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| Essay | A piece of writing that gives your thoughts (commentary) about a subject. All essays you will write in this unit will have at least 4 paragraphs: an introduction, 2 body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph. |
| Introduction | The first paragraph in an essay. It includes the thesis, most often at the end. |
| Body Paragraph | A middle paragraph in an essay. It develops a point you want to make that supports your thesis. |
| Conclusion | The last paragraph in your essay. It may sum up your ideas, reflect on what you said in your essay, say more commentary about your subject, or give a personal statement about the subject. |
| Thesis | A sentence with a subject and opinion (also called a commentary). This comes somewhere in your introductory paragraph and most often at the end. |
| Pre-writing | The process of getting your concrete details down on paper before you organize your essay into paragraphs. You can use any or all of the following: bubble clusters, spider diagrams, outlines, line clustering, or columns. |
| Concrete Detail CD | Specific details that form the backbone or core of your body paragraphs. Synonyms for concrete detail include facts, specifics, examples, descriptions, illustrations, support, proof, evidence, quotations, paraphrasing, or plot references. |
| Commentary CM | Your opinion or comment about something; NOT a concrete detail. Synonyms include opinion, insight, analysis, interpretation, inference, personal response, feelings, evaluation, explication, and reflection. |
| Topic Sentence | The first sentence in a body paragraph. This must have a subject and opinion (commentary) for the paragraph. It does the same thing for a body paragraph that the thesis does for the whole essay. |
| Concluding Sentence | The last sentence in a body paragraph. It is all commentary, does not repeat key words, and gives a finished feeling to the paragraph. |
| Shaping the Essay | The step that is done after prewriting and before the first draft of an essay; it is an outline of your thesis, topic sentences, concrete details, and commentary ideas. |
| First Draft | The first version of your essay (also called the rough draft). |
| Final Draft | The final version of your essay. |
| Peer Response | Written responses and reactions to a partner’s paper. |
| Chunck | One sentence of concrete detail and 2 sentences of commentary. It is the smallest unified group of thoughts that you can write. The 1:2 ratio. |
| Weaving | Blending concrete details and commentary in a body paragraph. You can do this after you master the format. |
| Ratio | The ratio of 1 part concrete detail (CD) to 2+ parts commentary (CM). |
| Word Counts | The minimum length per paragraph to earn a “C.” |
