Use this graphic organizer to plan your analytical/persuasive essay
The organization of material will vary somewhat depending on the type of essay—its subject, whether it's a research or personal essay, how long it will be, etc. However, there are certain features which appear consistently in most types of expository writing and which can be followed as general guides for organizing essays.
PARAGRAPH SECTION: Page 1: Prewriting Organizer / Rough Draft / Checklist Page 2: Final Copy / Rubric ESSAY SECTION: (Prompts work well for 3-5 paragraph essays) Page 1: Prewriting Organizer Page 2: Rough Draft Page 3: Rough Draft (cont) and checklist Page 4: Final Copy Page 5: Fina
Organizing ideas and information clearly and logically in an essay, so that readers will understand and be able to follow the writer's thinking, is an essential stage of the writing process, but one that often proves to be more difficult than it sounds. When people write, ideas tend to come out in whatever order they occur to the writer, and it's not always easy to turn a first effort into a cohesive, coherent order. Deciding what information belongs together, what should come first, second, etc., creating a logical flow from one idea or topic to another, all are part of organization. And these judgments can be hard to make.
[PDF] Graphic Organizer for a Five-Paragraph Essay
Graphic organizers with writing checklists help students organize a five paragraph essay, with reminders to introduce a thesis statement, provide facts and examples, and introduce a counterclaim.
Remember, this is a very simplistic model. It presents a basic idea of essay organization and may certainly be helpful in learning to structure an argument, but it should not be followed religiously as an ideal form.
If you are used to writing essays that are similar to the five-paragraph essay (one claim and then three points that support that claim), it can be daunting to think about how to structure your ideas in a longer essay. Once you’ve established your thesis, you need to think about how you will move your reader through your argument. In some courses, you will be expected to provide a roadmap in your introduction that explicitly tells readers how your argument is organized. But even when you don’t provide a roadmap, your reader should be able to see the connections between your ideas. As you think about how your ideas fit together, try these three strategies:
Use this graphic organizer to develop an outline for an essay that includes an introductory statement, main ideas, supporting details, and a conclusion.