Entering the
Conversation:
1.
What is “successful writing”?
2.
Describe the difference between primary and
secondary sources.
3.
What is a “topic” and give an example of how to
narrow one.
Overview of the
Academic Essay:
1.
What does a “good” essay show?
2.
How does an idea emerge and what’s crucial to a
good one?
3.
Where does the tension of an argument originate?
4.
What is the crucial concept to a counterargument
and why is it important to have one?
Structure of an
argument:
1.
How is a successful essay structured?
2.
What are the two most common arguments and
explain how one is best written.
The parts of an
essay:
1.
What are the five operations of an essay?
2.
What does “background” material include and
where is it placed in an essay?
3.
When you complicate an essay, what questions do
you address?
4.
Where do you address what’s at stake in your
argument or thesis?
Signs of trouble:
1.
What is the “walk through” and how can you avoid
it?
Steps in Constructing
a Thesis:
2.
What do you do when you analyze your primary
sources and how do you translate that into a thesis?
3.
Where do you place a thesis?
4.
What is the difference between a thesis and a
list?
5.
Give an example of clear and specific thesis
versus a thesis that is not clear and specific.
Beginning the essay:
1.
What is included in the ‘context’ of an essay
and why is it important?
2.
What are some things to include when orienting
the reader?
3.
What is one thing to avoid when writing an
introduction and why?
4.
Topic Sentences and Sign Postings (ways to
propel an essay forward):
5.
What are the two questions to answer when making
a topic statement?
6.
What do sign posts tell the reader?
7.
What is one example of what a topic sentence
does?
Concluding the essay:
1.
What is one way to establish a sense of closure
and one way not to?
