Lesson 17 — Activity 3: Planning the Essay
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Lesson 17 — Activity 3: Planning the Essay
You have looked at the general structure an essay can follow and you have looked at ways to come up with ideas for writing an essay about a clearly focused topic.
Now you are going to look at some of the ways you can organize your ideas.
You want your essay to be well organized, easy to understand, and effective in communicating your message.
When you plan your essay, you want to keep your topic in mind at all times.
Now you are going to look at some of the ways you can organize your ideas.
You want your essay to be well organized, easy to understand, and effective in communicating your message.
When you plan your essay, you want to keep your topic in mind at all times.
- Make sure that your points all relate to your main idea or your essay will not be very effective.
- If you are using the five-paragraph-essay format, then planning your essay is fairly straightforward. You just need to make sure that you have all of the information you need to fill in the structure of the essay:
Introduction:
- What is the main point you want to make with your essay?
- What are the three key pieces of support that your essay will provide for your main idea?
Body paragraphs:
- Each paragraph will present one of your key pieces of support, so what do you need to tell the reader to convince them of each of those points?
- What questions need to be answered? What facts need to be presented? What details need to be shared?
Conclusion:
- What do you need to say to remind the reader of your main point?
Of all the holidays celebrated by my family, I think birthday parties
top them all. The great things about birthday parties are, of course,
the food and the presents, but I especially like it when all of my
family gets together and has a great time.
Who doesn't like enjoying great food? Everyone in my family loves to eat and there is always a ton of food made by my mom, grandma, and all my aunties. My grandma always makes tacos, my auntie June can always be counted on to make spaghetti and meatballs, and my mom makes the best cakes in the world. My favourite is the chocolate cake with caramel frosting that she made for my birthday last year. We always eat so much we can hardly move!
The next best part is the presents. One thing my family does well is keep secrets. I am always really surprised by what I get. And they are also good at remembering things I have pointed out that I might like. I love getting new clothes and of course, games that I can play and enjoy when the party is over.
Finally, I think having all my family together is the best part of all. I don't always get to see all my aunties and cousins, so it is so wonderful when they come. I have six cousins that are all about my age, so we really have a lot of fun together. And my mom has three sisters. When they all get together, there is so much laughter, talking, and even singing. It is such a good time.
So you can see why I love birthday parties so much. It’s not just the great food and the awesome presents, I also love spending time with my family. I will keep all those memories forever!
Who doesn't like enjoying great food? Everyone in my family loves to eat and there is always a ton of food made by my mom, grandma, and all my aunties. My grandma always makes tacos, my auntie June can always be counted on to make spaghetti and meatballs, and my mom makes the best cakes in the world. My favourite is the chocolate cake with caramel frosting that she made for my birthday last year. We always eat so much we can hardly move!
The next best part is the presents. One thing my family does well is keep secrets. I am always really surprised by what I get. And they are also good at remembering things I have pointed out that I might like. I love getting new clothes and of course, games that I can play and enjoy when the party is over.
Finally, I think having all my family together is the best part of all. I don't always get to see all my aunties and cousins, so it is so wonderful when they come. I have six cousins that are all about my age, so we really have a lot of fun together. And my mom has three sisters. When they all get together, there is so much laughter, talking, and even singing. It is such a good time.
So you can see why I love birthday parties so much. It’s not just the great food and the awesome presents, I also love spending time with my family. I will keep all those memories forever!
Different people might find that different ways of organizing ideas work best for them, but whatever means of organizing your ideas you choose, make sure you use it well.
Taking time to plan your essay before you start writing it will save you time in the end because you will be sure that you have all of the information you need to tell, explain, describe, or persuade the reader about your main point.
Taking time to plan your essay before you start writing it will save you time in the end because you will be sure that you have all of the information you need to tell, explain, describe, or persuade the reader about your main point.