1
The general subject or idea you are writing about
Topic
The question or task that tells you what you need to write about and how to respond
Prompt
Information that helps the reader understand the topic before reading the main argument or explanation
Background Information
The person or group of people who will read your writing
Audience
A different opinion or opposing side of an argument
Counterclaim
The writer's explanation of how the evidence supports the claim or helps the reader understand the topic
Elaboration
Facts, examples, quotations, statistics, or details from sources that support the claim or main idea
Evidence
The texts, articles, websites, or other materials that provide the evidence used in the essay
Sources
The exact words from a source placed inside quotation marks with the source cited
Quote
The beginning of an essay that introduces the topic and prepares the reader for what is coming
Introduction
The reason for writing, such as to entertain, inform, or persuade
Purpose
Words or phrases that connect ideas and help the essay flow smoothly
Transitions
The ending of an essay that wraps up the main ideas without introducing new information
Conclusion
A scoring guide that explains the expectations for an assignment and describes what quality work looks like at each performance level
Rubric
Information from a source rewritten in your own words while keeping the original meaning and citing the source
Paraphrase
Words or phrases that connect ideas and help the essay flow smoothly
Transitions
An essay that takes a position on an issue and uses evidence and reasoning to convince the reader
Argumentative
An interesting opening sentence that grabs the reader's attention
Hook
An essay that explains, informs, or teaches the reader about a topic using facts and evidence
Expository
Information that tells where the evidence came from so the source gets credit
Citation
The main idea or position of the essay that the writer will prove or explain
Claim/Thesis