1. PLANNING AND
ORGANIZING YOUR ESSAY
ENGL 106-I / Summer 2013

2. Planning
¨ Before you begin to write your essay, you should
spend some time brainstorming about your topic/
assignment, and take notes.
¨ By planning ahead, you will better be able to
organize your thoughts in a coherent and complete
manner.
¨ http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=JiOySoEv57U&list=PL64125F56F6113162

3. Prewriting Techniques
QUICKWRITING
Quickwriting is a good way to collect your ideas for
writing. Follow these instructions:
- Write fast – as fast as you can.
- Don’t worry about grammar or spelling.
- If your mind goes blank, write: I can’t think of
anything to write. I can’t think of anything to
write.
- Re-read your quickwriting and circle the ideas
you might want to use in your writing.

4. Prewriting Techniques
QUICKWRITING
Example for topic “Televisions”:
I don’t know what my opinions about television are. I watch
a little TV but I don’t like to watch TV a lot. I really hate it when I
go to someone’s house and they leave the TV on while we are
trying to hang out. I don’t know what to write. I don’t know what
to write. It makes me feel like they don’t want to talk. I think a lot
of TV shows are dumb. They are really a waste of time. It’s one
thing if a TV show is really funny. I mean, I’m not against watching
TV just for the laughs, but most of the programs aren’t even funny.
There are some…

5. Prewriting Techniques
QUESTIONING
Forming questions can help you come up with ideas for
writing. Just think about your topic and write down
any questions that come to mind. Afterward you can
go back and underline the questions that you would
like to explore further.

6. Prewriting Techniques
QUESTIONING
GENERAL
TOPIC:
TELEVISION
WHO?
O?
WHAT?
O?
WHEN?
O?
WHY?
O?HOW?
O?
WHERE?
O?
Why is there so
much violence on
TV?
Why do people
watch TV?
What makes a successful
program?

7. Prewriting Techniques
MAKING A CLUSTER DIAGRAM
Making a cluster diagram is a useful way to collect
ideas and details to use in your writing.
Step 1: Write your topic in the center of the paper and circle it.
Step 2: Think about your topic and write down any words that
come to mind. Circle each word and connect it to the closest
related word in your cluster diagram.
Step 3: Study your cluster diagram to find ideas to use in your
writing.

8. Prewriting Techniques
MAKING A CLUSTER DIAGRAM
TELEVISION
Shows
Popular
Shows
Shows I like
to watch
Shows I
don’t like
to watch
Advertising
TV
celebrities
News
Channels
Local
channels
Satellite
TV

9. Prewriting Techniques
BRAINSTORMING
Brainstorming is a good way to collect ideas for
writing. To brainstorm, think about your topic and
write down every idea that comes to mind. Don’t
evaluate your ideas. Just write.

10. Prewriting Techniques
BRAINSTORMING
Things to do when you feel sad or depressed
go visit a friend get some exercise
eat sleep
do something for someone else read a book
watch a funny movie buy some flowers
buy some new clothes go for a walk

11. Outline
I. Introduction Paragraph
II. Body/Supporting Paragraphs
III. Conclusion Paragraph

12. Outline
I. Introduction Paragraph
A good Introduction Paragraph will include:
a. A few sentences that grab the reader’s
attention and make them interested in
your essay.
b. A clear Thesis Statement

13. Outline
II. Body/Supporting Paragraphs
The majority of your essay will comprise of the
several paragraphs in which you will provide
plenty of evidence and details that will help
support your thesis statement.
It is important in these paragraphs to separate
and organize your ideas in a logical way.

14. III. Conclusion Paragraph
A complete Conclusion Paragraph will include:
a. A brief summary of the main
supporting points
b. A re-stated Thesis Statement
c. A few closing remarks

15. THINK ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE
Before you begin writing your first draft, it is important to
consider the people who will potentially be reading your
writing. The way your write and the information you
provide depends on your audience. As you write, keep
these questions in mind:
¨ Who is going to read my writing?
¨ What does my reader already know about the topic?
¨ What will be interesting to my reader?
¨ What questions will my reader have?

16. THINK ABOUT YOUR PURPOSE
It helps to have a purpose for writing other than
simply completing a class assignment. As you write,
keep in mind that you are also trying to accomplish
one or more of these goals:
¤ to inform
¤ to entertain
¤ to persuade

17. THESIS STATEMENTS

18. It is NOTHING without a THESIS
¨ The most important element of an essay, is a clear
and strong thesis statement.
¨ You must discover what point you want to make and
to write that point out as a SINGLE SENTENCE.
¨ You will then support your point (thesis) with specific
evidence.

19. Understanding Thesis Statements
A good thesis statement does 2 things:
1. It tells the reader an essay’s topic.
2. It presents the writer’s attitude, opinion,
idea, or point about that topic.

20. Owning a pet has several important benefits.
In this thesis statement, the topic is owning a pet. The
writer’s opinion is that owning a pet has several
important benefits.

21. In the following thesis statement, what is the topic and
what is the main point/opinion/attitude/idea?
The Internet has made life easier for many people.
The Internet has made life easier for many people.

22. Writing a Good Thesis
1. Write Statements, Not Announcements
The subject of this paper will be my parents.
I want to talk about the recent economic growth.
Addiction to the Internet is the topic of this essay.
These sentences are NOT thesis statements but just
announcements of a topic. Remember, a thesis
statement must make a point about a limited subject.

23. X The subject of this paper will be my parents.
My parents are the most important people in my life.
X I want to talk about the recent economic growth.
China is currently in an important stage of economic growth.
X Addiction to the Internet is the topic of this essay.
Addiction to the Internet is one of the biggest problems
facing university students today.

24. 2. Avoid Statements That Are Too Broad
Men and women are very different.
Insects are fascinating creatures.
In these examples, each statement is too broad to be
supported adequately in a student essay.

25. X Men and women are very different.
Men and women are often treated very differently in the
workplace.
X Insects are fascinating creatures.
Strength, organization, and communication make ants
one of nature’s most successful insects.

26. 3. Avoid Statements That Are Too Narrow
The speed limit near my home is 65 miles per hour.
A person must be at least 35 years old in order to be
elected president of the United States.
In these examples, there is no room in any of the
statements for support to be given. It is sometimes
called a “dead-end statement.” There is no place to
go with it.

27. X The speed limit near my home is 65 miles per hour.
The speed limit near my home should be lowered to 55
miles per hour for several reasons.
X A person must be at least 35 years old in order to be elected president
of the United States.
The requirement that a U.S. president must be at least
35 years old is unfair and unreasonable.

28. 4. Make Sure Statements Develop Only One Idea
Studying with others has several benefits, but it also has
drawbacks and can be difficult to schedule.
Teachers have played an important role in my life, but they
were not as important as my parents.
Each statement above contains more than one idea. But
remember, the point of an essay is to communicate a
SINGLE main idea to readers.

29. X Studying with others has several benefits, but it also has drawbacks and
can be difficult to schedule.
Studying with others has several benefits.
X Teachers have played an important role in my life, but they were not as
important as my parents.
Teachers have played an important role in my life.

30. Assignment – due Thursday, 6/13/13
¨ The following slide has 10 different example Thesis
Statements. Please review each and determine if it
is a good or bad Thesis Statement according to the
criteria that you just covered. You should briefly
explain why you came to that conclusion.

31. Example Thesis Statements
1. In my paper, I will be exploring whether Mathematics can actually replace other human languages as a
uniform mode of communication.
2. But despite the wide acceptance of this myth, I still firmly believe that long distance relationships are
definitely not impossible due to several reasons.
3. However, the production of genetically modified food should not be encouraged given the existing human
health risk concerns and some fundamental ethical objections.
4. In my opinion, meats are much needed and are equally important as vegetables in our daily diet. There
are many reasons why this is the case.
5. Thus, everyone should have Facebook.
6. Every aspect of this nation is rapidly changing, and it is poised to be one of the economic superpowers of
the future.
7. To retain the strong bonds, men should contact their mothers more often.
8. In the following paragraphs I will discuss this situation from 2 perspectives, which are why Americans should
work harder and why Chinese should improve social abilities.
9. I will verify this from several different perspectives; current Taiwanese economy from an outsider
perspective, the current economic situation from the inside, and my personal experience living on the island.
10. People should exercise instead taking sleeping pills in order to overcome insomnia.