Posted: February 28th, 2017

Present and support each reason (identified in the thesis statement) in turn Connect each reason to a value or belief held by the audience (this is how writers appeals to audience’s pathos) Organize reasons in the order of importance

Title – draft an appropriate title for your essay which should include the topic (issue) and your stance on the topic Hook – a quote, anecdote, statistic, question that grabs the reader’s attention. Note: when using a quote, be sure to introduce it using attributive tags such as [According to X, the Chairman for the Help Dallas Project, “quote quote quote” (in-text citation). Background information – introduces topic, its relevance/ what is controversial about it. Address the rhetorical situation – purpose, audience and more importantly, CONTEXT – social, political, economic, cultural, scientific, etc. Thesis: state the thesis = topic + claim + because clause (list reasons). Presentation of Writer’s position (2-4 paragraphs)

This section constitutes the main body of your essay, therefore, I expect you will develop this section at length. Present and support each reason (identified in the thesis statement) in turn Connect each reason to a value or belief held by the audience (this is how writers appeals to audience’s pathos) Organize reasons in the order of importance — important to most important. Keep your strongest arguments towards the end of this section. Style of Writing and Other Writing Issues:

Use the third person point of view exclusively! Use the first person (I, me, mine) only when discussing a personal story. Limit these to 1 or 2 – no more. Do not use the second person (you, your) AT ALL. Each body paragraph must begin with a clear topic sentence (one of the reasons that you identified in the Thesis Statement). – Chapter 17, skill 17. 5 Use transitions and Old/New Contract within each paragraph (introduction and body paragraphs). Chapter 17, skills 17. 1, 17. 6 and 17.7 Do not use phrases such as “I think”, “I believe”, “In my opinion” – these phrases are redundant because it is understood that the ideas expressed in the essay are yours, the writer’s Lastly, do not forget to include in-text citations for all research (whether they are direct quotes or paraphrases) used in this draft. Drafts submitted without any research will earn zero points. Also, drafts that incorporate research but not in-text citations will also earn zero points.