1. The Color-Coded Essay
2. Color-coding your essays creates a visual picture of the various elements of any essay.
3. Color-coding is a useful organizational tool.
4. Any correctly written essay will have the same color patterns, regardless of author, topic or complexity.
5. A person who knows the proper color-coding patterns will always have an essay that is organized.
6. The attention-getter should be colored
red
7. The thesis statement should be colored
green
8.
The first reason should be colored
yellow
9. The second reason should be colored
blue
10. If more than two reasons are used in an essay, continue to alternate the yellow and blue pattern.
11. Although the attention-getter is in the beginning of the introductory paragraph, create your thesis first
12. Identify the essential question
Answer the essential question
Give reasons to support your answer
13. Example:
Write about a person you admire.
14. What is the essential question?
Whom do I admire?
15. Answer the essential question
The person I admire most is my older sister, Karen.
16. Reasons:
she had to deal with the death of husband, she had to raise two boys by herself, and she never stopped living
17.
I. She had to deal with the death of husband,
II. She had to raise two boys by herself, and
III. She never stopped living
If you now were to write an outline
18. The body of the essay is comprised of at least one (1) paragraph for each of the reasons listed in the preview.
Each paragraph in the body of the essay should include:
A topic sentence
Supporting sentences
Transitional words or phrases The Body of the Essay
19. Every paragraph needs a topic sentence. The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of the paragraph. It gives the reader an idea of what the paragraph is going to be about. The topic sentence
20. The supporting sentences need to be about the idea presented in the topic sentence. In a paragraph, every sentence should "belong".
21. Here is an example of a proper paragraph with supporting sentences:
22. I had a wonderful summer. First, I started sleeping in every day. I would then go swimming with my friends. I stayed up late watching TV a lot, and I went to camp for a week. I wished my summer would never end!
23. Here is an example of a paragraph that has a sentence that doesn't quite fit in. Try to find it!
24. Regardless of what some people may think, the desert is a beautiful place. The blossoming wildflowers in the spring are a joy to see. Spectacular sunsets delight the eye. Sometimes I go swimming. The occasional quail or roadrunner dart across the sandy roads. It is a unique experience.
25. First, Lets highlight the topic sentence. Color Coding the Essay
26. Regardless of what some people may think, the desert is a beautiful place. The blossoming wildflowers in the spring are a joy to see. Spectacular sunsets delight the eye. Sometimes I go swimming. The occasional quail or roadrunner dart across the sandy roads. It is a unique experience.
27. Next, we underline any words that modify or relate back to the topic sentence.
28. Regardless of what some people may think, the desert is a beautiful place. The blossoming wildflowers in the spring are a joy to see. Spectacular sunsets delight the eye. Sometimes I go swimming. The occasional quail or roadrunner dart across the sandy roads. It is a unique experience.
