This page has resources and information for writing an essay.

Evidence-Based Writing Process

Brainstorming/Prewriting

• Journal Writing - prompts that are open-ended enough for students to explore their own ideas, questions, concerns, and values

Feedback - for inquiry-based research papers, I give students feedback on their initial brainstorming to help guide them in developing research topics that are appropriately rigorous.

Reading & Research

Students submit their annotations and/or notes as evidence of their comprehension and critical thinking as readers.

• Annotating - Annotation Rubric | General Annotation Guidelines | Poetry Annotation Guidelines

• Note-Taking - Dialectical Journal  Overview | Dialectical Journal Template | Gather Information Worksheet | Other Note-Taking Strategies 

Feedback - for inquiry-based research papers, I give students feedback on their initial brainstorming to help guide them in developing research topics that are appropriately rigorous

Synthesis

Students are guided in synthesizing ideas and information to develop a complex understanding and to analyze the issue or concept from multiple perspectives. Sometimes I have students submit their reading and synthesis notes together for a summative grade; other times I grade them separately as formative grades. 

• Reflect & Respond Questions - Questions for Discussion & Writing | Example Reflect & Respond Questions

• Depth & Complexity Questions - Depth & Complexity Webpage | Create Questions Worksheet

• Discussion - Discussion Strategies Webpage | Example Synthesis & Discussion Lesson | Online Discussion Post Rubric

Synthesizing Sources from Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Prewriting

Sometimes I count the outline & thesis as a summative grade. 

• Outline & Thesis - Outline & Thesis Lesson Example | Outline & Thesis Lesson for Research Paper | Example Outline & Thesis for Research Paper 

Feedback - for inquiry-based research papers, students are required to meet with me for an individual conference to review their outline and thesis; I generally do not allow students to begin writing their essay until they demonstrate a basic sense of structure in their outline and thesis. 

First Draft

The first draft is handwritten during class without access to computers or phones. Students may use notes (including annotated readings, journal writing, and typed work that I have printed for them). For research essays, I do allow students to type their first draft and work on it at home because by the time they get to the drafting stage I am familiar with the details of their background work, and I can tell whether or not they wrote it themselves.  

• Students are expected to provide claim, evidence and commentary in their body paragraphs, and they should demonstrate sound structure and reasoning in their draft. 

• Expressing Critical Thinking Rubric

• Evidence-Based Writing Rubric

• Example Instructions

Creative Product

I encourage students to create a work of literature (poetry, fiction, drama) or art (drawing, painting, sculpture, music, video, etc.)  that is inspired by their reading. The work of art should be accompanied by a one-paragraph author's/artist's commentary in which they discuss their inspiration, creative process, challenges, ideas, etc. 

Revision

For revisions, I usually group students according to what they need to work on. For example, with the most recent essay, I had students focus on basic essay structure and alignment of their claim, evidence and commentary in their body paragraphs. 

• Differentiation & Grouping Slides

• Claim, evidence, and commentary alignment - differentiated assignments: 

  • Reverse Outline Worksheet

  • Essay Builder

  • Checklist to Revise, Edit and Type Your Essay

• Bibliography/Works Cited

Feedback & Individual Conferences - I review students' revision work, and I update their draft grade based on the quality of their revision work. For students who are having difficulty with writing and revision, I work with them individually during tutorial to help them with revision.

Second Draft

Students submit a typed draft that has been revised, edited and formatted. The second draft counts as the last summative grade for the unit.

• Evidence-Based Writing Rubric

Essay Writing Resources

Embedding Quotes

Suggested Ways to Introduce Quotations - webpage from Columbia College in Maryland

Integrating Quotations into Sentences - webpage from Illinois Valley Community College

Embedded Quotes - handout from Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania explains

• how to "sandwich" a quote

• when to use an ellipsis

• when to use brackets

• Signal Phrases handout from Antioch University Writing Center

• Signal Phrases webpage from St. Louis Community College

• Quote Sandwich webpage from St. Louis Community

Using Quotations from Literary Texts in Your Literary Analysis Papers - handout from The Writing Center at University of Wisconsin - Madison

Quotations in Literary Analysis - handout from Humble ISD

Tips on Citing a Poem in MLA Style - by By Jennifer Betts on Bibliography.com; includes an excellent image that diagrams how to cite lines of poetry

In-Text Citation (MLA 9) - from Penn State

More Resources for Essay Writing

How to Make Your Writing More Sensitive – and Why It Matters by Melissa Haun: This is a helpful guide for writers. As stated by one reader, "This guide really helped me understand how one can enhance interaction by creating a safe and inclusive environment for communication. When writers are mindful of the reader's emotions and experiences, they can establish a sense of trust and empathy. This can encourage readers to engage more deeply with the content and feel comfortable sharing their own thoughts and feelings."