2.12 The First Draft

Using Your Evidence

Be sure to include paraphrasing and quotes from your research. Refer to the notes you took on your book and other sources so that you can include specific evidence from your readings to support your points. All ideas not your own must be correctly cited.

Preparing to Write

In this lesson, you will use your reading notes and your research to complete a first draft of an essay. You have already created a thesis statement, an introductory paragraph, and an outline for your response. Next you need to write the paragraphs that explain your supporting evidence, and then you must finish your essay with a conclusion. Make sure you keep your resources close by so you can refer to them as you write. This will dramatically strengthen your essay.

Body Paragraphs

Remember to use the stoplight approach as you work: Green (go) = Topic sentence Yellow (slow down) = Example, reason, detail, or fact Red (stop) = Explanation of example, reason, detail, or fact Write your body paragraphs using the stoplight approach in your First Draft Document.

Review

Take a moment to review your writing to make sure it meets all the requirements. If there is anything you can improve, do that now! parts of an essay to learn more about what you can do to revise your work... Introduction: Your introductory paragraph gives readers a chance to get to know what your essay is all about. This is the place where you "hook" readers to get their interest, and then you provide supporting details that lead up to your controlling idea. Take this time to polish your introductory paragraph, paying attention to the following questions: -Is your controlling idea a clear message? -Do you provide effective examples to prepare the reader for the rest of the essay? -Is your hook interesting? Body Paragraphs: Your body paragraphs are where the real substance of your essay should appear. This is the place where you inform readers about your topic and you support the controlling idea you stated in your introduction. Take this time to polish your body paragraphs, paying attention to the following questions: -Are your transitions clear? -Do you provide effective examples to support your controlling idea? -Does your information "flow" logically? Conclusion: Your conclusion is where you synthesize everything you have covered in your essay and you leave your readers with something to do or think about. This is not where you simply restate your controlling idea or your topic sentences; instead, your conclusion is a place to signal the end of your essay and the beginning of further thought for the readers. Take this time to polish your conclusion, paying attention to the following questions: -Have you synthesized your information? -Do you leave the reader with something to do or think about?

Transitional Words and Phrases

To Give an Example For example, for instance, to illustrate, specifically, such as To Contrast On the contrary, but, however, nevertheless, in contrast, yet, on one hand, on the other hand, rather, or nor, at the same time, while To Add And, in addition to, furthermore, too, also, another, equally important, finally, not only-but also, as well as, similiarly, as a result, consequently, in the same way, therefore To Acknowledge a Different Perspective Although, even though, while, in spite of, meanwhile To Emphasize Above all, indeed, truly, of course, certainly, surely, in fact, really, again, besides, also, furthermore, in addition To Show a Relationship Between Ideas So that, consequently, hence, accordingly, for this reason, therefore, so, because, since, due to, as a result, in other words, then

Using Transitions

When you write, you must make sure your thoughts flow together smoothly. This is where transitions become helpful! Transitions are more than a single word stuck at the beginning of a paragraph. They may be phrases or even whole sentences. The job of a transition is to show how your ideas are connected.

Your Conclusion

With the body of your paper complete, it is time to wrap things up and synthesize your thoughts for the reader. This is known as the conclusion. You may recall the three useful strategies for a successful conclusion: To signal closure~ -use words such as "finally," "clearly," "from these examples, we can see that..." -make a bold statement using the power of language or structure to influence readers To synthesize~ -walk away from your writing and explain what you have learned about the topic to someone (this will help you to resist the old habit of restating your main ideas) -think of synthesis as capturing your key points and commenting on their significance -ask yourself: What ideas did I analyze throughout my essay and what do those ideas tell me about language, life, or humanity? To challenge your readers~ -tell them directly to take a specific action -show them the effects of a changed way of thinking or acting Tips you can use~ Remember! There is no need to repeat sentences from your essay. Trust that your reader has already read everything you wrote. Instead, make sure your conclusion leaves the readers with something to think about.

Introduction

You have already written your introduction, but that does not mean you are done with it! Now it is time to revise. Open the introductory paragraph you have already written and refer to the feedback your instructor gave you. Make changes to improve your writing in this paragraph. Keep your changes in a new document that you will call your First Draft.