"Building A House" essay notes

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The Build A House Strategy

Foundation: Thesis statement: 1 sentence summary of the goal of your writing.

Walls: Supportive introductory & body paragraphs

Roof: Conclusion for closure & "mic drop" moment

Four Traits for Strong Thesis Statements:

​​​​Use specific and powerful word choice

Provide an explanation - a "because" statement

Don't use qualifiers (ex: I believe, I think, might, maybe, ect.)

Don't oversimplify a complex issue.

Supportive Walls/Body Paragraphs

Claim: Like a topic sentence with strong wording

Evidence: Support from someone other than yourself

Reasoning: Argue your case and make it make sense

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Counter Argument Structure

Acknowledge opposing claim

Provide small validation

Refute with your own claim, evidence, and reasoning

*make intro and conclusion paragraphs the same ideas - this helps arguement really click.

Intro Paragraph

Hook: Thoughtful opening remarks, intended to grasp the readers attention - aka "attention grabber"

Preview: Brief overview of the specifics

Thesis:​ Ends the intro

Conclusion Paragraph

Restate Thesis: Ideally in different wording

Review: ​Explain the "so what?" of everything - Why does it matter?

Closing Remarks: End thoughtfully with commentary that will make your reader think - aim for a "mic drop" moment

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TIPS FOR STRONG WRITING

No 1st or 2nd person pronouns (depending on topic and teacher)

☆STRONG WORD CHOICE • "Bad" 》atrocious, awful, terrible, horrifying, inadequate, unacceptable • "Good" 》perfect, powerful, significant, positive, great, exceptional ◇Words mean different things based on their context. For example, a dandelion, dependent on the context, could be called a weed, a flower, and a plant; all are accurate ways of describing a dandelion, but the word someone chooses to describe the dandelion may vary based on the context.

Variety appeals to emotions, facts/logic, and the authors credibility

Detailed and specific writing

Not wordy or repetitive; no filler words

Organized

Voice is unique to the author

Tone is appropriate for the subject

Utilizes literary devices and figurative language effectively

Punctuation, spelling, and grammar help

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