The word "essay" comes from the French word "essayer," which literally means "to try" -- so in this class, we will "try out" essays! In an encouraging environment, we will work together to master the process of composing a five-paragraph essay. 

Students will finish the class with a completed descriptive essay about a person of their choice. Throughout the class, we will do writing activities to teach and practice the important steps of brainstorming details, selecting the main idea (thesis), outlining sentences, composing the essay, and revising for mechanics and content. 

The ideal student understands the composition of a basic paragraph. If not, students should attend my Paragraph Construction Zone class prior to this class. 

WEEK 1: We will define an essay, discuss the parts of an essay, and look at example writings. Homework is to write a paragraph about a person that we will expand into an essay in the next classes. 

WEEK 2: We will focus on writing our body paragraphs and creating a thesis. Homework will be to write all three body paragraphs and the thesis. 

WEEK 3: We will work on writing introductions and conclusions, including how to write a strong hook. We will also focus on revising and rewriting. Homework will be to write the introduction and conclusion and to send the essay to the instructor for feedback.