LESSON #4: Essay Writing

  • LESSON #4: Essay Writing

    Learning Goals: By the end of this lesson you will be able to

    (1) WRITE EFFECTIVE ESSAY TITLES and INTRODUCTIONS 

    (2) UNDERSTAND THE ELEMENTS OF A CORRECT BODY PARAGRAPH

    (3) USE THE CORRECT ELEMENTS TO WRITE AN ESSAY


    • GLOSSARY: New Vocabulary and Idioms for this Lesson

      reflection (noun)

      landslide (noun)

      the seasons of life (idiom)

      bold, bolder, boldest (adjective)

    • Lesson 4.1: Essay Writing: The TITLE and the INTRODUCTION
                    All Essays begin with a TITLE and a strong INTRODUCTION

      The INTRODUCTION consists of three (3) parts:

      (1) The HOOK

      (2) TWO OR THREE POINTS ... (ARGUMENTS / OPINIONS / ANALYSES etc. depending on the type of Essay

      (3) The THESIS STATEMENT

    • ACTIVITY 4.1: WRITING THE HOOK FOR YOUR OPINION ESSAY Assignment

       The HOOK is what catches your readers' attention.

      A hook is typically the first one or two sentences of an essay or article that is designed to grab the reader’s attention. Much like a fish gets literally hooked by bait, the hook of an essay should captivate your audience and make them want to read more. A HOOK CAN BE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

      (1) a FACT or STATISTIC HOOK that relates to the topic of your essay---- ex. Scientists believe that 90% of the planet will be underwater by the end of this decade. [ESSAY TOPIC: CLIMATE CHANGE]

      (2) a QUOTATION HOOKS:                                                                                                                                   (a) from a research source-------ex. According to Shakespearean scholar, Harold Bloom, "All villains seem to be adept at manipulating others for their own ends." [ESSAY TOPIC: HAMLET]

                    (b) from the text your essay is based on--------- ex. With the words "Never make known what you have seen tonight," Hamlet starts on a path to avenging his father's death by manipulating others.  [ESSAY TOPIC: HAMLET]

      (3) an ANECDOTAL (personal) HOOK------When I first saw a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet, I thought that this was the best portrayal of a madman that I had ever seen or read. [ESSAY TOPIC: HAMLET]

      (4) A QUESTION HOOK...... ex. Is Hamlet really insane, or is his irrational behaviour just a coverup so that he can manipulate others? [ESSAY TOPIC: HAMLET]

      WRITE A HOOK FOR YOUR ESSAY AND UPLOAD IT FOR DISCUSSION AND FEEDBACK

    • ACTIVITY 4.2: Short Readings Quiz (AS LEARNING) Assignment

      In this activity, you will read a number of short passages as well as grammar and vocabulary test questions from old OSSLT assessments  There are 10 questions.

      Please place the Question # and the Letter of the correct answer on a document (NOT ON THE SCANNED QUIZ ITSELF)

      Save your answers as a PDF document

    • ASYNCHRONOUS ACTIVITY 4.3: HOW TO ANSWER SHORT ANSWER TASKS Assignment

      The OSSLT Exam asks you to write several short paragraphs based on a question.

      The short paragraph is marked on spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and how clear and relevant your ideas are.

      In this activity, you will see an example of a well-written paragraph in response to the question: WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE TV SHOW? WHY DO YOU LIKE IT?

      The document also has a number of important TIPS on how to write a TOP paragraph.

      You may work independently or with a partner of your choice to read page 92 of the scanned page. If you want to work with a partner, discuss the TIPS and sample student answer. Then write your own response to the question on page 93: WHAT TELEVISION PROGRAM DO YOU REALLY DISLIKE? (about 100 words)

    • HOMEWORK: CONTINUE TO WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT OF YOUR OPINION ESSAY Assignment

      It is now time to begin drafting your OPINION ESSAY which is due on the weekend.

      Choose a HOOK. If necessary, and revise your three (3) opinion POINTS according to THE AMAZING PEEL system and the teacher's feedback.

      Expand your INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

      Expand your PEEL chart into three BODY PARAGRAPHS.

      Look at the document that I have uploaded here (page 70 of the OSSLT Workbook). It provides some helpful information, especially on how to organize your points  - (1) begin your essay with the 2nd strongest point;  (2) make the 2nd body paragraph your weakest point; and (3) put your strongest point into the 3rd body paragraph.