(5 and 9) Parts of a Perfect Paragraph and Essay
Types of Writing and Purposes
What is Evidence?
Evidence and Explanation in Action.
100
Write a list thesis statement on why your favorite candy bar is the best.
Twix is the best mainstream candy bar because it has caramel, the crunch of the cookie, and the melting chocolate, which all bend together to make a magnificent candy bar.
100
What are the four main purposes of writing?
To inform or explain, to entertain, to analyze a text, to convince or persuade
100
What are two important aspects/things that strong evidence needs to have?
1) Supports the Thesis/Point/Argument 2) Comes directly from the Text 3) Is relevant, important and accurate Note that answers will vary.
100
Cite one piece of evidence from the text below: On Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that the next $10 bill will feature a woman who played a major role in American history. The new bill is planned to release in 2020. “America’s currency makes a statement about who we are and what we stand for as a nation,” Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew said on a call Wednesday.
Answers may vary
200
Pretend you are writing an essay on House on Mango Street, which would be a response to text essay. Write a set-up sentence.
Set-up should include author, title of book, and a short summary. Title: House on Mango Street Author: Sandra Cisneros Summary: Coming of age story about a young Latina girl named Esperanza living in Chicago.
200
Write down on your whiteboard what type of text you should write based on the following prompt: Pat doesn't know anything about Breakthrough; he is a lost dog. Write an essay to inform Pat about Breakthrough policies and practices. Please provide three examples.
Expository because we are informing Pat about Breakthrough.
200
List three academic quote starters that we use for directly quoting from an article.
According to, the author explains, the author says, the author said, the author states, etc
200
Please cite two pieces of evidence based on the text—one must be derived from a statistic and the other must be a direct quote. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released a new report that shows bullying in school has decreased. In 2013, the year that this study was conducted, 21.5% of students age 12 to 18 reported being bullied at school. This is its lowest rate since 2005, when the group first began researching the topic. Most years, the rate of bullying was closer to 28%. “I read the study with hope,” Julie Hertzog, the director of PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, told TFK. “There’s been a change in how society views bullying. Even a decade or 20 years ago, people would say to ignore it or that it was just a part of growing up, but there are serious impacts on mental health and physical health that can be devastating.”
Answers will vary
300
Pretend you are writing a narrative about your life. Write a hook sentence to catch the reader's attention.
I grew up watching Bollywood films and spending my days with my cousins who are like my best friends.
300
Write down on your whiteboard what type of text you should write based on the following prompt: Grace wants to know what type of snack she should buy for your jeopardy prize. Write an essay that would convince Grace to buy your favorite snack. Please provide three examples.
Persuasive because I am trying to persuade Grace to buy my favorite snack.
300
What are the elements that we need to do have when writing a sentence with a quote?
1. author 2. Use an academic quote starter 3.put quotations marks around what you quoted
300
Write an explanation sentence (do not forget transition words) for this thesis, point, and evidence: Thesis: Northeast is the best club at Breakthrough. Point: Club Northeast is very energetic. Evidence: According to Radhika, "Club Northeast's energy level is over 9000, while the other club's energy levels sit below the 5000 level."
This shows that club Northeast is very energetic because they have nearly twice as much energy.
400
Pretend you wrote an entire essay on why your favorite candy bar is the best. Write a review sentence or two that reviews the main points of why your candy bar is the best.
There are many reasons why Twix is the best candy bar in the world. It has funny commercials, has different flavors, and is unique from other candy bars.
400
Write down on your whiteboard what type of text you should write based on the following prompt: Read Francis's book on Japanese Culture and write an essay analyzing his take on Japanese Culture using evidence from his text. Please provide three examples.
Response to text because you are using his text as evidence to analyze it.
400
Please quote this using the steps we need to have when directly quoting an author or text: "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart." -Helen Keller
According to Helen Keller, "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched—they must be felt with the heart".
400
Based on the text below, write down one piece of evidence and your explanation that connects your evidence. NOTE: You may have already cited a piece of evidence. You may use that. While bullying in school remains a serious issue, a new study shows that many students are beginning to change this hurtful behavior. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has released a new report that shows bullying in school has decreased. In 2013, the year that this study was conducted, 21.5% of students age 12 to 18 reported being bullied at school. This is its lowest rate since 2005, when the group first began researching the topic. Most years, the rate of bullying was closer to 28%. Rates of cyberbullying have also decreased. A 2011, NCES’ study showed that 9% of students surveyed had been cyberbullied. In 2013, only 6.9% of students reported having been cyberbullied.
Answers will vary
500
Pretend you are still writing an essay on your favorite candy bar. Write a sentence or two of reflection (can be question, connection, or lesson-learned) based on your pretend essay.
Based on the information I have provided you about Twix, why wouldn't you try it out? Like my friend always said, "Twix has all the incredible textures of chocolate, caramel, and a cookie." I remember when I ate a snickers bar and I almost cried. Lesson learned? Twix has my heart, for sure.
500
Write down on your whiteboard what type of text you should write based on the following prompt: You have now read Spiderman and Batman. Using evidence from both comic book series, write an essay convincing the reader that either Batman or Spiderman is better. Please provide three examples.
Persuasive essay because you are trying to convince the reader that one text is better than the other, even though you are using evidence from the text.
500
Please properly quote both of these passages using the steps we need to have when directly quoting an author or text: 1. "Twix is the best candy bar" -Francis Sugita 2. "Snickers is the best candy bar" -Jake Johnson
According to Francis Sugita, "Twix is the best candy bar." On the other hand, Jake Johnson states that, "Snickers is the best candy bar".
500
DAILY DOUBLE. Based on the text below, brainstorm in your group a thesis, one point, cite one piece of evidence, and write your explanation that connects your evidence to your point/thesis. Summer is almost here, and the weather is heating up. Are you drinking enough water? Many kids aren’t, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health. The study’s lead author, Erica Kenney, a scientist at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, originally planned to look into the amount of sugary drinks kids were consuming in schools. However, during her research she found that many kids were simply not drinking enough water. Kenney and her team examined data from a group of 4,000 children, ages 6 to19, between the years of 2009 and 2012. The data was taken from the National Health and Nutrition Survey, a study on the health of children in the United States conducted each year by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. While looking through the survey results, she noticed that more than half of the kids who participated were dehydrated. Of that group, boys were 76% more likely than girls to not have enough water in their system.
Answers will vary.
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