For more help, view a condensed, more visual model of this format.
| Beginning: (create interest, orient the audience) [1 paragraph] |
| Reach out to your audience Start with a "real-life" detail of some kind, such as an incident you saw or experienced that is relevant to your topic. Your audience will feel involved if you are involved. So give them something real and familiar with your FIRST sentence. Show them that you are paying attention and that you are capable of describing something real and personal. Avoid saying anything general or opinionated because your audience has no reason to trust you yet (save your opinions for the ending). They do not even know you are going to discuss yet. You must speak to them in a way that lets them in, but do not address them with any form of the word "YOU" in your paper. Prepare your audience This part and the next two will set up your main idea for the essay. Imagine your reader asking, "Why should I listen to you? What do I need to know first?" Give background information that your audience needs to know up front. Make yourself trustworthy, and give the audience a sense that you are leading them to an important insight or choice. You cannot persuade unless you care about your audience and how they might perceive you. This part of the paper should naturally follow the details you used to "reach out" to them. Preview your argument The stages of your discussion should not be stated as a list IN your thesis but should be mentioned BEFORE your thesis. Each stage makes a point that helps your reader believe that your thesis statement is true and reasonable. There should be a logical connection between your stages (what KIND of connection depends on the type of essay you are writing); the stages should work TOGETHER to prove ONE main point: your thesis. Writing your stages here is a way to set up your paper for the audience so that your thesis statement does not sound like it comes out of nowhere. State your thesis, the MAIN point of your paper Make a statement that you think is both true and persuasive. It should direct the audience toward a choice or a way of thinking that they do not already agree with. So your thesis cannot be a statement of fact or a self-evident truth. A great thesis will be a single idea--it brings the topic to focus and tells the reader your position. To get a thesis that works with your stages, you will have to go through some trial and error. |
| Middle: (Present stages, one paragraph per stage) [2-3 paragraphs] |
| For EACH middle paragraph: Transition and topic sentence The topic sentence starts the paragraph and represents one of your stages. If you need a transitional hook, ask yourself, "what is the relationship of THIS stage to the PREVIOUS one?" The answer is your transition. Of course, if your transitions are solid and true, you often won't need to write a hook. Details to support topic sentence Illustrate using concrete examples from real life, personal stories, logical deduction, etc. Closing statement to explain your support No writer should simply give evidence. Every paragraph should have a closing sentence or two to explain what the evidence is showing. No claim is self-evident, so proof must be demonstrated AFTER evidence is given. Ask yourself, "how is this stage related to my thesis?" |
| Ending: (Answer the crucial question "so what?") [1 paragraph] |
| Explain importance of proving your thesis Clarify why the point of your essay is important. In other words, discuss the significance of your thesis. Why is it relevant? Why does it matter? The WORTH of your thesis is not self-evident. DO NOT repeat your thesis; instead, imagine your audience asking, "Why should I care? How is this topic important to me and others I care about?" New information to help apply the thesis Save some recent developments or information to add body to your conclusion. Keep the attention of your reader. Do not use a bunch of general conclusion cliches to finish your essay; instead, apply the relevance of your thesis by extending your attention to the topic. Satisfy reader with a closing statement Discuss the benefits of taking your position; give a warning or call for action; suggest a solution or another problem. Or you can raise issues that leave your audience thinking and wondering. You have lots of choices, but you may not repeat. |
