3-paragraph practice essay launch — CEA scaled up to full essay

Quick-write: what makes a strong THESIS? List 2-3 criteria.

• Press for: specific (not topic), assertive (claims something), debatable (someone could disagree), grounded (text-supported)

Today we launch the practice analytical essay — a 3-paragraph version of what will become your 5-paragraph essay. The full essay structure (MG-6): INTRODUCTION (hook + context + thesis + 3-part roadmap). THREE CEA BODY PARAGRAPHS (each with one sub-claim, evidence, multi-sentence analysis). CONCLUSION (synthesizes the sub-claims with a so-what). Today we plan a SHORTER version — introduction + 2 body paragraphs + conclusion — to practice the moves. THESIS: a complete sentence asserting your overall analytical claim about the text. ROADMAP: a sentence (or two) previewing your three sub-claims, in order, signaling to the reader what's coming. SUB-CLAIMS: more specific than the thesis; each body paragraph proves one. Today: choose your mentor passage from the curated list. Plan your thesis. Plan your two sub-claims. We'll draft this week.

• Topic. Not a claim.

  model WEAK: 'This essay will be about Angelou's use of language.' (Topic, not claim; passive throat-clearer.)

  prompt Sample thesis on Angelou: weak version.
• Three nouns to defend: 'concrete diction,' 'syntactic compression,' 'silence as physical presence.' Two of those become the sub-claims.

  model STRONG: 'Angelou transforms silence from an abstract emotion into a physical presence through concrete diction and syntactic compression.' (Specific, assertive, debatable.)

  prompt Same thesis, strong version.
• The roadmap previews exactly two body paragraphs. Reader knows what's coming.

  model 'Angelou achieves this transformation first through her diction's physical weight, second through her sentence-level compression at the moment of silence.'

  prompt Sample roadmap sentence.

• Pair-share: draft a candidate thesis for your chosen passage.
• Cold Call: name three criteria for a strong thesis.

M-7-S-WR-13-A Chart

MG-6 anchor displayed: 5-paragraph blueprint with intro / 3 body paragraphs / conclusion + Works Cited. Print-ready 11x17.

MG-6 Chart

Analytical essay 5-paragraph structural anchor: blueprint card. PARAGRAPH 1 — INTRODUCTION: HOOK (sentence-level engagement — a vivid image, a question, a startling claim) + CONTEXT (1-2 sentences about the text and author) + THESIS (your overall analytical claim, complete sentence) + 3-PART ROADMAP (the three sub-claims of the three body paragraphs, signaling structure to the reader). PARAGRAPHS 2-4 — BODY (one per sub-claim, each follows CEA): Claim (sub-claim, repeated/echoed from roadmap) + Evidence (quoted with quote-sandwich integration) + Analysis (3-4 sentences naming the language moves). PARAGRAPH 5 — CONCLUSION: synthesizes the three sub-claims into a unified analytical reading + offers a SO-WHAT (why does this analysis matter? what does it reveal about the text, the writer's craft, or the reader?). Bottom rule: 'The essay IS the analysis. If you can remove all textual evidence and the essay still works as personal opinion, you have not done analytical work.' Print-ready 11x17.

• Choose your mentor passage from the curated list. Apply the 3-pass close read to it (review).

  scaffold MG-2 3-pass anchor + 5-color toolkit
• Plan your essay: thesis + roadmap + 2 sub-claims + at least 1 piece of textual evidence per sub-claim.

  scaffold Essay planning template
• Begin the writing-conference cycle. Teacher conducts conferences while remaining students plan.

  scaffold MG-24 conference protocol

• Submit your thesis and 2 sub-claims for review. Each must be a complete claim sentence (not a topic).

• Restate: thesis = overall claim; sub-claims = paragraph-level claims; roadmap = preview
• Preview tomorrow's body paragraph drafting

• Draft the INTRODUCTION (hook + context + thesis + roadmap) for your practice essay. Bring tomorrow for peer review.