In the last chapter, we suggested that tutors address HOCs before LOCs. Some higher order concerns that you should discuss with every writer include the central idea, support, and organization.
Whenever we write, we are trying to communicate an idea. We have a central message that we want our audience to understand. Thus, any conversation about writing, including tutoring conversations, should include a discussion of the central message because to know if the writer has met their goal--communicating the central message--we need to know what the central message is.
In an essay, the central message is sometimes called the thesis statement and is usually somewhere in the first paragraph or two. You can ask the writer to tell you the central message and then point to where it is written in the essay. This will allow you to hear what the writer wants to communicate and to see if what is written matches the goal.
For essay writing in middle school or high school, the central message generally has to be something that the writer will support with evidence and is not something that is accepted as a general or simple fact. For instance, "George Washington was the first president of the United States," is not a great central message because even though you could find evidence to support this in thousands of reference books, it is common knowledge. Likewise, writing "Maya Angelou is the author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," isn't a great thesis either. It is just a statement of general fact. However, "Maya Angelou is one of the greatest American authors of the 20th century" could work as a central message.
After you've discussed the central message with the writer, it is a good idea to ask them how they support it. One approach is to ask the writer: "Tell me how each paragraph connects to your main idea." As they talk you through what is happening in each paragraph, you can discuss how it connects and how they've shown that connection for the reader.
Another thing to ask about supporting ideas is this: "What evidence do you give your reader to support your ideas?" Many essays use textual evidence (examples or quotations from a text) or personal experience to support ideas. A writer should be able to point to their evidence.
While you are talking about the supporting ideas and evidence, it is a good idea to also ask the writer, "How did you decide what order to use for your supporting ideas?" This prompts the writer to talk through their organizational choices. There usually isn't just one right way to organize, but writers need to think about an order that will make sense for their central message and for the reader. However, sometimes, an assignment requires a specific order for ideas so be sure to ask the writer if they need to follow an assignment.
As a team, practice workable writing central messages/thesis statements for the following topics:
KPop
Social media usage
Olympic games
College admissions
Climate change
Voting age in America
Fast food