.)

The conclusion wraps up your essay. Briefly describe the points you made (without adding new information), and reflect on the point you’ve made.

Keep in mind the basic rules of academic writing:
Keep a formal tone (no slang, text jargon, personal anecdotes)
No personal pronouns
No contractions
12 point Times New Roman font
One inch margins all around
Header on the left
Page number top right

That’s it! Well done.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please email me.

[This page was WinsomeWiki'd on 4 Jul. 2009]

We will begin working on creating our own commercials for the next unit.

But first—

this week we will finish up our About a Boy essays. We will work on our essays on Monday, so be sure your outlines are chock full of quotations. This will make it simple to write a draft in class, since you know what you will write; you just have to concentrate on keeping a formal tone and communicating your ideas clearly. If you are stuck, email me or come talk to me before school on Monday. This is the longest essay we’ve written, but Hornby gives us plenty to write about. We are taking it slow to make sure each step is perfect before we move on. Plus, this assignment will be graded several times. Some of you are falling behind; this is a good chance to catch up. As always, you can raise your grade on a paper if you come talk with me about it and turn in a revised copy. If you don’t finish the draft in class, take it home so we can edit them in class on Tuesday.

The advertising unit will begin late this week or early next week, depending on when we wrap up the essays. Be thinking about a product you would like to sell, while finding commercials and advertisements that employ the rhetorical devices we discussed last week.

If you did not turn in your three ads with analysis pages today, please do so tomorrow. I will take off some points for lateness, but that is better than a zero.

If you were absent Tuesday or Wednesday, get the rhetoric in advertising worksheet here. If you have any questions, email me or talk to me in class tomorrow.

We will be writing an essay on Friday over chapters 1-28, with an emphasis on content from 17-28. I have given you the prompt early for previous essays, but I will not be doing so this time. Your essays have improved dramatically since the beginning of the year, and I believe you can go into this one without knowing the prompt ahead of time. I want you to read closely and journal thoroughly in preparation for this exam. Remember:

• Write the name of the author (Nick Hornby) and title (About a Boy [underlined])
• Thesis statements are important. They should let your reader know how you will answer the prompt.
• Quotations from the text are necessary. Include page number and author for each quotation: (Hornby 7).
• Cover the story up to chapter 28. We are near the end of the novel, so everything is important.
• Watch grammar, spelling (look it up if you don’t know) and punctuation.
• Personal pronouns and contractions should never be used.

Continue reading About a Boy this weekend. We will have a quiz over the next four chapters (17-20) on Monday. Have a good break!

If you were absent today, here is a copy of the Character Analysis worksheet.

You may use the worksheet and your journal to write the essay tomorrow. Here is your prompt:

Choose one element of the author’s style (diction, tone, characterization) or the novel’s theme and compare and contrast this element as it applies to each main character, Marcus or Will, throughout Chapters 1-16. How are these elements used before and after the characters meet? Use examples from the text to support your argument.

We wrote over a major theme before the last essay (connection and emotional bonds). You may elaborate on this theme for the essay today.