Effort Evidence Evaluation Efficiency Editing
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Follow the five stars to essay writing:
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Effort: Essay writing is not always the easiest task, in order to get a good grade you must put in the correct effort.
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Evidence: Finding and using the correct evidence, the best examples to support your claim, evidence that is clear and easy to understand
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Evaluation: The reasoning you use in your essay to make a connection between the evidence and essay task, building a rational explanation for your claim, providing analysis that shows an understanding of the historical context, geographic context, and/or the main ideas of the essay topic.
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Efficiency: Using and maintaining a formal style of writing that follows the conventions of standard written English; Organize your ideas in a cohesive and coherent manner, having an essay with paragraph that are clearly planned and well balanced, paying careful attention to sentence structure, word use, and transitions from sentence to sentence, or paragraph to paragraph. Being precise and to the point when necessary.
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Editing: ​​​
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ensures your written message matches what you were trying to say​
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helps condense and improve efficiency in your writing
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questions your flow of thought ensuring there's good logic
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check for overused words, edit transition words, check to see if your sentences are clear, etc.
Essay tips/rules and tips:
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Read the directions and essay tasks first, do not move on until you understand them (The task tells you what to write your essay about).
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Use an outline to help you organize your essay.
YOUR ESSAY MUST INCLUDE:
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A thesis statement/Claim: this is when you take the task or essay question and re-word it to state what the essay will be about.
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A topic sentence: is an introduction sentence to the body paragraph and each body paragraph needs one. The essay tasks, or question tell you what topics to focus on.
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Re-word the tasks or question to start your body paragraphs
SECTIONS OF THE ESSAY:
Introduction: this is always the first paragraph, include a thesis statement, and basic facts about your topic, who, when and where. Make sure you introduce what the essay will be about. This can be 4-5 sentences long, no less!!!
Body Paragraphs: Each body paragraph must be about a different topic, and start with a topic sentence. They are 4-5 sentences long, no less!!! For a DBQ you must include outside related information.
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Information from the documents/text in the body paragraphs, each time you use a document you must state (according to document #, or as stated in text#)
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Must include OUTSIDE RELATED INFORMATION: this is information not found in the short answer documents. It can be something simple but it has to be from your memory not the documents.
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Provide a wrap-up sentence that tells the reader how and why the information supports your thesis
Conclusion: Restate the thesis, and write a summary of the main points of your essay. This can be 3-4 sentences, no less!!!
COMMON PHRASES TO AVOID:
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This essay will be about, I will prove, I think, We, You, You will see, in my opinion.
WEAK WORDS: avoid using weak in an essay. They are weak either because they are overused or because they are a sign that you are not expressing yourself fully.
ACADEMIC WORDS: your essay will also be graded based on ‘word-choice’, the words you choose to express your ideas and make transitions from one topic to another will affect the conciseness of your essay.
T-Topic Sentence
E-Evidence (use an appropriate quote)
B-Bridge (explain your evidence/transition sentence between evidence and analysis)
A-Analysis
CC-Counter Claim (only in final body paragraph)
L-Link