Essay Notes

Essay Notes: Vocabulary Terms

• Thesis: A sentence with a subject and opinion. The entire essay centers around this sentence.
• Concrete Detail: Specific details that form the backbone or core of your body paragraphs (facts, quotations, evidence).
• Commentary: your opinion or comment on a concrete detail.
• Chunk: 1 sentence of concrete detail and 2 sentences of commentary. Smallest unified group of thoughts you can write.
• Ratio: The ratio of 1 part concrete detail (CD) to 2+ parts commentary (CM).
• Weaving: Blending concrete details (CD) and commentary (CM) in a body paragraph.

Essay Notes: Format

• Introduction (approx. 3 sentences)
• Thesis
• Body Paragraph
• Topic Sentence (TS) - subject and opinion; “mini-thesis”
• Concrete Detail (CD) >
• Commentary (CM) > CHUNK
• Commentary (CM) >
• CD
• CM
• CM
• Concluding Sentence (CS) all opinion, sum up point
• Conclusion
• Rephrase Thesis (approx. 3 sentences)

Essay Notes: Steps in the Writing Process

• Prewriting: brainstorming, research, gathering concrete details
• Shaping the Essay: outline of thesis, concrete details, and commentary ideas
• First Draft
• Peer Response
• Revision
• Final Draft