WRITING WORKSHOP: PROBLEM SOLUTION ESSAY

Name: ___________________________________ ID: ___________________ Group: ________

Watch the Class Preparation Session Video (Problem-Solution Essay) and answer the following
questions. Complete ALL the points (A-H) before class.

A. Read the following essay example and identify its parts. Use different colors to highlight
each component.
BULLYING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
COMPONENT
What if the kid you bullied at school grew up and turned out to be a surgeon
who saved your life? It is known that bullying takes verbal, physical and or
emotional aggression forms, and it is a weapon of people who want to cause
-Hook________
fear or exert power. Even though not many students are accused of bullying, -____________
its psychological, physical, or academic effects on victims have been utterly
devastating, ranging from low academic performance and low self-esteem to ____________
high depression levels, self-harming behavior and even thoughts of suicide.
What, then, can schools do? Despite bullying continues to be a worrisome -____________
problem, some measures can be taken by teachers and school
administrators, which can prevent or alleviate its impact.

Firstly, one viable solution for bullying has to do with prevention.

A bullying prevention program must be developed by policy makers, so
federal funds are received by schools to invest in two aspects: Initially,
-____________
teachers have not been trained to deal with the large amount of
-____________
psychological information on bullying. Training them should be a priority, so
they can incorporate that content in lessons. Additionally, it is suggested that -____________
audiovisual material be purchased, so the academic community can inform
themselves anytime, anywhere. It is true that some actions have been taken
in private schools, but there is a need to provide massive funding coverage
at public schools. In brief, many bullying situations will be prevented if
authorities provide the academic community with valuable tools.

Secondly, teachers can also help solve the problem by intervening potential - ____________
bullies and victims. ‘Keep an eye on bullying and take it seriously’ must be
the motto for teachers. It has been reported that bullying occurs in common -____________
spaces. The first step is for teachers to carefully supervise hallways, sports
events, lunch times, playground, and classroom, among others. When a -____________
child is being harmed or threatened either physically or verbally, the teacher
should immediately stop it. Then, the social worker or counsellor must be
involved, so the bullying case is treated professionally. Summing up, if
teachers achieve synergy and join efforts to identify bullying, children
involved will be given appropriate and fair treatment. - ___________
All in all, bullying continues being a troubling problem with disastrous -___________
consequences for some, but there are strong preventive and corrective
actions that can be taken. First, there is a clear need for government funding -___________
to public schools’ prevention programs, which can tackle the problem.
Furthermore, teachers’ role is crucial when trying to spot existing cases as
children carry out their daily activities. In conclusion, schools remain a - Linking words
relatively safe place for children to be, and every teacher, staff member and (find all of them)
parent must work to maintain that atmosphere.

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 B. From the solutions proposed in the previous essay (paragraphs 2 and 3), identify the
WHAT, the WHO and the HOW.

Solution 1:
What?:
Who?:
How?:
Solution 2:
What?:
Who?:
How?:
C. HOOKS
The hook is one or more sentences at the beginning of the introduction which gets the reader’s
attention. There are various types:
1. A striking fact or statistic: Try to surprise and impress your reader with an interesting fact related
to your topic. Only about 3% of earth’s water is fresh, drinking water
2. A question: Make sure it is interesting and leads towards your thesis topic:
Have you ever stayed up all night to study for an exam, only to sleep through your exam the next
morning?
3. A definition: While dictionary definitions are ok, it is better to try to paraphrase whenever you can.
Luke (1990) affirmed that business is more than just an exchange of funds for services or goods.
4. A quote or paraphrase: If you use a quote, make sure that it is relevant to your problem and thesis.
Avoid overused quotes or clichés. The film director Woody Allen said, “Those who can’t teach,
teach gym.”

D. Read the following sentences and determine what kind of hook they are (definition,
striking fact, etc)
a. Can you imagine how much a single day can cost if you live in Tokyo? _________________
b. The pentagon has twice as many bathrooms as are necessary_____________________
c. Schindler's List portrays the horrific acts of German concentration camps in World War II
_____________________
d. “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” (John F
Kennedy) ______________
e. Cigarettes are the primary cause of cancer_____________________
f. Every year from 2011-2015 about 20 million hectares of forest was cut down _____________
g. What would you do if the teacher you admire the most turned out to be a criminal? _________

E. THESIS STATEMENT:
Read the example and identify the parts of the following thesis statements:
Even though mass logging has been a troubling problem for the Amazon rainforest, there are two
viable solutions that can be adopted to stop this crime.
Problem: mass logging Statement affirming that there are solutions: there are two viable
solutions that can be adopted to stop this crime.

Identify and highlight the parts of the following theses statement, based on the example above.
Use colors. Problem: purple; statement affirming that there are solutions: blue
Water shortage is a terrible problem suffered by many, but it can be solved if the government
and communities work together

Even though the consequences of unemployment are devastating, there are two viable solutions
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 that can be adopted to solve the problem.

Despite internet privacy vulnerability is a real issue, there are important safety measures that
can drastically reduce this problem.

F. Check your Thesis Statement again, based on your chosen topic and clustering activity.
You need to check your portfolio work - If you don’t have clear ideas yet, surf the net and
read more about the problem. Use one of the following models:

Some models for phrasing a Thesis Statement:

 In spite of this _____ problem, there are two viable solutions that lessen the problem.
 Despite this problem is _____, there are a couple of solutions that can
prevent/alleviate/solve this issue.
 Although (problem) is a _____ problem, there are some measures taken by ________
which can solve it.
 Nevertheless, (problem) can be solved if the following actions are taken.
 Even though this is a _____ issue, ________ can take some measures
 Despite these facts, there are some measures taken by __________, which can alleviate
this serious problem ____________________

Your Thesis Statement!

Write the FINAL VERSION of your Thesis here, no more than 30 words
You Problem:
Your Thesis Statement:

G. Read some transition words and phrases. You will apply some in your paragraphs, later.
To indicate more information: To indicate an example: To summarize:
* Besides, Furthermore, In addition, *For example, For instance, In *Briefly, In brief, Overall,
Indeed, In fact, Moreover particular, Particularly, Specifically, Summing up, To put it briefly, To
* Second...Third..., etc. To demonstrate, To illustrate. sum up, To summarize.
Furthermore, entrepreneurs have Particularly, the amazon rainforest In brief, globalization has
created 10% of the jobs in various has lost around 15% of its area, only generated a big demand of
countries. in Brazil. situated learning approaches.

To indicate a cause or reason: To indicate a result or an effect: To conclude:

*Because, Because of, Due to, Due
to the face that, Since, Owing to.
Because of the high rate of
unemployment, there is a growing
trend of people migrating…
*Accordingly, Consequently, Hence,
So, Therefore, Thus.
Consequently, the growth rate of
music studios has decreased
dramatically.
*Given these facts, All in all, On
the whole, In conclusion, To
conclude.
On the whole, the two main
causes of unemployment are...

H. Finally, copy-paste this completed workshop onto your Writing Portfolio (Teams), with
today’s date. Excellent job! You are ready for class 😊