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Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Synthesize information about a hero with knowledge of a literary work
- Write an explanatory essay to examine and convey complex ideas about a theme in Beowulf
- Develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, and editing a draft before submission
The above objectives correspond with the following Alabama Course of Study Objectives:
CCRS 1Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.,
CCRS 2Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.,,
CCRS 8Demonstrate knowledge of foundational works of European literature with a concentration in British literature,
CCRS 9By the end of Grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the end of the Grades 11-College and Career Readiness (CCR) text complexity band independently and proficiently. ,
CCRS 19Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.,
CCRS 20Write informative or explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content. ,
CCRS 20aIntroduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole, including formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. ,
CCRS 20bDevelop the topic thouroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic. ,
CCRS 20fProvide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or expanation presented. ,
CCRS 22Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.,
CCRS 23Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of the first three standards in the Language strand in Grades K-12.),
CCRS 24Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.,
CCRS 27Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.,
CCRS 28Write routinely over extended time frames, including time for research, reflection, and revision, and shorter time frames such as a single sitting or a day or two for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences., and
CCRS 33Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and evidence and to add interest..
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Introduction
In this lesson, you will take the information you have read and apply it in your writing. You will walk through the steps of the writing process to publish a well-written five paragraph essay.
The Five Paragraph Essay
You will be writing an analytic or interpretative literary composition for Beowulf. This is your first essay in English 12, so let's walk through the steps to writing a fabulous essay.
Step 1: Prewriting
Choose a topic. Once you have chosen one of the topics, you will want to narrow it down to an opinionated sentence.
Example
Topic: Mothers and their children
Narrowed topic: Mothers sacrifice a great deal to help their children succeed in life.
Consider your audience. You wouldn't want to write an essay about Beowulf to first graders. Your audience will be your classmates and teacher.
Step 2: Drafting
Put the information from your graphic organizers into words. Be selective, though. You don't have to add everything that was in your prewriting. Pick your best ideas and make sure they relate to each other well.
Add supporting details. There are three types of supporting details: reasons (tell "why"), examples (illustrations, describe events, narrative), and proof (facts or statistics).
Example
Oma, a Hispanic mother in California, worked as a secretary during the day and cleaned offices during the night to put food on the table for her four children.
Sheila, a teacher in Nebraska, sold all of her expensive clothing and jewelry so her son could get a degree in business.
One out of five mothers goes hungry every night so her child won't have to.
Use transitional phrases to help go from one idea to the next.
Introduction
Your introduction should begin with a hook (a way to grab the reader's attention). Hooks can be a startling statement, anecdote, quote, or shocking statistic. After tetting the reader's attention, you will want to provide some background information on the topic. Finally, you will want to end with your thesis statement (one sentence that summarizes the main point or claim of an essay).
3 Body Paragraphs
Each time you begin a new paragraph, you still must include a topic sentence, at least three supporting details, and a conclusion. In all of your body paragraphs, you will want to add a topic sentence, at least three supporting details, and a concluding sentence summing up your main topic.
Conclusion
Your conclusion restates your thesis, provides a summary sentence, and concludes your essay.
Think of your essay in metaphorical terms: a cheeseburger.
(Top bun--introduction)
(Lettuce--supporting detail)
(tomato--supporting detail)
(onion--supportning detail)
(cheese--supporting detail)
(meat--most important detail)
(Bottom bun--conclusion)
Step 3: Revising
This is the place where you read through your draft several times. Each time think about how you could make your content better by adding ideas, rearranging sections, removing sentences that don't connect to others, replacing words that are more vivid.
Step 4: Editing
This stage involves looking at each word and/or sentence to make sure they are grammatically correct. Use your spell check in your eyes and on your computer. Thee enter net doesn't no how too spell awl thee wyrds that ewe mean.
Step 5: Publishing
This is the final step, and you will publish your essay when you submit it to the dropbox.
Introduction