ThE essay

the Purpose of Academic Essays is

• to inform and/or persuade readers
• to apply and synthesize concepts, information, and ideas
• to activate prior knowledge with a connection to new knowledge

1. Inform AND/OR PERSUADE READERS

• presenting facts in an organized manner is one of the most basic and common writing purposes. -----------For example, an instructor may request to present material he or she has learned in the form of an essay exam or research paper
• determines whether or not students have mastered the material in class

Persuasion

• is often a part of informative essay writing
• involves aligning facts and support to convince a reader of a particular view on a debatable topic

2. Apply and Synthesize CONCEPTS, INFORMATION, AND IDEAS

• gather information and research from a variety of sources in order to arrive at new conclusions
• relies heavily on the writer’s ability to infer relationships among ideas and concepts successfully

Synthesize

• means gathering information from a number of sources to produce a meaningful conclusion for the reader
• happens most often when you research a particular topic and report on that topic using your own words and in your own way

3. Activate Prior Knowledge WITH A CONNECTION TO NEW KNOWLEDGE

• helps readers to make connections between prior knowledge and new concepts
• already possess knowledge, and you automatically make that connection between what you already know, and what you are about to learn
• same thing happens when you read and learn new concepts

Forms connections between old and new concepts

The Academic Essay

Five-Paragraph Essay

• only one type of academic writing
• often the first type of essay structure that a writing student learns
• its a basic method
• get readers to their destination in the most straight forward manner possible

made up of three main parts

• an introductory paragraph
• three supporting paragraphs
• a concluding paragraph

As you Advance in classes

• expect to include as many paragraphs in your essay as the assignment requires
• no matter how long, essays retain the same basic elements: 1. an introduction 2. supporting paragraphs 3. a conclusion

Patterns of Organization

Argumentation essays

• refer to a focused organized presentation
• presents a particular viewpoint on a debatable topic
• presented in a clear, authoritative tone with plenty of support
• regardless of whether the topic is the student's choice or assigned by an instructor

Causal Analysis

• an analysis of the cause, and sometimes the effects, of a condition, event, or situation
• about making concrete connections between events, and expressing them in a logical, ordered manner in written form for the reader

classification

• strive to make order or sense of items, people, objects, or data by grouping them in categories that make sense and will help the reader to reach greater understanding about those entities

...

• division is often mentioned in the same breath as classification because it serves the same purpose
• the writer divides or separates a large subject into divisible parts categorizing, labeling, and dividing into groups in order to make sense of information

compare/Contrast

• exercise in examining similarities and differences
• compare and contrast size size, durability, and visual appeal in order to arrive at your decision

Definition

• a writer could expand upon this definition
• extended definition...for example, write an entire essay to properly define what a road trip is from your perspective

exemplification

• essays that illuminate a subject by telling the reader what that subject is or isn’t by using examples
• often includes more than one pattern of organization

Narrative

• an organized sequence of events, real or imagined, that relates a story that makes a point
• verbal and written narratives to pass on stories from one generation to the next
• spark interest, provide entertainment, offer instruction, and provide insight into shared human experiences.

Transitions within Academic Essays

Using transitions

• words, phrases, or sentences that guide the reader
• should be natural/the reader should not notice
• paragraphs may be linked by a word or phrase that has been repeated
• transition from 1 subject to the other
• bridge the sentence to sum up