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=Writing Resources =

There is reason teachers in elementary school through university (and beyond!) emphasize the steps of the Writing Process: following it actually works!



➱ The Writing process is a cycle - it is important to keep in mind that __you may revisit a step__ several times before feeling you have created your best effort.


 * Where to begin? ** The first step in tackling a writing assignment is to have a clear understanding of the type of writing you are being asked to do. Here are a few common types of essays:

In a narrative essay, the writer tells a story about a real-life experience. While telling a story may sound easy to do, the narrative essay challenges students to think and write about themselves. When writing a narrative essay, writers should try to involve the reader by making the story as vivid as possible. The fact that narrative essays are usually written in the first person helps engage the reader. “I” sentences give readers a feeling of being part of the story. A well-crafted narrative essay will also build towards drawing a conclusion or making a personal statement. [|Narrative Essay graphic organizer]
 * 1. Narrative Essays: Telling a Story **

A cousin of the narrative essay, a descriptive essay paints a picture with words. A writer might describe a person, place, object, or even memory of special significance. However, this type of essay is not description for description’s sake. The descriptive essay strives to communicate a deeper meaning through the description. In a descriptive essay, the writer should show, not tell, through the use of colorful words and sensory details. The best descriptive essays appeal to the reader’s emotions, with a result that is highly evocative. [|Interactive Essay Organising Tool]
 * 2. Descriptive Essays: Painting a Picture **

The expository essay is an informative piece of writing that presents a balanced analysis of a topic. In an expository essay, the writer explains or defines a topic, using facts, statistics, and examples. Expository writing encompasses a wide range of essay variations, such as the comparison and contrast essay, the cause and effect essay, and the “how to” or process essay. Because expository essays are based on facts and not personal feelings, writers don’t reveal their emotions or write in the first person. [|Research Paper Organizing tool]
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">3. Expository Essays: Just the Facts **

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">While like an expository essay in its presentation of facts, the goal of the persuasive essay is to convince the reader to accept the writer’s point of view or recommendation. The writer must build a case using facts and logic, as well as examples, expert opinion, and sound reasoning. The writer should present all sides of the argument, but must be able to communicate clearly and without equivocation why a certain position is correct. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">[|Planning a Persuasive Essay]
 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">4. Persuasive Essays: Convince Me **


 * <span style="color: #000080; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">5. Literary Analysis **

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<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> A good literary analysis essay will retell the essential parts of the story for those that don't know it, explaining piece by piece the symbolism of the big events and smaller details. As far as symbolism goes, all events and details will be symbols of one message from the author. In other words, your retelling will all be in support of one idea, your thesis, which states the main message of the author. ===== <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">[|Literary Analysis Graphic Organizer]

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">[|Holt Interactive Graphic Organisers collection] - <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">type right into these, save and print. Your plan is ready to go! <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">[|Scripts for Thesis Statements] [|Interactive Graphic Organiser for a 5 paragraph essay] [|How to set up the Text to Speech tool in Word] - use this to listen to your essay and easily identify awkward phrasing.
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5;">Other Writing Resources: **