Language Arts Resources

Basic Essay Format

Introductory Paragraph:

Hook
TAG (title, author, genre) and main idea of story
Thesis Statement (answer to the essay prompt) and three reasons

3 Body Paragraphs:

Topic Sentence (reason 1) (reason 2) (reason 3)
Evidence (event from the story or quote, including page #)
Explanation of evidence and how it supports the thesis
Elaboration

Conclusion Paragraph:

Restate the thesis
Summarize 3 reasons
Concluding thought

Thesis Statement:

Your thesis statement should be specific-it should cover only what you will discuss in your paper and should be supported with specific evidence.