Examples/ Illustration Essay

Example/Illustration Essay

Definition

In an Example or Illustration Essay, the writer uses examples or illustrations to develop a general idea or prove a general statement.  While the general idea may be abstract, intangible, or theoretical, the examples and illustrations should be specific and concrete.  To clarify, an illustration is an extended, developed example.

            Examples help readers understand and see more clearly abstract ideas or unfamiliar situations.  Illustrations paint an even more detailed picture.  Examples are also more memorable.

Organization of an Example/Illustration Essay

Example/ Illustration Essays begin with the general or abstract idea, which is then explained and supported using individual examples.  The writer may also write an extended illustration with details.  Each paragraph should be a specific example or illustration that explains, describes, or clarifies your main idea.  You may choose to use several short examples or one long illustration.  (Note:  Parables are illustrations of spiritual principles.)

Thesis Statements

The thesis statement is the general statement that the examples or illustration are intended to support or illustrate.  For example, the thesis “My father is a generous man” would lead the writer to give specific details about specific instances of generosity.

Tips on Writing

– Decide on the general statement or idea you would like to support or illustrate; formulate a tentative thesis or main idea statement.

– Decide whether you will use several short examples or one (or more) longer illustrations.

– If using several examples, determine which order will be most effective (chronological or by importance).  Making a list helps.

– If using one or more longer illustrations, give as much detail as possible.

– Avoid giving disconnected examples that do not tie directly into your thesis.

Essay Guidelines

– Due dates:  Pre-Write is due October 17; Rough Draft due October 24; Final Draft due October 31

– Essay length:  400 - 700 words (1 – 2 pages)

– Rough drafts can be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.

– Final draft format:

– Typed (if this is not possible, please let me know)

– 1 inch margins

– Name and date on the upper right hand corner

– Number the pages on the lower right hand corner

– Title centered above the text of the essay

Week 7 Grammar Quiz

Grammar Quiz

Fill in the blank:

1.      The “equation” for a sentence is ___________ + ______________ + ________________ .

2.      A sentence must also begin with a ______________   _______________ and have an ending _______________________ .

3.      List the 8 parts of speech:

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

4.      A _________________ is an action word, state of being word, linking word, or group of words that is the action or the link to the subject of the sentence.

5.      A _______________ is a word used in place of a noun

6.       An _______________ is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies (changes, limits, describes, transforms, qualifies) a noun or pronoun.

7.      An _______________ is a word, phrase, or clause that modifies (changes, limits, describes, transforms, qualifies) a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

8.      Adverbs answer the following questions: 

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

_____________________

9.      List the coordinating conjunctions:

_______________      _______________      _______________      _______________ 

_______________      _______________      _______________       

 In the following sentences, fix the ones that are incorrect (3 points/ sentence)

10.  Because F. Scott Fitzgerald had to return the publisher’s advance for The Great Gatsby.

11.  Angie Park, strolling down Madison Avenue, near the exclusive store where she used to shop.

12.  While Brett served as a lookout and Matt rifled the teacher’s desk looking for the answers to the test.

 Prepositional Phrases

In the following sentences, put each of the prepositional phrases in parentheses and decide whether they are adjective or adverb phrases. (13 phrases, total)

13.  Behind the elm tree near the theater, Jeremy discovered a purse filled with money.

14.  Throughout her college career, Marcus dazzled his professors with his accomplishments.

15.  Whenever I think about my writing classes, I go into a frenzy of fear that I will never be able to write well for my teacher.

Write sentences with the following requirements.  (2 points/sentence.)  (Use a blank sheet of paper.)

1.      Write a sentence with an independent clause and a dependent clause.

2.      Write a sentence with 3 prepositional phrases.

3.      Write a run-on sentence and then correct it.

4.      Write a compound sentence.

5.      Write a sentence with a compound verb, but that is not a compound sentence.

6.      Write a sentence that has 6 adjectives.

7.      Write a sentence that has 3 adverbs.

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 7 (October 10)

Greetings!

It was full day in Writing 1 today.  Our day started with our Quick Write, titled “Magic Mailbox.”  The students were to imagine a mail box that could send a letter to anyone, anywhere, in any time period.  The letter would get to that person, and that person could reply.  We had letters to famous soccer players and celebrities. 

 Our Words for the Day were: 

ombudsman – Swedish – a government official whose job is is to investigate other officials.

ipse dixit – Latin – “he himself has said it” – when said, the speaker means, “that’s the way it is simply because I said it.”  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipse_dixit

Following the Quick Write and vocabulary words, I had three important points on the agenda for the day:  the grammar quiz, the explanation of the next essay assignment, and discussion of our book, Animal Farm.  I let the students choose which they wanted to do first.  It was an unanimous decision to take the grammar quiz first.

The Grammar Quiz was worth 70 points and was 1/3 fill in the blank, 1/3 sentence correction, and 1/3 writing.  I gave a similar quiz last year that was 100 points and almost brought students to tears.  I pared this one down, and the students worked diligently to finish it.  I’ll have them graded and ready to hand back next week.

We took a longer time to discuss the book, Animal Farm, since we have reached its conclusion.  The class had great thoughts and insights into many of the themes, characters, and underlying lessons embodied in the book.  The book does not have a “happily ever after” ending that you might hope for.  Rather, it’s a bit frustrating, disappointing, and sad.  We also considered how some of the ideas could have applications to our current world events.  We decided that we didn’t want to be as dumb and naïve as the sheep.

 As a closing activity, each student is to prepare a short Presentation about one of the characters in the book.  In this presentation, they are to give information that describes and explains the character, including the following information:

-- Physical description

-- Patterns of speech (How does he/she talk?)

-- Activities (What does he/she do?_

-- Character qualities  (motivations, values, treatment of others, disposition, etc.)

These presentations should include at least 4 specific references/ details from the book.  If more than one student chooses the same character, we’ll set up a panel discussion.  Otherwise, the students will give short commentaries on the information they have gathered.

The next essay assignment is to write an Example/Illustration Essay.  The class was given handouts for each type of essay.  They should re-read the handout and decide whether they want to write an essay that gives multiple examples to explain their topic or whether they one to use a longer illustration (an extended example) as an explanation.  This essay will be done in 3 steps:  pre-writing (which includes making lists, brainstorming, outlining, and researching), writing a rough draft, and finishing a final draft.  The pre-writing is due next week.  I will check to make sure the work was done, but they can keep their pre-writing work and hand it in with the rough drafts.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Prepare the Presentation about a character from Animal Farm

-- Do the Pre-Writing for the Example/Illustration Essay.

This week’s blogs:

Class Notes

Animal Farm Character information

Grammar Quiz

Examples/Illustration Essay

Have a great weekend.  The weather should be stunning!

Mrs. Prichard

Common Errors in Rough Drafts

Below are Common Errors found in Rough Drafts

• Writing numbers --- write out numbers under 100
• No “there is/are” sentences
• No contractions
• Run-on, fused, or comma splice sentences
• Titles of books – capitalize, italics
• Parallel construction
• Using “too”  -- use a comma
• Handwritten rough drafts – clear lower case and capital letters
• Verb tenses
• Correct preposition use
• There – they’re – their
• Noun & pronoun agreement
• Introductory phrases and commas
• Indent first line of a paragraph
• No spaces between paragraphs
• Avoid beginning sentences with conjunctions
• Avoid using “things”
• God – he or He
• Pronouns and antecedent agreement
• Split infinitives
• Using first person
• Unclear – awkward – expand
• Commas & compound sentences
• Parentheses, ellipses, dashes
• Sentences too long
• A lot – two words
• Exclamation points
• Essay titles
• Name of Organization (NoO)
• Paragraph constructions
• “So” and “then” overuse
• “The reason is because …”
• Using questions
• Informal language
• Expanding introductions and conclusions

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 6 (October 3)

Greetings!

Can you believe that it is October already.  I had a beautiful drive to school this morning, seeing the dried stalks of corn and some pumpkin patches.  I don't know about you, but I love Fall.

After praying for our class, we had our Quick Write.  Our family has a favorite game, Man Bites Dog, in which the players are dealt cards with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and a few prepositions.  The object of the game is to come up with a newspaper headline and to get the highest score by adding up the numbers on the cards.  For the Quick Write, I had the students not only come up with the headline, but write a story to go with it.  By virtue of the random collection of cards, we had some funny headlines.

Our Words of the Day, chosen by 3 class members:

ikebana -- Japaneese -- the Japanese aft of flower arranging

uitlander -- Dutch -- a foreigner, especially a Britain during the Boer War

imbroglio -- Italian -- Originally referred to a thick use of paint or pigment; a misunderstanding or confusion.

I handed back to the students some graded assignments, including their Rough Drafts of their Personal Essay.  As with all rough drafts, students should expect to see a number marks on their papers since rough drafts are learning experiences.  I had them engage in a cooperative learning experience.  In other words, they did a group exercise.  Looking at their papers and a list errors common to rough drafts, they were to work as a group to determine which ones they thought would be important for the class to discuss.  With 2 suggestions from each group, we had a good discussion.

The Final Drafts of their Personal Essays are due next week.  Along with the finished paper, I would like them to include a list of 5 changes/corrections/improvements that they have made and their reasons for the changes.

We had little time at the end of the class to discuss Animal Farm.  The portion they read for this week begins to show quite a few cracks in the plans and schemes of the animals.  We'll take time next week to discuss it at length. 

Next week, we will have a Grammar Quiz .... more on that later.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Chapters IX and X in Animal Farm.

-- Write the Final Draft of the Personal Essay

-- List 5 changes made along with reasons for making them.

This week's blog post

Class Notes

Common Errors in Rough Drafts

Have a great weekend,

Mrs. Prichard

Writing 1 Class Notes -- Week 5 (September 26)

Greetings!

After a few weeks of lighter-hearted Quick Writes, I chose a more serious topic for today.  Using the following quote from Mark Twain, I asked to the students to comment on the relationship of writing to truth. 

"Most writers regard the truth as their most valuable possession, and therefore are most economical in its use."

I also chose our Words of the Day since I had forgotten my alphabet dice at home.  The words were:  jojoba (Spanish; a small shrub whose waxy substance taken from the seeds is used in shampoo products), jodhpurs (Hindi; a style of riding breeches cut wide at the hip and close fitting at the calf), and joie de vivre (French; enjoyment of life or general enthusiasm).

I handed back their first Final Drafts for this class.  They all did a very good job.  I'm excited about seeing them grow as writers.  I'm trying at new method for evaluating their papers. (As a matter of information, pre-writes, which we will start doing after this next paper, are worth 5 points; rough drafts are 10; final drafts are 40; and 5 reasons for corrections are 5.)  In the past, I gave 10 points in each of the following three areas:  content, organization, and mechanics.  I've devised an Essay Rubric for Writing 1 that looks more holistically at different areas related to the writing of the essay.  I've attached an unmarked copy for you to look at.  I've found that students will struggle in one area but will do really well in another.  This rubric also helps to show them areas where they can grow.  Today we went through each area and each level of writing (Beginning, Developing, Proficient, Exceptional).  Please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

After our writing discussion, we covered some more Grammar.  Again reviewing the 8 parts of speech, we looked at Noun categories, Adjectives, Adverbs, and Prepositions.  I focused on adjectives and adverbs and the questions they answer.  Adjectives, in describing nouns, answer the following questions:  Which one?  What kind?  How many?  Adverbs answer these questions:  How?  When? Where?  To what extent?  How much? and How often?  When we look at phrases, these questions will be important to keep in mind.  (AND, they may see them on a quiz.)

Our literature discussion was brief.  The animals in Animal Farm gave us plenty to talk about:  they are as hard-working with just as little freedom as they had with Mr. Jones; the pigs are clever and take advantage of the others; the sheep are dumb; most of the other animals are not too bright; and sometimes the value of the individual doesn't count for much when the "cause" is so great.

Assignments for Next Week:

-- Read Chapters 7 & 8 of Animal Farm

-- Answer 2 questions from the study guide for Chapters 5 & 6 and 2 for Chapters 7 & 8

     -- Choose from either the short writing questions or the discussion questions.

-- No grammar worksheets.
This week's blogs

Class Notes

Essay Rubric

Week 4:  Adjectives, Adverbs, Prepositions

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Prichard

Essay Rubric for Writing 1

Essay Rubric for Writing 1

Criterion	Beginning  (2 – 0)	Developing (5 – 3)	Proficient (8– 6)	Exceptional (10 - 9)
Focus:  Thesis, Introduction, Conclusion	Specific topic is unclear and no statement of an opinion or a stand. Lacks a clear introduction. No conclusion.	Thesis statement expresses the topic but not an opinion or a stand. Weak introduction that states the topic but is missing a clear thesis. The focus of the paper is unclear. Conclusion does not fully summarize the main points nor restates the thesis statement.	Thesis statement includes the topic and expresses a stand or opinion. Introduction states topic and thesis and gives direction to the paper. Conclusion reiterates main points and restates the thesis statement.	Clearly-stated, thoughtful & compelling thesis statement. Strong introduction with a thesis statement that grabs attention and directs the course of the essay. Strong conclusion that summarizes the main points and restates the thesis statement.  Satisfactorily wraps up the essay.
Content	No major points to support the thesis are included.  Few details have been used. Ideas are disconnected.	Some of the major points are covered. Some specific details are included. Lacks sufficient material to fully support thesis.	All major points are covered. Appropriate details are included with each point.	All major points are thoroughly and insightfully discussed. All points are fully supported with strong details.
Organization	Ideas are arranged randomly.  There may be no division of paragraphs.	Like ideas are grouped together, and paragraphs are present, but ideas within may not be organized logically.  Transitions may be lacking.	An apparent progression of ideas that allows the reader to move through the text without confusion. Sentences with paragraphs are organized and flow smoothly	Expresses a clear, logical sequence of ideas within paragraphs and throughout the paper. Sentences within paragraphs flow smoothly with good use of transitions.
Mechanics	Frequent errors, seriously impairs flow & meaning of paper	Errors noticeable, and occasionally detract from flow or meaning of paper	Some errors, which are minor in nature and don’t detract from overall meaning of paper	Essentially faultless; errors may result from risk-taking and do not detract from meaning of paper.

Total Score – 40 possible points