Writing a Good Five Paragraph Essay
There are THREE parts to the essay.
Intro
What is the point that you are trying to prove? This is called your THESIS.
“Mr. Lobb is a dangerous teacher with a negative effect on the youth of today.”
“Technology is a problem and creates a number of negative effects on the youth of today.”
“Eating chocolate is a privilege, not a right. People should not be allowed to eat chocolate until they are 21 years of age.”
You need to prove ONE SIDE of the statement or the argument. Don’t try to split your argument - this is always a bad idea. Don’t try to prove MAYBE this or that. Take a side.
What goes into the intro?
An observation or hook or opening statement about the topic area.
Thesis statement.
List briefly how you will prove your thesis in three ways.
Body Paragraphs
Three body paragraphs.
RESTATE the main point of that body paragraph.
REFER to the information source that you have - an incidence, something in the story or book, could be something from the story
EXPLAIN the reasoning for your points and ideas.
LINK back to your main thesis - show how your thesis is proven by this point.
Do the above THREE times.
Conclusion
Restate your thesis statement as proven, briefly recap how you did it.
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News Story Writing
You will be given a headline and a photo.
You will marked partially on how well you combine the info in the headline with the picture.
ie staying on topic
1. First few bits - who, what, where, when.
Briefly tell the whole story in one paragraph or two with NO details.
Go on to fill in details.
Why, how and explain the events and so on.
This is the hardest part.
However, there is a pattern.
Explain the event.
Show how and why it happened.
Get interview quotations from witnesses.
Get expert quotations from experts (police, investigators, fire fighters, scientists, weather experts, etc)
Get quotations from people involved - victims, etc
Discuss the story from the perspective of analysis - think about what the effects of this COULD BE.
ie remember the article about the winter storm in Goderich (from practice lit test)
you could have described how this could impact people in the community and beyond.
3. End with some kind of CAPPER that talks about possible further effects, complications down the line, or maybe similar situations that could occur, or are occurring.
Writing a news story involves you being imaginative, looking at the photo and headline and asking yourself WHAT COULD THIS BE?
You need to find the MOST DRAMATIC story to tell. This will make your answer BIGGER and BETTER.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Monday, December 10, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
3-5 Paragraph Response Question
“Technology is harmful to people. Prove or disprove and explain.”
Examples of technology you could discuss:
cell phones
smart phones
game consoles (details and specifics can be done here - Nintendo WiiU, etc)
computers
TVs
calculators
tablets
iPods
cars
smart TV
GPS
home security system
WiFi
Youtube
the Internet
Facebook and other social networks
etc.
Step 1 - find your agreement point and restate the question AS YOUR AGREEMENT or DISAGREEMENT point.
Step 2 - plan your answer by planning your 3 main areas to discuss - 3 points
Step 3 - plan your examples for each main area (will need explanations)
Step 4 - write a rough outline - like we did in class with Mr. Lobb = bad teacher
Step 5 - write the essay - IN DON’T PANIC
“Technology is harmful to people. Prove or disprove and explain.”
Examples of technology you could discuss:
cell phones
smart phones
game consoles (details and specifics can be done here - Nintendo WiiU, etc)
computers
TVs
calculators
tablets
iPods
cars
smart TV
GPS
home security system
WiFi
Youtube
the Internet
Facebook and other social networks
etc.
Step 1 - find your agreement point and restate the question AS YOUR AGREEMENT or DISAGREEMENT point.
Step 2 - plan your answer by planning your 3 main areas to discuss - 3 points
Step 3 - plan your examples for each main area (will need explanations)
Step 4 - write a rough outline - like we did in class with Mr. Lobb = bad teacher
Step 5 - write the essay - IN DON’T PANIC
Monday, December 10, 2012
3-5 Paragraph Response Question
“Technology is harmful to people. Prove or disprove and explain.”
Examples of technology you could discuss:
cell phones
smart phones
game consoles (details and specifics can be done here - Nintendo WiiU, etc)
computers
TVs
calculators
tablets
iPods
cars
smart TV
GPS
home security system
WiFi
Youtube
the Internet
Facebook and other social networks
etc.
Step 1 - find your agreement point and restate the question AS YOUR AGREEMENT or DISAGREEMENT point.
Step 2 - plan your answer by planning your 3 main areas to discuss - 3 points
Step 3 - plan your examples for each main area (will need explanations)
Step 4 - write a rough outline - like we did in class with Mr. Lobb = bad teacher
Step 5 - write the essay - IN DON’T PANIC
“Technology is harmful to people. Prove or disprove and explain.”
Examples of technology you could discuss:
cell phones
smart phones
game consoles (details and specifics can be done here - Nintendo WiiU, etc)
computers
TVs
calculators
tablets
iPods
cars
smart TV
GPS
home security system
WiFi
Youtube
the Internet
Facebook and other social networks
etc.
Step 1 - find your agreement point and restate the question AS YOUR AGREEMENT or DISAGREEMENT point.
Step 2 - plan your answer by planning your 3 main areas to discuss - 3 points
Step 3 - plan your examples for each main area (will need explanations)
Step 4 - write a rough outline - like we did in class with Mr. Lobb = bad teacher
Step 5 - write the essay - IN DON’T PANIC
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Topic - Lobb is a bad teacher because... (restatement of thesis/topic/question) (this would be a mark)
Point - Reference - he doesn’t explain stuff thoroughly - in class when he teaches a lesson he keeps going and goes into detail until we understand - (in this reference you need to use a specific situation) (improvement - THAT specific time or event)
Explanation - when a teacher stops the lesson and goes into detail by breaking down the ideas and making sure the student understands the small elements, then the teacher is doing a better job. Mr. Lobb does those things, therefore he is a good teacher. (this is a mark because it LINKS the topic and thesis with the reference and explains the logic)
A flow of logic is what markers are looking for in your work.
This is the difference between having a good essay and not.
This will also give you enough material in your body paragraph to get those spaces filled.
Point - Reference - he doesn’t explain stuff thoroughly - in class when he teaches a lesson he keeps going and goes into detail until we understand - (in this reference you need to use a specific situation) (improvement - THAT specific time or event)
Explanation - when a teacher stops the lesson and goes into detail by breaking down the ideas and making sure the student understands the small elements, then the teacher is doing a better job. Mr. Lobb does those things, therefore he is a good teacher. (this is a mark because it LINKS the topic and thesis with the reference and explains the logic)
A flow of logic is what markers are looking for in your work.
This is the difference between having a good essay and not.
This will also give you enough material in your body paragraph to get those spaces filled.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Moving on to Directing...
What does a Director do?
One of the first things that a director does is comes up with his/her VISION.
This is one of the key skills that a director has.
Remember a director’s look book? that is part of how a director shows his/her vision
That vision is about seeing the movie BEFORE there is a movie.
Seeing shots when reading the script. Storyboards will eventually be part of that...
This vision is about making decisions and communicating them to people who can help.
It’s about knowing the answer to every question that comes up in trying to make the movie.
It’s about explaining PERFECTLY those answers.
It is brutally hard to explain everything all the time about the movie in your head.
A good director has to trust the skills of the people around him/her. Especially non-technical directors.
Technical directors know the tech of shooting - cameras, lights, etc and sometimes operate their own
Non-technical directors rely on DPs, and crew
Another thing directors have to focus on is ACTORS - this is a HUGE part of being a good director - some say it’s the most important thing
“Coaxing a performance” “letting the actors do their thing” are two extremes of this.
Some of the best are: Martin Scorsese - let’s actors riff and try stuff
Judd Apatow - encourages actors improv work for comedy
James Cameron is a tyrant and controlling and a maniac and impossibly demanding
Michael Bay is also a tyrant and very tech-focused
The key here is CONFIDENCE - the actor is like an animal, and the director is like an animal trainer - if the animal senses fear and weakness, the animal will behave inappropriately - if the animal senses strength and certainty, then the animal will behave
The director must be able to get what he/she wants in any way possible. It is a crazy, strange, very powerful job that is a lot about psychology and manipulation.
It is not a coincidence that actresses date directors. It is a classic.
When you’re watching a movie, you need to think about the person standing beside the camera, or off to one side watching a monitor, and controlling the whole thing like a puppet master - you need to think about what he/she is doing.
That is one way to review or analyse a film.
Generally - lighting, camera, acting, mise-en-scene (things arranged within the frame), pace of the story, decisions, decisions, decisions - you’re looking for examples of good ones.
What does a Director do?
One of the first things that a director does is comes up with his/her VISION.
This is one of the key skills that a director has.
Remember a director’s look book? that is part of how a director shows his/her vision
That vision is about seeing the movie BEFORE there is a movie.
Seeing shots when reading the script. Storyboards will eventually be part of that...
This vision is about making decisions and communicating them to people who can help.
It’s about knowing the answer to every question that comes up in trying to make the movie.
It’s about explaining PERFECTLY those answers.
It is brutally hard to explain everything all the time about the movie in your head.
A good director has to trust the skills of the people around him/her. Especially non-technical directors.
Technical directors know the tech of shooting - cameras, lights, etc and sometimes operate their own
Non-technical directors rely on DPs, and crew
Another thing directors have to focus on is ACTORS - this is a HUGE part of being a good director - some say it’s the most important thing
“Coaxing a performance” “letting the actors do their thing” are two extremes of this.
Some of the best are: Martin Scorsese - let’s actors riff and try stuff
Judd Apatow - encourages actors improv work for comedy
James Cameron is a tyrant and controlling and a maniac and impossibly demanding
Michael Bay is also a tyrant and very tech-focused
The key here is CONFIDENCE - the actor is like an animal, and the director is like an animal trainer - if the animal senses fear and weakness, the animal will behave inappropriately - if the animal senses strength and certainty, then the animal will behave
The director must be able to get what he/she wants in any way possible. It is a crazy, strange, very powerful job that is a lot about psychology and manipulation.
It is not a coincidence that actresses date directors. It is a classic.
When you’re watching a movie, you need to think about the person standing beside the camera, or off to one side watching a monitor, and controlling the whole thing like a puppet master - you need to think about what he/she is doing.
That is one way to review or analyse a film.
Generally - lighting, camera, acting, mise-en-scene (things arranged within the frame), pace of the story, decisions, decisions, decisions - you’re looking for examples of good ones.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
What Do I Actually Write in a Body Paragraph?
Mr. Bishop called this the PEE Principle
Mr. Lobb calls this Point-Proof-Explain
The Board Office lady calls it Your Words - Text Support - Explanation
This pattern is the same thing every time.
It goes like this:
You state your point or your opinion and it is relevant to the subject or the topic.
eg - I feel that the drinking age, the age when alcohol is legal, should be raised to age 25.
Proof - brain development references - studies on the effects of alcohol on young people, etc.
That proof information is NOT from you. It is your pulling from somewhere else and referring to it that makes your opinion valuable.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death involving people in the 15-25 age group. The rate of fatal crashes among drunken drivers in the 16-25 age group is more than twice the rate for drunken drivers who are 25 or older. Alcohol use also is linked with youthful deaths by drowning, suicide and homicide.”
In readings from Daily News and Analysis...
That third part is EXPLANATION - this is the key in many ways.
It’s easy to have an opinion.
It’s not that hard to get some reference that supports your idea or opinion.
It’s a little bit harder to remember to LINK the information you just got BACK to your main opinion - which is your thesis statement.
In the alcohol example -
Linking back would be explaining how the problems with alcohol and youth would mean that raising the age of legal drinking is good for protecting young people from harm.
The hard part in an essay is that you have one main thesis, and then three body points to prove that thesis.
You have to link back to the main thesis of the whole essay.
Now - you have a new essay topic to develop
Thesis Statement - Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher and a negative influence on the youth of today.
You need to come up with THREE main proofs for this, then for each proof (which would be one paragraph of the whole essay), you need to come up with Point -> Proof -> Explanation
Mr. Bishop called this the PEE Principle
Mr. Lobb calls this Point-Proof-Explain
The Board Office lady calls it Your Words - Text Support - Explanation
This pattern is the same thing every time.
It goes like this:
You state your point or your opinion and it is relevant to the subject or the topic.
eg - I feel that the drinking age, the age when alcohol is legal, should be raised to age 25.
Proof - brain development references - studies on the effects of alcohol on young people, etc.
That proof information is NOT from you. It is your pulling from somewhere else and referring to it that makes your opinion valuable.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death involving people in the 15-25 age group. The rate of fatal crashes among drunken drivers in the 16-25 age group is more than twice the rate for drunken drivers who are 25 or older. Alcohol use also is linked with youthful deaths by drowning, suicide and homicide.”
In readings from Daily News and Analysis...
That third part is EXPLANATION - this is the key in many ways.
It’s easy to have an opinion.
It’s not that hard to get some reference that supports your idea or opinion.
It’s a little bit harder to remember to LINK the information you just got BACK to your main opinion - which is your thesis statement.
In the alcohol example -
Linking back would be explaining how the problems with alcohol and youth would mean that raising the age of legal drinking is good for protecting young people from harm.
The hard part in an essay is that you have one main thesis, and then three body points to prove that thesis.
You have to link back to the main thesis of the whole essay.
Now - you have a new essay topic to develop
Thesis Statement - Mr. Lobb is a bad teacher and a negative influence on the youth of today.
You need to come up with THREE main proofs for this, then for each proof (which would be one paragraph of the whole essay), you need to come up with Point -> Proof -> Explanation
Monday, December 3, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Opinion Paper - also known as 5-Paragraph Essay
Writing this on the Literacy Test requires that you are able to fill in at least a page and a half of two blank pages
You will need to have a REALLY GOOD PLAN to write enough about any topic.
That means, you need to know a pattern that you can use for any topic.
We are going to learn a pattern called The Essay Skeleton
It is the bones of your essay and using it BEFORE WRITING will help you get enough material
Essay Skeleton
1. What am I saying? - Thesis - what is the point of the opinion paper? your opinion about something
That introduction is the place where you introduce your opinion.
It’s the same as a topic sentence.
So, every introduction paragraph should have THREE things:
a quick overview of the topic area - general
a thesis statement - specific
a quick overview of (and statement of) your THREE MAIN PROOFS for your opinion
If the thesis statement is that students should not be using cell phones in class, what would be a good topic area to begin the discussion?
distractions
technology
students focusing
challenging learning
the general topic area could be any one of those
Technology is a great benefit in our society, but there are negatives that people may not realize until they are facing them day after day. Some kinds of technology are particularly negative in their ability to distract young people. One of the most distracting technologies we see in our classrooms is the cell phone. When we think about what a cell phone can do, especially texting, gaming and giving access to social networking, we can see that there are way too many things to do with a cell phone and students find it difficult to resist.
Above, we see a) and b) - a) is the first two sentences and b) is the third.
We still need to add our quick overview of the proofs. This would be where we quickly state what each of our THREE next body paragraphs would be about.
In order to write those down, we need to have planned them out first.
For this opinion paragraph, what could we use as our body paragraph discussion points?
1. texting
2. games on a smart phone
Facebook and Twitter
For each of the body paragraphs, you need to follow a certain paragraph structure.
It is called Point -> Proof -> Discussion
Or Your idea -> The Support -> The Explanation/Reasoning
Or PEE - Point -> Evidence -> Explanation
The hard part is the explanation - This is where you LINK your idea or opinion with the main thesis of your whole paper.
That link goes - texting -> hard to resist -> distracting -> this is bad - the logic is to prove these things and show examples.
Texting - distracting because the student is focusing on the messages - a student could be in a discussion where the subject was important to a test and the student misses some key information from the teacher as they read the message from a friend - LINK - when students aren’t paying attention in class, they are missing important material they may have to use - this impacts marks and can affect their credit.
The idea here is to EXPLAIN YOUR THINKING.
Writing this on the Literacy Test requires that you are able to fill in at least a page and a half of two blank pages
You will need to have a REALLY GOOD PLAN to write enough about any topic.
That means, you need to know a pattern that you can use for any topic.
We are going to learn a pattern called The Essay Skeleton
It is the bones of your essay and using it BEFORE WRITING will help you get enough material
Essay Skeleton
1. What am I saying? - Thesis - what is the point of the opinion paper? your opinion about something
That introduction is the place where you introduce your opinion.
It’s the same as a topic sentence.
So, every introduction paragraph should have THREE things:
a quick overview of the topic area - general
a thesis statement - specific
a quick overview of (and statement of) your THREE MAIN PROOFS for your opinion
If the thesis statement is that students should not be using cell phones in class, what would be a good topic area to begin the discussion?
distractions
technology
students focusing
challenging learning
the general topic area could be any one of those
Technology is a great benefit in our society, but there are negatives that people may not realize until they are facing them day after day. Some kinds of technology are particularly negative in their ability to distract young people. One of the most distracting technologies we see in our classrooms is the cell phone. When we think about what a cell phone can do, especially texting, gaming and giving access to social networking, we can see that there are way too many things to do with a cell phone and students find it difficult to resist.
Above, we see a) and b) - a) is the first two sentences and b) is the third.
We still need to add our quick overview of the proofs. This would be where we quickly state what each of our THREE next body paragraphs would be about.
In order to write those down, we need to have planned them out first.
For this opinion paragraph, what could we use as our body paragraph discussion points?
1. texting
2. games on a smart phone
Facebook and Twitter
For each of the body paragraphs, you need to follow a certain paragraph structure.
It is called Point -> Proof -> Discussion
Or Your idea -> The Support -> The Explanation/Reasoning
Or PEE - Point -> Evidence -> Explanation
The hard part is the explanation - This is where you LINK your idea or opinion with the main thesis of your whole paper.
That link goes - texting -> hard to resist -> distracting -> this is bad - the logic is to prove these things and show examples.
Texting - distracting because the student is focusing on the messages - a student could be in a discussion where the subject was important to a test and the student misses some key information from the teacher as they read the message from a friend - LINK - when students aren’t paying attention in class, they are missing important material they may have to use - this impacts marks and can affect their credit.
The idea here is to EXPLAIN YOUR THINKING.
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