Colegio Tecnológico Americano

Teacher: Anna Julia López

Area: Writing
Week #2 Quarter 1
8th Grade

ESSAY WRITING
Topic: ESSAY WRITING

Today we will learn what an essay is, what its function is, and how to outline one.
Activity day #1
a. Activating prior knowledge: Let’s form pairs and do the matching activity I will give you.
b. Now, let’s brainstorm: What’s an essay? What are some types of essays? What are essays for?
What are the elements of an essay? What’s a thesis statement? What’s a topic sentence? What do
we include in the introduction? In the conclusion?
c. Let’s watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuOWNNvupik
d. Now, let’s read this information (we will take turns to read):
e. We will form groups of 3 or 4 people. Each group will be given with an element of an essay.
Then you will read the information I will provide you. You will prepare a poster to present your
element to your classmates. You will have 15 minutes to prepare yourselves.

Essay Outline

The outline of an essay will vary based on the length of the topic and the information you are trying to
present. However, based on the essay format, most essays tend to be a page or two in length, so the
overall essay will be around 5 paragraphs long.

The introduction will present the subject of discussion to the reader and the explanatory thesis. The body
paragraphs will then follow, backing up the thesis statement with facts, logic, statistics, etc. Lastly, the
conclusion will summarize the main points of your essay and should present an overall concluding
statement. Now, let’s break down each section into more detail.

1. Essay Introduction

The essay introduction is made up of three main components: a hook, background information and a
thesis statement. It serves as a gateway for the actual content of the essay. First of all, just like with most
types of essays, get the reader interested in the topic by presenting a hook statement. This can be an
interesting fact, relevant quote, or anything that would captivate the audience's attention.

Afterward, offer any necessary background information that may not seem like general knowledge. This
will help paint a clear picture for the reader to follow. Lastly, add the explanatory thesis at the end to
fixate the focus of your essay. This should eliminate any confusion about what will be discussed in the
body.

Introduction

 An attention grabber; a hook.

 Background information, presenting all sides of the argument.

 Thesis statement.

2. The Body Paragraphs

Most likely, unless the topic is very in-depth, the body should contain three paragraphs, each with their
point of approach. However, the general style of each body paragraph is identical. First of all, present a
topic sentence that precisely explains what information you will be introducing.
Afterward, present a position or claim that directly supports the thesis. It’s important to make sure that
the connection is evident, so the audience can easily connect the dots. Then, present the evidence found
from the research you have done. This will validate your claim and enforce your position. Lastly,
present a concluding statement that summarizes the significance of the claim in regards to the thesis
statement. Follow this systematic approach three times for each one of your claims to complete your
body.

Body (Three paragraphs)

 Identify the first argument with a topic sentence.

 Provide evidence for this topic sentence using your sources.

 Explain the evidence; connect it to your argument.

 Conclude each paragraph by solidifying your argument and explaining why it’s important.

 Use the conclusion to flow into the next paragraph.

3. Essay Conclusion

Three main components are crucial to properly finishing an explanatory essay. First of all, restate your
thesis statement. This will bring the audience's attention back to the main focal point as well as add
strength to your presented point of view.

Next, make sure to summarize your three supporting points presented in the body paragraphs
accordingly. It’s essential to restate the significance of each one concisely. This will show you that you
have logically and correctly defended your explanatory thesis, increasing the strength of your overall
writing.

Last but not least, offer an overall concluding statement. This should explain the value of the specific
point of view chosen from a global perspective

Conclusion

 Restate the thesis statement.

 Sum up all the arguments and topic sentences of your essay.

 Wrap the essay up with a conclusion and leave the audience with a final impression.

Activity day #2

 We will do our presentations today.

 After doing our presentations, we will outline an essay together. I will give you the format and
we will start outlining.