Name: ______Date: ______
6B- _____ “BDC” Theme Essay ¾ SELF Checklist
Directions: USE RED or GREEN PEN. Use the checklist below to help you edit and revise your essay. To start, quietly read aloud your essay, listening for the parts of your writing that need editing or revision. As you read your work aloud, if you find anything that needs your attention, make a comment or correction on your draft. Finally, check your writing for each of the standards below ¾ one standard at a time, if possible. Put a check mark (Ö) on the blank line provided if you think your writing fully meets a standard; put an “X” on the blank line provided if you think your writing does not fully meet a standard. Finally, if you notice anything else in your writing that needs your attention, comment on or correct it on your draft. Once you’ve completed this process, revise and edit your document in Google Docs.
SELF Checklist
Standards / ScoreÖ=Met X=Not Met
INTRODUCTION
· has ~ 4-11 lines in total………………...……………………………………………
Hook has…
· a “catchy” quality: dramatic, thought-provoking, surprising, etc.
· an idea that is related to the thesis and the theme TOPIC.………….
· an idea that is general and applies to the real world, not specifically to the text………………………………………………………………...
· the characteristics of a good hook; see Notes on the Hook…………
· ~1-4 lines……………………………………………………….…………………………..
Line has…
· title, properly capitalized and punctuated…………………………………
· author, properly capitalized and spelled……………………………………
· broad text summary that includes only ideas relevant to thesis...
· no important or specific details that belong in the body ¶; Google Earth……………………………………………………………………………….
· a sense of “flow” with the hook and the sinker / thesis, blending together the ideas so that the hook, line, and sinker sound like a paragraph, not a 3-part “list”……………………………………………………...
· ~2-4 lines……………………………………………………………………………………
Sinker / Thesis has…
· a general answer to the essay assignment. In broad terms, it names the THEME TOPIC, not the theme message, not the focus..
· a sense of “flow” from the line…………………………………………………….
· an accurate, thoughtful interpretation of the theme topic………….
· 1 sentence that is ~ 1-3 lines……………………………………………………… / ______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
(over)
BODY ¶ #1· has ~ 8-19 lines in total………………...……………………………………………
Topic Sentence has…
· an idea that supports or gives a general reason for the THESIS....
· an idea that connects the THEME to a SCENE; it addresses the evidence / quote in a general way; it’s a “focus” of sorts…………….
· a logical order, compared to the other body ¶ (1st scene 1st)………
· a main idea for the entire body ¶; all SD’s in body ¶ relate to TS..
· a transition from the intro., if necessary; if not, write “NA”………..
· 1 sentence that is ~ 1-2 lines………………………………………………………
Supporting Details have…
· proper S.E.E. form, with ideas in the proper places…………………….
· Summary (~ 1-5 lines): tells a reader unfamiliar with the text (story, novel, poem, etc.) the necessary background information that leads up to your evidence so that your reader can see the evidence “in context,” meaning the evidence seems to make sense because it feels like part of a larger story, rather than seeming to “come out of nowhere”; provides plot summary, not explanation; does NOT repeat ideas from elsewhere in the essay (the line?); presents ideas in a logical order; identifies unfamiliar terms (names, places, etc.), as needed………………………
· Evidence (~ 1-4 lines): contains a relevant, powerful quote that supports your topic sentence & THESIS. The quote is properly punctuated and has a tag, stating who said the quote; to whom (if necessary); and when. It refers to an important, revealing scene from the story and illustrates the theme topic; it includes as much of the original quote as needed without extra………………
· Explanation (~ 5-8 lines): provides a convincing explanation of how your quote proves or supports the main idea in your TOPIC SENTENCE and THESIS; connects your quote to the THEME TOPIC; interprets the quote, if necessary; goes beyond the plot and provides INFERENCES that seem reasonable and thoughtful; does not simply state that the evidence proves the main idea, but instead explains WHY or HOW the evidence proves the main idea; does NOT include new plot summary or re-telling of the story; does not use the word “quote”; includes insights about the text, not the real world; discusses the deeper meaning of the evidence (irony, symbolism, motivation, character change, interpretation of figurative language: metaphor, simile, personification, etc.)….………………………………….
· transitions where necessary……………………………………………………… / ______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
(next)
BODY ¶ #2· has ~ 8-19 lines in total………………...……………………………………………
Topic Sentence has…
· an idea that supports or gives a general reason for the THESIS....
· an idea that connects the THEME to a SCENE (CLIMAX?); it refers to the evidence / quote in a general way; it’s a “focus” of sorts…..
· a logical order, compared to the other body ¶ (2nd scene 2nd)…….
· a main idea for the entire body ¶; all SD’s in body ¶ relate to TS..
· a transition from Body ¶ #1., if necessary; if not, write “NA”………
· 1 sentence that is ~ 1-2 lines………………………………………………………
Supporting Details have…
· proper S.E.E. form, with ideas in the proper places…………………….
· Summary (~ 1-5 lines): tells a reader unfamiliar with the text (story, novel, poem, etc.) the necessary background information that leads up to the evidence so that the reader can see the evidence “in context,” meaning the evidence seems to make sense because it feels like part of a larger story, rather than seeming to “come out of nowhere”; provides plot summary, not explanation; does NOT repeat ideas from elsewhere in the essay (Body ¶ #1?); presents ideas in a logical order; identifies unfamiliar terms (names, places, etc.), as needed………………………
· Evidence (~ 1-4 lines): contains a relevant, powerful quote that supports your topic sentence. The quote is properly punctuated and has a tag, stating who said the quote; to whom (if necessary); and when. It refers to an important, revealing scene from the story (CLIMAX?) & illustrates the theme topic; it includes as much of the original quote as needed without extra..
· Explanation (~ 5-8 lines): provides a convincing explanation of how the quote proves or supports the main idea in the TOPIC SENTENCE and THESIS; connects the quote to the THEME TOPIC; interprets the quote, if necessary; goes beyond the plot and provides INFERENCES that seem reasonable and thoughtful; does not simply state that the evidence proves the main idea, but instead explains WHY or HOW the evidence proves the main idea; does NOT include new plot summary or re-telling of the story; does not use the word “quote”; includes insights about the text, not the real world; discusses the deeper meaning of the evidence (irony, symbolism, motivation, character change, interpretation of figurative language: metaphor, simile, personification, etc.)….……………………………………………………………….
· transitions where necessary……………………………………………………… / ______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
(next)
CONCLUSION· has ~4-8 lines in total…………………………………………………………………
Review has…
· a ~2-4 line re-wording of the MAIN IDEAS of the essay, including the SINKER / THESIS and the TS from BOTH body ¶‘s…………….…..
· a conclusive transition……………………………………………………………….
· no new ideas or information………………………………………………………
Insight Statement is ~ 2-4 lines and has…
· the 4 main parts, in order:
1. conclusive transition: “ultimately,” “basically,” “essentially,” etc.; not “in conclusion”………………...……………
2. text reference: simple mention of the key text detail(s)…..
3. “springboard”: “demonstrates,” “illustrates,”” “illuminates,” “reveals,” etc.; not “shows”………………………...
4. real-world insight: a general observation or conclusion about life or human nature that is based upon the ideas in the rest of the essay; for the theme essay, this is a THEME MESSAGE that should fit the theme topic…......
*OPTIONAL: an extra sentence, expanding on the real-world insight. (Write N/A if writer opts not to do this.)…..
· a proper real-world insight:
o universal: idea is broad and could apply to most people; it is not specific to the particular events of the story or to a small set of people…………………………………………………………
o original: idea is stated in original terms; it is not a cliché that has been said many times before and that has lost its power as a result……………………………………………………………..
o “softened”: idea is worded to show that life is rarely always or never a certain way; uses “softening” terms like “can,” “in some cases,” “sometimes,” etc.; it is not “absolute,” 24/7, always / never, black / white………………..
o observational: idea says how life is sometimes; it does not give advice on how to live; doesn’t tell people what to do or what not to do; essentially, it is NOT a moral, telling readers how to live a good life…………………………………………
o relevant: idea seems like a logical conclusion that is based on the rest of the essay; it does not address ideas that go so far beyond the essay that they seem unrelated..
· H.I.S.: a connection between the HOOK and the INSIGHT STATEMENT, where the insight statement goes BEYOND the hook and the rest of the essay to express the broadest, most universal, and deepest idea of the entire essay; the insight statement picks up on the idea of the hook and “spins it”……….…. / ______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
(over)
Language has…· proper tone (objective, except for hook and insight statement, which may include subjective tone)……………………………………………
· clear language that flows and is easy to read and understand……
· correct spelling………………………………...……………………………………......
· accurate use of commas, quotation marks, periods, question marks, and other punctuation…………………………………………………….
· interesting vocabulary that is sophisticated, creative, and formal, rather than being “flat,” unimaginative, too casual, or slang…………………………………………………………………………………………...
· NO comma splices (Ex: Sentence, sentence.); run-ons (Ex: Sentence sentence.); or fragments (Incomplete sentences)………..
· varied wording that shows the writer’s ability to start sentences differently, using different sentence structures, not the same wording or structure from sentence to sentence (Sub ¾> verb)..
· no unnecessary repetition of ideas…………………………………………….
· present tense verbs as often as possible……………………………………. / ______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
Formatting has…
· proper document title: Last, First. 6B-? BDC Essay. COLOR……...
· a proper heading: name, date, class, assignment; the heading sits flush against the sides & the top margin………………………………
· an extra blank line between the heading and the essay……………...
· 12-point font size………………………………………………………………………..
· a straightforward font style (Times, Times New Roman, Ariel, Helvetica, Gill Sans, Cambria, etc.)………………………………………….…..
· standard margins: 1” on top & bottom; 1” on sides……………………
· 1 tab-stroke indentation for all 3 paragraphs…………………………….
· no blank lines between ¶‘s………………………………………………………….
· line-spacing set at 2 or — if it’ll save paper — at 1.5…………………..
· proper text coloring:
o COLOR 1: Hook and Insight Statement……………………………..
o COLOR 2: MAIN IDEAS: Thesis; Topic Sentences; Review….…
o COLOR 3: Both Evidence (quotes + tags)…………………………. / ______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
5