One skill that you must master this year is how to write an essay.
We will talk about this throughout the year, but to get your started here are a few pointers…
- Your essay must be at least five paragraphs.
- Your essay must be organized! That means you should have an introduction, a conclusion, and three body paragraphs. Each body paragraph should be about one specific topic.
- Your introduction should include background information about the topic. Assume that the reader doesn’t know anything about the time period, and you need to set the stage for him or her.
- Your introduction must include a thesis statement. This is a summary of your whole argument in one sentence. After reading this sentence, I should know what the rest of your essay is about.
- Your essay must include evidence! Each of your body paragraphs should make up a part of your argument. In each paragraph, you also need at least three facts to support that part of your argument.
- Make sure you answer the question! If there are multiple parts to the question, answer them all. If the question tells you to talk about multiple people/groups, make sure you talk about them all. If your essay is off topic, it won’t be good…
