Writing Workshop 1

Name: Mariana Garnica Castro ID:0000279174

Watch the Class Prepara on Session Video (Cause/E ect Essay) and answer the following
ques ons. Complete ALL the points (A-H) before class.
A. Read the following essay example and iden fy its parts. Use di erent colors to highlight
each component.

Physical Appearance?
COMPONENT

Have you ever felt you care too much about your physical image, especially -Hook________
when you are at work? Excessive worrying about physical appearance is -Background
sometimes an ‘obsession’, and it is a problem that has a ected both, women
-Thesis
and men, especially over the past fi een years. Nowadays, more and more
people have become too concerned about their appearance due to the need
for professional success, and the pressure that the mass media puts.

Firstly, people generally think that the body image is necessary for
professional success. In fact, some recent studies a irm that the physical -Topic sentence
appearance is the most important fact which determines if a person is hired
-Suppor ng idea
or not at a company. It is common to hear that people feel at a disadvantage
when competing for a job promotion with physically a ractive people, fact -Closing sentence
that a ects their career possibilities. In brief, a person’s necessity to be
successful is a cause of an exaggerate interest in their self-image.

A second cause for people to be too concerned about their appearance is the -Topic sentence
pressure of social media. People are active consumers these days, and the
media take advantage of this fact showing stereotypes of ‘perfect’ women or
-Suppor ng idea
men which people imitate, fact a ributed to di erent psychological processes. -Closing sentence
For instance, public commercials are currently exposing a ‘perfect life’ and a
false need for people to pursue it, and that starts with an a ractive physical
appearance. In short, social media has presented ‘beauty’ as a priority for
professional success.

On the whole, the need for career success, and the pressure by social media
are the main causes of an exaggerate worry by people about their -Restatement thesis
appearance. First, the speed at which the world goes nowadays has put -Summary/main points
pressure on everyone to look a ractive as part of their success, and, second, -Concluding sentence
stereotypes shown on commercials also make people believe they must be
‘beautiful’. In conclusion, families should promote critical thinking and strong - Linking words
values; if that occurs, societies’ a ention will turn to what really ma ers to be
successful.

ti
ff

ti
ti

ti
tt
tt
tt

ft
ff
ti
ff
tt

ff

tt
ff
tt
ff
 B. Iden fy if the following topics and ques ons refer to Causes (C) or E ects (E).

- Reasons for the World War II C

- Why do people become obese? C

- Consequences of Free-Trade Agreements E

- Reasons for low grades in schools C

- What causes unemployment? C

- E ects on the intake of alcoholic drinks E

- Why do enterprises re their employees? C

C. HOOKS
The hook is the rst sentence of your introduc on which captures the a en on of the reader.
There are various types:

1. A de ni on: While dic onary de ni ons are ok, it is be er to try to paraphrase whenever you can.

Luke (1990) a rmed that business is more than just an exchange of funds for services or goods.

2. A quota on or paraphrase: If you use a quote, make sure that it is relevant to your topic,
background informa on or your thesis. Avoid overused quotes or clichés. The lm director Woody
Allen said “Those who can’t teach, teach gym.”

3. A li le-known or striking fact: Try to surprise and impress your reader with an interes ng fact
related to your topic. Don’t forget to cite! “A cockroach can carry more than 40 di erent
pathogens that could spread to humans” (Stevens, 2008).

4. A ques on: Make sure it will catch the reader’s a en on and lead toward your thesis topic:

Have you ever stayed up all night to study for an exam, only to sleep through your exam the next
morning?

D. Read the following sentences and determine what kind of hook they are (de ni on,
striking fact, etc)
a. Can you imagine how much a single day can cost if you live in Shibuya, Tokyo? Ques on

b. The pentagon has twice as many bathrooms as are necessary Striking fact
2
ff

tt
ti
fi
ti
ti

ti

ffi
fi

fi
ti
ti

fi

ti
ti

tt

ti
ti
tt

ff

fi
tt
ff
ti
ti
fi
ti

ti

 c. Schindler's List portrays the horri c acts of German concentra on camps in World War II
De ni on
d. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” (John F
Kennedy) Quota on
e. Cigare es are the primary cause of cancer Striking fact

f. Did you know that only 2.5% of the earth water is drinkable? Ques on

E. THESIS STATEMENT
What are some signal words to focus on causes or e ects? Write C (cause) or E (e ect) next to each
word. Use your dic onary when necessary.
to cause __E___ due to C is the result of E to a ect E
to result in E to promote C to provoke C because of E
is caused by C to impact C are reasons for C to lead to E
to have e ects on C is a consequence of E are causes of C to result from E

F. Iden fy the parts of the following thesis statements: (Keep in mind: the sentence
organiza on of the Thesis is not always the same)
Example: Pollu on and unemployment are consequences of industrializa on in ci es.
Topic: ___industrializa on in ci es__ Focus: are consequences of E ect 1: _pollu on E ect
2: unemployment

-
O shoring results in economy e ciency, on the one hand, but also in loss of local jobs, on the other
hand.
Topic: Economy e ciency Focus: On the one hand/ on the other E ect 1:O shoring results
E ect 2: Loss of local Jobs

- Industrializa on and lack of jungle protec on are causes of excessive logging.

Topic: Excessive Logging Focus:Are causes of Cause 1:Industrializa on Cause 2: Lack of jungle protec on

- Two consequences of excessive intake of fast food are people’s health and psychological problems.
Topic: Excessive intake of fast food Focus:Two consequences of E ect 1:People’s health
E ect 2: Psychological problems

- Lack of potable water in the world is caused by social inequality and destruc on of the environment
Topic: Lack of potable water in the world Focus:Is caused by Cause 1: Social inequality
Cause 2: Destruc on of the environment

G. Now it is your turn!

STEP 1: Write your essay topic that you chose in the CPS (example: causes of unemployment). Go to
“Teams or One Drive”, and look for the Topic, it should also be in your por olio.

TOPIC FOR YOUR ESSAY:

______________________________________________________________________________________

ff
ff

ff
fi
ti

ti
tt

ff
ti

ti


ti

ti
ti
ffi

ti

ti

ffi

fi
ti







ti

ff

ti




ti
ff

ti

ff
ff
ti
ff

ti

ff
tf

ti
ff

ti

ff
ti

 STEP 2: Brainstorm: Complete the following boxes with general ideas or keywords. Remember to
read and look for informa on to support your causes/e ects.
Support

With the fast development of technology, there are more and more
entertainment sites on the internet that with a moderate use can favor
Cause / E ect 1 a recrea onal and even learning space for children, through di erent
interac ve games, audiovisual resources, among others. However, if its
use is not properly controlled, it can trigger a strong addic on to the
Lack of regula on in the use of Internet and dependence.
Topic: the internet / Development of
Example (?)
technological addic ons
The e ects of the easy “The OMS has indicated that being so exposed to the Internet can lead
to the development of an addic on in children that has so far recorded
access to internet on 1.6 million of clinical cases.”
children Cause / E ect 2
Support
Spending a lot of me playing
online video games / Lower Many children spend much of their me consuming content found on
the Internet, mainly online video games, videos on YouTube, online
academic performance movies, etc. There is nothing wrong with this, as it is part of their
development, however the problem lies in the fact that many mes they
can spend hours si ng in front of a screen and forget about the
ac vi es they should be doing, avoiding their academic responsibili es,
homework, etc.

Example (?)

“School failure a ects 29% of young people who use the computer more
than 3 hours a day; 20% of those who use it between 2 and 3 hours; 17%
H. YOUR THESIS! of the group who use it between 1 and 2 hours; and 16% of students
who use the computer less than one hour a day.”

Write the parts of your thesis statement based on the

previous diagram (G, Step 2). Remember it must have 3 parts: Topic, Focus, 2 Causes or 2 e ects.
Look at examples in point F (no more than 25 words)
Your topic: (causes of… e ects of…) The e ects of the easy access to internet on children
Focus on words that you want to use (check in point E): To a ect, to have e ects on, is a
consequence of, to result from.
Cause or E ect 1: Development of technological addic ons
Cause or e ect 2: Lower academic performance
What ques on(s) do I have for class?

WRITE YOUR COMPLETE THESIS HERE (write no more than 25 words)

- Two consequences of easy access to internet on children are the

development of technological addic ons and lower academic
performance

________________________________________________________________________________

ti
ti
ti

ti
ff

ff
ff

ff
ff
ti

ff
ti
tti

ti
ti

ti
ff
ti
ti

ti
ff
ti
ti
ff

ti

ti
ff

ff

ff

ff

 I. Finally, copy-paste this completed workshop onto your Wri ng Por olio (Teams), with
today’s date.

Excellent job! You are ready for class 😊

ti
tf