Warm-Up for Writing Essays

(c) Thoughtful Learning 2016

An essay explores a topic in great detail using multiple paragraphs. This lesson will show you one special way to gather information for your own essay.

What Is an Essay?

You first learn how to write sentences. Then you learn how to write paragraphs. Next, you learn how to write essays. Each new form builds on what you learned before: A group of related sentences forms a paragraph. A group of related paragraphs forms an essay.

An essay gives information about a single topic. The beginning paragraph introduces the topic, the middle paragraphs explain the topic, and the ending paragraph summarizes the main points. Essays explain, describe, or persuade.

In this unit, you will write an essay that explains how a group of third graders answered an interesting question.

Thinking About Polls

Big companies and organizations take polls to find out what people are thinking. For example, when there is an election, voters will be asked who they are going to vote for and why. Asking these questions helps candidates know how they are doing during their campaign.

Consumers are asked what they like such as thin or thick crust on their pizza. Young TV viewers like you may be asked about their favorite shows. Even principals and teachers use polls to ask their students different questions.

Editing for Sentences

Every sentence needs a subject and a verb. The subject is the person, place, thing, or idea that the sentence is about. The verb tells something about the subject.

If a group of words does not have a subject or a verb, it is a fragment.

To fix a fragment, add the part that is missing—subject, verb, or both.

Revising for Structure

Your first job in revising is to check the overall structure of your paragraph. Choose one of the paragraphs you have written and check each part below.

1. How could my first sentence more clearly identify my topic?
2. How could I capture my reader’s attention in the first sentence?