Writing Rules

……hints, strategies and tricks of the trade

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I

set him free.”

---Michelangelo

Prewriting

• Once upon a time, teachers ALWAYS required students to PREWRITE. Some students thought having to prove they were actually thinking about the essay they were going to write before they wrote anything was a stupid idea. They wanted to just start writing something that sounded good. It took them forever to figure out what their thesis statement was going to be and the end result was disappointing indeed.

Prewriting• Because the AP testers

require a reading and planning time, AP students in this class will show something that resembles PREWRITING for EVERY WRITING ASSIGNMENT.

PREWRITE!!! Or it goes in the F

STACK!

The Thesis Statement

THESIS STATEMENT

• the single, specific claim your paper will support

• A thesis statement should have 3 parts:–A limited topic/subject–A precise OPINION….AND–A blueprint of reasons to prove it

THESIS STATEMENT

• A thesis statement is NOT:–A question–A fact–A restatement of the prompt

THESIS STATEMENT

• AP essays will be short papers • A thesis statement for a short

paper WILL BE THE FIRST SENTENCE

• You will circle it to remind yourself what you are trying to prove

THESIS STATEMENT

• What are the 3 parts a GREAT thesis should have?:–A limited topic/subject–A precise OPINION….AND–A rational plan to prove it

Thesis Part I:

A LIMITED TOPIC

THESIS Part I: a limited topic

• A limited topic targets something SPECIFIC to argue

THESIS Part I: a limited topic

• What’s wrong with this thesis?

“Biographies of all types can teach us many things about the past. What was the culture? What was the language like? And what did the people say? One such book is Black Elk Speaks, which tells the story of a Sioux warrior in the late 1800s. How accurate is this book? This paper will investigate the cultural details, the language and what Black Elk actually said, in order to determine the answer.”

THESIS Part I: a limited topic

• A limited topic targets something SPECIFIC to argue

• EX: “Black Elk Speaks accurately represents Indian lifestyle through its attention to cultural detail, its use of Indian words and its direct quotes from Black Elk.”

THESIS Part I: a limited topic

• A limited topic targets something SPECIFIC to argue

• Tip/Strategy:–Cut out the crap–Get specific–Pick a side……

Thesis Part II:

YOUR PRECISE OPINION

THESIS Part II: a Precise Opinion

• Your precise opinion is what actually answers the prompt and hopefully reflects your understanding of the complexity of that prompt

THESIS Part II: a Precise Opinion

• To demonstrate college-level thinking, your opinion should NOT BE OBVIOUS

• Your opinion can NOT have “I” in it• A question is NOT an opinion• TIP/Strategy: If you write ANY question,

Anywhere in your short paper, I will put your paper in the F stack.

THESIS Part II: a Precise Opinion

• Is there anything wrong with this thesis statement?

• EX: “Black Elk Speaks fails to represent Indian lifestyle by its lack of attention to cultural detail, its misunderstanding of Indian words and its lack of quotes from Black Elk himself.”

• Answer: NO, there is nothing wrong with this thesis. Actually, this is a good thesis because it is NOT what most students will write. It is “daring.”

Thesis Part III:

Blueprint of Reasons

THESIS Part III: the Blueprint

• A blueprint is a plan that indicates how you are going to prove your thesis

• The plan provides structure and will help keep you on topic

THESIS Part III: the Blueprint

• Take time to create a GREAT thesis and writing the paper will be easier

• Use a “formula” for drafting a thesis such as:

Use a FORMULA

FORMULA for a Thesis

“Because (REASON/S), (SOMETHING)

(DOES SOMETHING).”A. Start with a dependent clause using one of these:

BECAUSE, SINCE, WHEN, WHILE, AFTER

+

B. COMMA +C. INDEPENDENT CLAUSE

D. PERIOD

FORMULA for a Thesis• ALTHOUGH (opposing evidence), (reasons)

SHOW (SOMETHING) (DOES SOMETHING).

A. dependent clause using: (Even though, Although, While + reasons…) here you can show that you acknowledge the complexity of the prompt

B. COMMA +

C. Independent clause

D. PERIOD

FORMULA for a Thesis

• (SOMETHING) (does something) because (REASONS).

A. Independent clause +

B. (because, since, when, while, although, after, even though..)

C. REASONS

Mechanics Problems• Thesis:• Handwriting:• Spelling:• Grammar:• Punctuation:• Word choice:• Sentence structure:• Essay structure:

Content Problems• Weak knowledge of the material• Weak use of facts OR over-reliance on re-

telling history • Weak use of outside information• Over reliance on “filler” and “fluff” writing

….aka “BS”– Generalizations about ideas, feelings and trends– Grand statements tying the essay to current

events

After the ThesisWriting the Paper

Writing the Paper

• Keep looking back to your thesis to make sure EVERYTHING YOU WRITE SUPPORTS IT and IN THE ORDER you put it in the thesis (PARALLELISM)

• write one solid paragraph for each part of your plan and another for a conclusion to make a relevant POINT about your thesis

• Each sentence in your paragraph will support/prove ONLY the subject you introduce in the TOPIC SENTENCE

Writing the Paper• Tip/Strategy: Learn to compose smooth

transitions between paragraphs– “echo” the thesis in every topic sentence of your

paper– Every sentence proves the topic sentence– The next paragraph should have a “HOOK” that

links the two paragraphs together (REMIND the reader your thesis is CORRECT)

• Remain COHERENT and FOCUSED on proving your thesis

Writing the Paper• EDIT for spelling errors, undotted or

uncrossed letters, grammar issues….• EDIT for the cardinal writing SINS: “I, me,

my , our, ?, Because of these reasons, “Etc.”, • SUCKY writing is painful to read, but if it

has a GREAT THESIS, well-structured paragraphs that PROVE the thesis, and FEW mechanical errors, it should get a “C-B”

Avoiding “BS”• Here is a quote: “students are so worried

about filling up the page that they just open up the valve and let the BS flow. Remember, your instructor will READ your essay, not weigh it.”

• Tip/Strategy: – Commit to doing your best to seriously respond

to every prompt– Failure to put forth an honest effort will

immediately result in “FAILURE”

Strive for Improvement• Everyone can become a BETTER writer• Take suggestions and constructive criticism

maturely and do not make the same mistakes in a future essay

• The rubric is the same for everyone• KEEP READING and LEARNING

VOCABULARY!

Punctuation

1. Independent clause.

2. Independent clause ; (semicolon) independent clause.

3. Independent clause; (therefore, however, nevertheless, consequently, furthermore, moreover) independent clause.

4. Independent clause, (and, but, or, for, nor, yet) independent clause.

Punctuation

1. (If, because, since, when, while, although, after, even though) DEPENDENT CLAUSE, INDEPENDENT CLAUSE.

2. INDEPENDENT CLAUSE (If, because, since, when, while, although, after, even though) NO COMMA DEPENDENT CLAUSE.

Punctuation• Colon : “Use the colon to call attention to what

follows, generally an explanation, a summary, a series or a quotation.”

• EX: Claire Safran points out two things that cannot be explained: “One of them is poltergeists. Another is teenagers.” (A quoted sentence after a colon begins with a capital).

• Do not use a colon when you do not have to use it– The winners were Joe, Tom, and Jerry.

……To be continued