Odyssey from paragraph to essay

Synopsis

I. STARTING OUT. 1. Ensuring Success in Writing. Overview: Understanding the Importance of Good Writing. Recognizing the Dynamics of Writing. Understanding the Basic Components of Writing. Focusing on the Reader. Understanding the Purpose Behind Your Writing. Recap: Ensuring Success in Writing. 2. Generating Ideas Through Prewriting. Overview: Seeing Prewriting as a Way to Explore Ideas. Understanding Prewriting. Freewriting. Brainstorming. Clustering. Branching. Idea Mapping. Maintaining a Journal. 3. Composing: Creating a Draft. Overview: Understanding Composing. Recognizing the Structure of a Paragraph. Focusing a Topic. Writing a Clear, Specific Topic Sentence. Providing the Best Support for the Topic Sentence. Deciding on the Most Effective Arrangement. Making Your Material Reader-Centered. Using a Reader Evaluation Checklist. Developing a Complete Draft. 4. Refining and Polishing Your Draft. Overview: Understanding the Revising Stage. Reassessing: Reseeing Your Work. Redrafting. Editing. II. USING THE PATTERNS OF PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT. 5. Narration. Overview: Telling Your Story. Writing a Clear Topic Sentence That Establishes a Context. Relying on Chronological Order. Choosing the Most Effective Point of View. 6. Description. Overview: Creating a Picture in Words. Previewing the Focus of Description Through the Topic Sentence. Using Sensory Details. Relying on Objective and Subjective Description. Using Spatial Order. 7. Example. Overview: Learning to Illustrate Your Point. Providing a Topic Sentence That States the Point You Will Illustrate. Providing Specific Examples. Ensuring That Your Examples Are Relevant. 8. Process. Overview: Explaining “How to” or “How It Happens.” Including a Topic Sentence That Clearly States the Process. Using the Imperative Mood: You. Dividing the Process into Simple, Logical Steps. Relying on Linear Order. 9. Definition. Overview: Making Meaning Crystal Clear. Providing a Topic Sentence That Highlights the Term to Be Defined. Understanding the Pattern of an Effective Definition. Recognizing the Full Effect of the Term Defined. 10. Comparison and Contrast. Overview: Expressing Similarities and Differences. Providing a Topic Sentence That Specifies Both Subjects and Indicates the Focus. Establishing Your Bases for Comparison. Arranging Your Ideas Effectively. 11. Cause and Effect. Overview: Explaining Reasons and Consequences. Providing a Topic Sentence That Focuses on Cause or Effect. Distinguishing Between Direct and Related Causes and Effects. Avoiding Oversimplification of Causes and Ef