Freshman Writing Bootcamp (Teacher Copy)
Freshman Writing Bootcamp (Teacher Copy)
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
TOPIC: PAGE #:
➢ 1. The Writing Process 1-8
➢ 4. INTRODUCTIONS 15-17
➢ 5. CONCLUSIONS 17-18
➢ 7. Additional Resources 20
1. THE WRITING PROCESS
KEY TERMS TO KNOW:
TERM: DEFINITION/EXAMPLE:
Prompt Definition: Essay prompts are statements that focus on a topic or an issue, followed by
questions. The purpose of an essay prompt is to inspire a response in the form of an
essay, which will assess your writing, reasoning, and analytical skills.
Examples: How does the setting affect the main character? How does the main character
overcome a problem? How does the author use symbolism to communicate a theme?
Requirements Definition: Essay requirements are the specific elements your teacher is requiring for that
specific essay.
Examples: The number of pages or paragraphs, the number of quotations or sources, etc.
Brainstorming Definition: Brainstorming is the process of generating ideas or solutions before you start
writing an essay.
Examples: quick-writes, mind maps, bullet points, etc.
Graphic Organizer Definition: A graphic organizer is a visual display that demonstrates relationships between
facts, concepts or ideas. A graphic organizer guides the learner's thinking as they fill in
and build upon a visual map or diagram.
Draft Definition: A draft is a preliminary or initial version of a piece of writing that will ultimately
have multiple versions.
Examples: rough draft vs. final draft
Formatting Definition: Formatting is the specific way in which your final piece of writing will be
presented to your reader.
Examples: MLA (font, size, spacing, etc.)
Revision/Revising Definition: Revision literally means to “see again,” to look at something from a fresh,
critical perspective. It is an ongoing process of rethinking the paper: reconsidering your
arguments, reviewing your evidence, refining your purpose, reorganizing your
presentation, reviving stale language/word choice, etc.
Editing/ Definition: Editing involves looking at each sentence carefully, and making sure that it's
well-designed and serves its purpose. Proofreading involves checking for grammatical and
Proofreading punctuation errors, spelling mistakes, etc.
1. Cross out any extraneous “fluff” 2. Circle key action verbs that instruct
words or phrases you to do something
3. Draw an arrow from each circled word to 4. Rewrite a shortened version of the prompt
what the word tells you to do below the original
PRACTICE ATTACKING THE PROMPT:
Often in works of literature, a relationship between two characters leads to problems. From a
work of literature you have read in or out of school, select two characters whose relationship
leads to problems. In a well-developed essay, describe the characters’ relationship and how it leads
to problems, and explain how their experience is important to the work as a whole.
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS:
SINGLE BODY PARAGRAPH GRAPHIC ORGANIZER:
Topic Sentence:
CONTEXT:
EVIDENCE:
ANALYSIS:
CONCLUSION SENTENCE:
- Benjamin Franklin
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1. THE WRITING PROCESS
FULL FIVE PARAGRAPH ESSAY GRAPHIC ORGANIZER:
INTRODUCTION:
Hook:
THESIS STATEMENT:
CLINCHER/”MIC DROP”:
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1. THE WRITING PROCESS
ONCE YOU HAVE ORGANIZED YOUR IDEAS, IT’S TIME TO
WRITE A DRAFT.
(This essentially means typing up and formatting the information already written in your graphic organizer.)
EDITING
“Rewriting is the
essence of writing well
— where the game is
won or lost.”
— William Zinsser
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1. THE WRITING PROCESS
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REVISING AND
EDITING MY WRITING?
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1. THE WRITING PROCESS
GENERAL REVISION TIPS:
1. Find your main point. What are you trying to say in the paper? In other words, try to
summarize your thesis, or main point, and the evidence you
are using to support that point. Try to imagine that this paper
belongs to someone else. Does the paper have a clear thesis?
Do you know what the paper is going to be about?
2. Identify your readers and your What are you trying to do in the paper? In other words, are
you trying to argue with the reading, to analyze the reading,
purpose.
to evaluate the reading, to apply the reading to another
situation, or to accomplish another goal?
3. Evaluate your evidence. Does the body of your paper support your thesis? Do you offer
enough evidence to support your claim? If you are using
quotations from the text as evidence, did you cite them
properly?
4. Save only the good pieces. Do all of the ideas relate back to the thesis? Is there anything
that doesn't seem to fit? If so, you either need to change your
thesis to reflect the idea or cut the idea.
5. Tighten and clean up your language. Do all of the ideas in the paper make sense? Are there
unclear or confusing ideas or sentences? Read your paper out
loud and listen for awkward pauses and unclear ideas. Cut
out extra words, vagueness, and misused words.
6. Eliminate mistakes in grammar and Do you see any problems with grammar, punctuation, or
spelling? If you think something is wrong, you should make a
usage.
note of it, even if you don't know how to fix it. You can always
talk to Ms. Fischer or a Writing Center teacher about how to
correct errors.
7. Switch from writer-centered to Try to detach yourself from what you've written; pretend that
you are reviewing someone else's work. What would you say
reader-centered.
is the most successful part of your paper? Why? How could
this part be made even better? What would you say is the
least successful part of your paper? Why? How could this part
be improved?
2. Left out and doubled Read the paper slowly aloud to make sure you haven't missed or repeated any words. Also, try
reading your paper one sentence at a time in reverse—this will enable you to focus on the
words individual sentences.
3. Sentence Fragments Sentence fragments are sections of a sentence that are not grammatically whole sentences. For
example, “Ate a sandwich” is a sentence fragment because it lacks a subject. See that each
sentence has an independent clause. Remember that a dependent clause cannot stand on its own.
4. Run-on Sentences ● Review each sentence to see whether it contains more than one independent clause.
● If there is more than one independent clause, check to make sure the clauses are
separated by the appropriate punctuation.
● Sometimes, it is just as effective (or even more so) to simply break the sentence into two
separate sentences instead of including punctuation to separate the clauses.
7. Sentence Structure Read through your sentences carefully to make sure that they do not start with one sentence
structure and shift to another. A sentence that does this is called a mixed construction.
8. Parallelism Look through your paper for series of items, usually separated by commas. Also, make sure these
items are in parallel form, meaning they all use a similar form.
10. Apostrophes ● Skim your paper, stopping only at those words which end in "s." If the "s" is used to
indicate possession, there should be an apostrophe, as in “Mary's book.”
● Look over the contractions, like “you're” for “you are,” “it's” for “it is,” etc. Each of these
should include an apostrophe.
● Remember that apostrophes are not used to make words plural. When making a word
plural, only an "s" is added, not an apostrophe and an "s."
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2. BODY PARAGRAPHS
WHAT IS A BODY PARAGRAPH?
● Whenever you are assigned to write just one paragraph in response to a
prompt, that one paragraph is considered a body paragraph.
● You will also write body paragraphs as the middle paragraphs in a longer essay
(Think of the typical five paragraph essay: Introduction, Three Body
Paragraphs, Conclusion).
2. CONTEXT
3. EVIDENCE/QUOTATIONS/CITATIONS
4. ANALYSIS/EXPLANATION
5. CONCLUSION/TRANSITION SENTENCE
*Note: When in doubt, follow this recipe for every body paragraph that you write. Any time you write a body paragraph for an
English essay, it should look like this. Plus, believe it or not, any time you answer a question (in English class or any other
class) in a paragraph, this is a great format to use! So, what does it all mean?
TOPIC SENTENCES:
A topic sentence... A topic sentence is a sentence that introduces a paragraph by
presenting the one topic that will be the focus of that paragraph.
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2. BODY PARAGRAPHS
TOPIC SENTENCES CONTINUED:
Every paragraph must begin with a topic sentence that follows these rules. You can structure your topic sentence in any way
you want as long as you include all of the necessary components. Here are some general frames to get us started.
CONTEXT:
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2. BODY PARAGRAPHS
EVIDENCE/QUOTATIONS:
You already mentioned your evidence in your topic sentence, but the next part of body paragraph is where you explain your
evidence in detail.
1Introductory Phrase +
comma,
DEFINITION + EXAMPLES:
Definition: Begin with the speaker of the quote,
followed by a verb like “says,” or “states”, or
or “exclaims”, then possibly the audience or receiver of
the quote, followed by a comma, and then add in the
Speaker + verb + comma, quotation.
Examples:
George tells Lennie, “I got you to look after me”
(Steinbeck 3).
Lennie yells, “Tell me about the rabbits!” (Steinbeck 5).
DEFINITION + EXAMPLES:
Definition: Write a full sentence that introduces the
context of the quotation, add a colon, and then add
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quotation.
Note: Quotation must be a full sentence. Full Sentence + Colon:
Example:
George and Lennie share a dream together: “We’re
gonna get a little ranch” (Steinbeck 25).
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2. BODY PARAGRAPHS
EVIDENCE/QUOTATIONS CONTINUED:
QUOTATION INTEGRATION METHODS:
3 FLOW
DEFINITION + EXAMPLES:
Definition: Weave the quotation into your sentence/your
Or own words so that it flows naturally. Without looking,
you would not know where the quotation marks are.
WEAVE Watch out for your pronouns.
Examples:
George and Lennie “travel together” which makes them
different from the other workers (Steinbeck 30).
*Note: You will never use a semicolon (;) to
integrate a quotation. Lennie always wants George to “tell [him] about the
rabbits” (Steinbeck 5).
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2. BODY PARAGRAPHS
analysis/explanation:
WHAT IS ANALYSIS?
Merriam Webster defines “analyze” as “to study (something) closely and carefully: to learn the nature
and relationship of the parts of (something) by a close and careful examination”.
In English class, analysis is the part of your paragraph where you explain how your
evidence supports your argument.
2. Connect
1. Explain your
quotation to your
quotation
overall argument
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2. BODY PARAGRAPHS
CONCLUSION/TRANSITION SENTENCES:
Once you prove the main point of the paragraph, you need to end your paragraph with a conclusion or transition sentence.
As the names imply, there are two main techniques available: the conclusion sentence or the transition sentence.
3. THESIS STATEMENTS
Where do thesis A strong thesis statement/claim must...
statements typically
go in an essay? ● Fully answer the prompt/question being asked
LAST SENTENCE(S)
OF INTRODUCTION
● Present your specific argument to your reader in a
clear/organized way
Reminder: Your paper topic may shift or change as you write, so you may need to revise your
thesis statement to reflect exactly what you have discussed in the paper.
4. INTRODUCTIONS
WHAT GOES IN AN INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH AND IN
WHAT ORDER?
1. HOOK
3. BACKGROUND INFORMATION
4. THESIS STATEMENT
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4. INTRODUCTIONS
HOOKS
WHAT IS A HOOK?
T.A.G
Title of Work
Author of Work Genre of Work
(in italics)
5. CONCLUSIONS
WHAT GOES IN A CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH AND IN
WHAT ORDER?
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5. CONCLUSIONS
THESIS RESTATEMENT
Start your conclusion by restating and rephrasing
(NOT REPEATING VERBATIM OR COPY AND PASTING)
your original thesis statement. Try using new wording or rearranging how your
thesis is phrased.
Revisit the main ideas of each of your body paragraphs in the order in which you
wrote them. Remind your reader of your main points. Try including a sentence
recap per body paragraph. Make sure you are not just repeating your topic
sentences.
CLINCHER/”MIC DROP”
For your clincher, you want to “zoom out” and leave your reader with your final
thoughts and ideas on the topic. Try connecting your specific topic/argument to a
broader idea or concept. Bring the topic back to the “real world”. Remember: this
is the last thing they will read about your topic after all of your hard work
supporting your claim with evidence and analysis!
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6. MLA FORMAT
GENERAL FORMATTING CHECKLIST:
❏ Times New Roman font and 12 point font size
❏ Paper evenly double-spaced throughout
❏ (NO extra spaces above/below title or in between paragraphs).
❏ Also make sure that under “format” on your word processor, paragraph, the line-spacing
for Before Paragraph and After Paragraph are both set to 0. The default setting in some
versions of Word add extra spaces, which does not follow MLA format.
❏ 1-inch margins
❏ For older versions of Word: Go to file, page set up, and margins. Make the
top/bottom/left/right margins 1 inch. Do not worry about the gutters or the header/footer.
❏ For newer versions of Word: Click the Page Layout tab. Select Margins. Select Normal,
with Top, Bottom, Left, and Right all set to 1”.
❏ For Google Docs: Click File, then Page Setup. Type 1 for Top, Bottom, Left, and Right.
❏ Correct heading (in the top left corner – double spaced)
❏ Your Name
❏ Teacher’s Name
❏ Class (English 1 ACP or English 1 Honors)
❏ Date (in international format: 12 September 2018)
❏ Correct header that is in Times New Roman Font
❏ For old versions of Word: Go to View, Header and Footer, type in your last name, a space,
and then hit the button in the Header/Footer box on the screen that has a # icon on it
(insert page number). Then hit the “align right” icon in the formatting toolbar (Hint: if you
hover your mouse over the icon, words will pop up that describe what that icon does).
❏ For new versions of Word: Click the Insert tab and select Header and Footer. From the
Header & Footer menu, click Header. Then select the first option (just includes text on the
top left). To place information on the right side of the page, click Insert Alignment Tab in
the Position group of the Design tab, click Right, and then click OK. Type your last name.
Then, add the page number by clicking the Insert tab, clicking Quick Parts, clicking Field, and
then click Page Number.
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6. MLA FORMAT
CONTINUED:
❏ Correct header that is in Times New Roman Font
❏ For Google Docs: Click Insert, Page number, then select the image that has the page
numbers on the top right hand corner. Type your last name on the left side of the number
and press space. (Tip: If your header is at the very top of the page, you must hit “enter”
twice to move it down to .5”)
❏ Correct essay title format
❏ Centered, Times New Roman 12 point font, NOT bolded, italicized, or underlined, no extra
spaces before or after, and title is original and creative in content (so not: Summer
Reading Essay or Odyssey Essay)
❏ Press TAB key to indent all new paragraphs
❏ Numbers: write out all numbers below 100 (except dates)
❏ Always use formal language
❏ No first or second person, no contractions, no slang or inappropriate language
❏ Always use present tense verbs (when writing about literature)
❏ Cite quotes using (Author Page #) format
7. ADDITIONAL
RESOURCES
● The FHS Writing Center (E207)
○ Open all periods of the school day (including lunch) and most days after school until
roughly 3:00 pm.
● Your English Teacher
○ If you are struggling with something specific or simply want some eyes on your work,
schedule a writing conference with Ms. Fischer.
● Your Classmates
○ We will often do peer editing exercises in class. Always take your classmates’
feedback seriously and apply it to your work!
● The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab)
○ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html
● The UNC Writing Center Website
○ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/
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