Organization and Structure Writing Practice: Intro-Thesis-Body Skeleton of Essay
Directions: This activity is designed to give you practice with constructing the essential parts of an essay in terms of guiding you, the writer, towards producing a focused and coherent product.
After receiving the context for which you will be writing, you will produce a 2-4 sentence introduction with your thesis statement at the end of your introduction. Your thesis must be a debatable claim (opinion) followed by two to three subtopics. The subtopics will then become the foundation of your argument. Each body paragraph must contain a topic sentence that explicitly refers to a subtopic in your thesis. Remember that each topic sentence must be in the same order as the subtopics appear in your thesis.
Also keep in mind that you will not write an entire essay for this activity. You are only writing an introduction with a thesis, 3 different topic sentences—one for each body paragraph—and the beginning of your conclusion (5 paragraphs overall). After doing this, you will hopefully come away having learned how to write an introduction with a clear thesis statement, clear topic sentences for 3 body paragraphs (each an extension of the subtopics in your thesis), and the first one or two sentences of your conclusion (in other words the structure and organization of an effective essay). You will use this structure for each essay in my class, but hopefully you will also adhere to it in other classes. You will refer to the thesis handout I gave you a couple of weeks ago and follow the thesis formula that is shown on that sheet when constructing yours. See the following example to give you an idea of how this activity should look:
Context (that is, what you are writing about): Top selling SUV in America
Intro.: Vehicle sales contain many aspects that one must take into account when analyzing data to determine number one selling vehicle rankings. Such data might vary from marketing strategies to car reliability, to name a few. The Buick Enclave continues to outperform its competitors in regards to best selling SUV’s in America due to its mechanical reliability, marketing strategies employed by the seller, and its unparalleled fuel efficiency.
(1st body paragraph will address 1st subtopic. Be sure to hit the tab key as a means to indent the first sentence)
The mechanical reliability of the Buick Enclave is by far the number one contributor to its ranking as top selling SUV in America. It has an engine that rarely fails. According to Tommy Bonejangles, editor-in-chief of Vehicle Sales Quarterly and one of the leading researchers in automobile sales, “The Enclave’s motor, unlike other Sport Utility Vehicle engines, has shown a level of endurance and function that is rare in SUV’s these days…and statistics show that only 1 in 200 engines suffer a major defect in its first five years” (14). Not surprisingly, his assertion…
2nd body paragraph will address 2nd subtopic
It is difficult not to take into account the marketing strategies of vehicle sellers when considering factors for successful sales. Enter the Enclave’s marketing strategists.
3rd body paragraph will address 3rd subtopic
Not of least importance when determining reasons as to why the Buick Enclave has surpassed other SUV’s in terms of sales, is the vehicle’s fuel efficiency. The latter aspect is far too critical for buyers to overlook when it comes to factors to consider when buying an SUV. With gas prices remaining relatively high, and for the most part, unpredictable, one must rely on critical data to drive their search for dependable and affordable vehicles: “In this volatile economic market…one must be cognizant of oil prices…when it comes to the vehicle market” (Perez 281). As research may suggest,…
Conclusion (5th overall paragraph)
(Here you will first start with the restatement of the thesis statement. Secondly, this should contain a summary of the main points from the body of your essay. Next, it should objectively demonstrate how you’ve proven your point of view. Finally, remember that no new points should be added in this paragraph.