Full Essay Structure
CERCA: Claim, Evidence, Reasoning, Counterargument, Audience
Introduction Hook/ Lead
Transition/ Bridge
Claim/ Thesis (SOaR - Subject, Opinion, and Reason(s))
Each Body Reason (topic sentence) from your Claim/ Thesis
Paragraph Evidence from the text
Reasoning – explanation of evidence and connection to the topic sentence
Conclusion Counterargument – address what the opposition would say
Concluding sentence – Restating (not repeating) your point
Outline for a Multi-Paragraph Response
1. Introductory Paragraph
A. Lead / Hook (from Connect or Get Started)
B. Transition / Bridge (from Summary)
C. Claim (Subject, Opinion, Reason(s))
2. Body Paragraph 1
A. Topic Sentence (Reason 1)
B. Explanation
C. Evidence (textual)
D. Concluding Sentence
3. Body Paragraph 2
A. Topic Sentence (Reason 2)
B. Explanation
C. Evidence (textual or other)
D. Concluding Sentence
4. Concluding Paragraph
A. Counter-Argument Explained
B. Rebuttal (explain why counter-argument is wrong)
C. Concluding Sentence(s)
ThinkCERCA
The introduction has three parts:
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lead/ hook - This can come from ThinkCERCA Step 1: Connect
The lead is a broad introduction to the topic of the essay. It is designed to get the reader to start thinking about the ideas to be presented. For example, an essay discussing the merits of a Quinceanera might begin by discussing big celebrations in general.
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bridge/ transition - This can come from ThinkCERCA Step 4: Summarize
The bridge connects the hook to the thesis. It transitions the topic from the broad lead to the focused thesis.
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claim/ thesis - This is from ThinkCERCA Step 5: Build
An argumentative/ persuasive thesis is called a claim and has three parts: subject, opinion, and reasons.
Look at the examples below.
What was the bigger threat to the Everglades: draining the swamp or the Burmese python?
Support your claim with evidence from the text.
Introduction
(lead) The Florida Everglades are a beautiful part of Florida that springs with life left and right. (bridge) Though still a beautiful wetland, the Everglades have faced many dangers in the past two- to three-hundred years. Two of the most significant challenges it has faced are the decision to attempt to drain the Everglades and the introduction of the invasive species of the Burmese Python. (claim) Though both were very destructive, the draining of the everglades has led to more destruction and its effects have been much much harder to reverse.
Notice the introduction
only has THREE parts.
Full ThinkCERCA Essay
(introduction) The Florida Everglades are a beautiful part of Florida that springs with life left and right. Though still a beautiful wetland, the Everglades have faced many dangers in the past two- to three-hundred years. Two of the most significant challenges it has faced are the decision to attempt to drain the Everglades and the introduction of the invasive species of the Burmese Python. Though both were very destructive, the draining of the everglades has led to more destruction and its effects have been much much harder to reverse.
(first body paragraph - supports claim) After the draining of the Everglades, people began to "reclaim" the land as if it were ever theirs to begin with. The land was then sold to farmers who knew they could take advantage of the very fertile soil that was all over the everglades. As these farms got bigger and more widespread across the Everglades, the Northern half of the wetlands became polluted with phosphorus, a dangerous chemical used in war to make incendiary rounds and skin-burning gas which now been banned. Fortunately, the people of Florida took notice of the destruction caused by the state's legislature and took action. They supported saving the Everglades and their efforts succeeded because Congress heard their voices and in 1947, created The Everglades National Park. A few decades later, starting in the late 1970s, people from across the globe decided to turn their attention to the Everglades and it was classified as one of the most important wetland environments in the world. Though the conservation efforts of people around the globe caused great improvement and kickstarted the healing process, the Everglades will still never be the same as it once was.
(second body paragraph - present opposing opinion) Others view the Burmese Python as the main threat to the Everglades. The Burmese Python was never native to the area or to North America. It is believed that pet owners released Burmese Pythons into the Everglades. People usually purchase the snake when it is small but they grow very large leading to owners getting rid of the snake and deciding that a good place to do that was the Everglades. The Pythons flourished in their new habitats. The Burmese Python has been know to eat anything in its path from mice to raccoons to deer to bobcats and they will not stop. It didn't help when Hurricane Andrew hit, destroying pet stores and releasing even more pythons into a food paradise. Realizing what had begun to happen, Floridians once again banded together to save their home state wetlands. Studies have shown that places where the Burmese Python had not yet conquered had much less population loss. Hunters were given permission by the state been to hunt the deadly snake. Today hunters have reported catching over 5000 pythons. This goes to show that though the Burmese Pythons haven’t been in the Everglades for long, conservation efforts have already managed to wrangle up quite a bit of them.
(conclusion - rebuts opposition and wraps up essay) Though the python impact on animal life in the Everglades was significant, it was quickly controlled and was never as big as the draining and destruction of over 5,000 acres of wetland. The Florida Everglades have been hit hard many times before and always people have come to its defense. They have truly stood the test of time and have gone to show people all over the world to respect their environment and protect it because without it we would be nowhere at all.
Multi-Paragraph Argumentative Essay Outline
"Thank You, Ma'am"
I. The Introductory Paragraph has three parts:
A. Lead / Hook – The lead is a broad idea that introduces the overall theme of the paper.
ex: The mistakes we make in life often give us empathy for others who find themselves in
similar situations.
B. Transition / Bridge – The transition tightens the focus of the essay. It could be a one-sentence
summary of the source text.
ex: In “Thank You, Ma’am,” a woman shows empathy to a young boy and redirects his
path in life.
C. Claim – The claim (thesis) is the central argument of your paper. It’s the opinion you have
based on the text and that you are going to support with the text.
ex: In this story, the empathy shown by Mrs. Jones toward Roger will likely have such a
positive impact on his life that he turns away from his life of crime.
II. Body Paragraph 1 – The body paragraph is where you prove your point.
A. Topic Sentence/ Reason – Your topic sentence is one of the reasons why you believe your claim.
ex: Roger had never had any one care for him before he met Mrs. Jones.
B. Evidence – Textual evidence supports your topic sentence. It’s your proof.
ex: When Mrs. Jones asks Roger, “Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your
face?”, he replies by saying no. Later he says that there’s “nobody home” at his house to
feed him, either.
C. Explanation – ThinkCERCA calls this “reasoning.” Explain how the evidence supports your reason.
ex: With no one at home to feed him or tell him to wash his face, Roger is probably
experiencing the first act of kindness he’s had in a long time.
D. Concluding sentence – This concludes the paragraph by connect the topic sentence/ reason to
the claim.
ex: This act of kindness on the part of Mrs. Jones will influence Roger’s future in a
remarkable way.
III. Body Paragraph 2 – The second body paragraph follows the same format as the first. In this example, I need to continue supporting my claim. So far, I’ve only demonstrated that Mrs. Jones was nice to Roger. Where’s my evidence that he will change his way?
ex: Roger’s thoughts during the second part of the story show that he will change his ways. When they got to her room, Mrs. Jones intentionally left the front door open giving Roger the opportunity to escape, but he “looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink” to wash his face. The story also said that Roger “did not want to be mistrusted now”. Both of these instances demonstrate that Roger is already turning over a new leaf. He wants to do the right thing
IV. Concluding Paragraph – The concluding paragraph has three parts: The counterargument, your rebuttal, and a concluding statement. I don’t like starting with “Some readers might think…” because it lacks originality. Here are some alternatives.
ex: Some might argue that such a short interaction is not enough to change a person’s life, that Roger will just laugh at how he fooled Mrs. Jones, but one look at their final interaction with each other proves otherwise. Anyone who’s ever had a really bad day knows the impact having someone say or do something nice to them can have. For Roger, who has had a rough life, the impact was even greater. As he left the building, Roger looked back wanting to say “something else other than ‘Thank you, ma’am’,” but that’s all he can manage. He doesn’t know how to express his gratitude in any other way than to change his life and “behave” himself.
Full Essay
The mistakes we make in life often give us empathy for others who find themselves in similar situations. In “Thank You, Ma’am,” a woman shows empathy to a young boy and redirects his path in life. In this story, the empathy shown by Mrs. Jones toward Roger will likely have such a positive impact on his life that he turns away from his life of crime.
Roger had never had any one care for him before he met Mrs. Jones. When Mrs. Jones asks Roger, “Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”, he replies by saying no. Later he says that there’s “nobody home” at his house to feed him, either. With no one at home to feed him or tell him to wash his face, Roger is probably experiencing the first act of kindness he’s had in a long time. his act of kindness on the part of Mrs. Jones will influence Roger’s future in a remarkable way.
Roger’s thoughts during the second part of the story show that he will change his ways. When they got to her room, Mrs. Jones intentionally left the front door open giving Roger the opportunity to escape, but he “looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink” to wash his face. The story also said that Roger “did not want to be mistrusted now”. Both of these instances demonstrate that Roger is already turning over a new leaf. He wants to do the right thing.
Some might argue that such a short interaction is not enough to change a person’s life, that Roger will just laugh at how he fooled Mrs. Jones, but one look at their final interaction with each other proves otherwise. Anyone who’s ever had a really bad day knows the impact having someone say or do something nice to them can have. For Roger, who has had a rough life, the impact was even greater. As he left the building, Roger looked back wanting to say “something else other than ‘Thank you, ma’am’,” but that’s all he can manage. He doesn’t know how to express his gratitude in any other way than to change his life and “behave” himself.
A goal I have had is to always get good grades. I try to pay attention in class and I try my best every time I take a test. Many people have goals, some bigger than others but at the end of the day they are all important. One person that achieved her goals even though she had a lot of obstacles along the way is Katherine Johnson. She defeated many different things like segregation and she also calculated one of the most important things for NASA.
One thing Katherine Jonson achieved was not only being one of the few African-American people to work at NASA but also to be one of the first women. ”Katherine, along with her husband and three daughters, soon moved near Hampton, Virginia, where NASA was located. The following year, Katherine was hired by NASA as a human computer." NASA hired Katherine and although there were some segregation rules at her job like having to go to separate restrooms just because of the color of her skin she was still dedicated to her job and didn't care about the rules. At the time the women at NASA were referred to as “Human Computers”. Katherine helped change that with all her calculations and her hard work.
Another thing that Katherine Johnson achieved was to calculate the speed and the altitude of the freedom 7. “Katherine figured out what the Freedom 7 rocket’s speed and altitude should be to reach both space and the splashdown location.” This was not only a big accomplishment for a person to achieve but it was an even bigger one because she was African-American and also a women. The calculations she made helped NASA send people to space and even inspired president John F. Kennedy to send someone to the moon.
The things that Katherine Johnson did were very inspiring to people all over the world. She is known for all the things that she overcame besides there being many segregation and gender segregation laws. She is and will always be remembered for her vary big accomplishments.
There are many types of punishment that schools impose for behavioral problems. One of those is school suspension which makes a student stay at home on a school day. Schools should not utilize school suspension as a disciplinary action because students would just be missing out on school lessons and knowledge.
School suspensions limit or reduce the time in which students are learning valuable information. If you ban school suspensions, "the academic achievement increases." The reason being is that students "spend more time in class" because they're not suspended. Also, schools that cut back on suspensions "may also see a decrease in the dropout rate." This makes a student's life more successful since they are learning the information they need to know for the outside world.
Students who skip school and come back and get suspended are only hurting themselves. Students miss school only to get suspended and miss school again which causes a gap between their knowledge and the other students' knowledge. This can cause the student to fall behind and maybe even drop out. Instead of immediately resulting in school suspension, the school should rely on "restorative justice." Which is peer mediation which makes students feel at peace and calm down. This should lead to "improvements in school climate and morale."
Although some people might argue that school suspension is needed to keep the class under control, that is not necessarily true because they're other methods of bringing peace to the classroom. The school could use in-school suspension instead so that the kid has suspension, but at least he or she is at school learning something. School suspension should not be used as a disciplinary measure for the fact that it doesn't benefit the student; instead, it makes it more difficult for the student to learn.
Summer break is one of the most expected times for kids. Kids just want to go home and relax without worrying about homework, tests, or any assignments that were due last week. Summer break is an essential time for kids, and should not be taken away from them. Schools should not eliminate summer because Summer break can bring new opportunities for kids to have fun and learn more about the world.
Summer can bring many opportunities for kids such as helping out with the house or helping support their families. “Many young people use their time off to work in order to support themselves and their families.” Many families need their kids to help out in the house or to even go to work to support their families. Families have to cook more now that their kids don’t eat at school anymore making it more expensive for families to afford more food, that’s why some young people work to support their families. Some families need a Summer break to financially support their families and help in the house such as maintaining the house clean. Kids can do many things during the summer either helping out or enjoying the great outdoors.
Another reason summer shouldn’t be eliminated is because many kids go to summer school, or other academic opportunities. “Others may attend summer school for extra help or enrichment opportunities.” Summer can help kids become better in academics and give them a chance to join extracurricular activities that can help them later in life. “young people have an almost endless list of opportunities for camps and classes—everything from sports to robotics.” The extracurricular activities are not only for families that can afford them there are many programs where people don’t need to pay for them. “Many of these enriching programs even have scholarships available, making them accessible to families at all income levels.” Summer can bring a great number of opportunities and it’s also a good idea to take a break from school and all the stress of work. “Plus, sometimes it’s nice to just get a break from school. “Our brains need rest from thinking and deadlines and tests,”
Even though Summer break can cause summer-slide causing students to forget what they had learned the previous year. Summer can bring opportunities for kids to provide for their families or to have extracurricular activities that will help them in the future.
Day 1
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Complete the "Connect" in ThinkCERCA and in Google Classroom. You will use this later in your introduction.
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Read and discuss the passage.
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Complete the multiple-choice quiz.
Day 2
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Review answers to multiple-choice quiz.
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With a partner, follow the directions to highlight the text. This will be used later for your textual support.
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Complete the "Summary" in ThinkCERCA and in Google Classroom. You will use this later in your introduction.
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Begin writing your Rough Draft in Google Classroom. ThinkCERCA has a lot of embedded tips to help you get started.
Day 3
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Finish your Rough Draft, proofread it, and paste it into ThinkCERCA.
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Submit
II. Body Paragraph 1 – The body paragraph is where you prove your point.
A. Topic Sentence/ Reason – Your topic sentence is one of the reasons why you believe your claim.
ex: Roger had never had any one care for him before he met Mrs. Jones.
B. Evidence – Textual evidence supports your topic sentence. It’s your proof.
ex: When Mrs. Jones asks Roger, “Ain’t you got nobody home to tell you to wash your face?”, he replies by saying no. Later he says that there’s “nobody home” at his house
to feed him, either.
C. Explanation – ThinkCERCA calls this “reasoning.” Explain how the evidence supports your reason.
ex: With no one at home to feed him or tell him to wash his face, Roger is probably
experiencing the first act of kindness he’s had in a long time.
D. Concluding sentence – This concludes the paragraph by connecting the topic sentence/ reason to the claim.
ex: This act of kindness on the part of Mrs. Jones will influence Roger’s future in a
remarkable way.
III. Body Paragraph 2 – The second body paragraph follows the same format as the first. In this example, I need to continue supporting my claim. So far, I’ve only demonstrated that Mrs. Jones was nice to Roger. Where’s my evidence that he will change his way?
ex: Roger’s thoughts during the second part of the story show that he will change his ways. When they got to her room, Mrs. Jones intentionally left the front door open giving Roger the opportunity to escape, but he “looked at the woman—looked at the door—and went to the sink” to wash his face. The story also said that Roger “did not want to be mistrusted now”. Both of these instances demonstrate that Roger is already turning over a new leaf. He wants to do the right thing
IV. Concluding Paragraph – The concluding paragraph has three parts: The counterargument, your rebuttal, and a concluding statement. I don’t like starting with “Some readers might think…” because it lacks originality. Here are some alternatives.
ex: Some might argue that such a short interaction is not enough to change a person’s life, that Roger will just laugh at how he fooled Mrs. Jones, but one look at their final interaction with each other proves otherwise. Anyone who’s ever had a really bad day knows the impact having someone say or do something nice to them can have. For Roger, who has had a rough life, the impact was even greater. As he left the building, Roger looked back wanting to say “something else other than ‘Thank you, ma’am’,” but that’s all he can manage. He doesn’t know how to express his gratitude in any other way than to change his life and “behave” himself.
Writing Your Claim
The claim has three parts: subject, opinion, reasons. (In some cases, you can leave the reasons off, but let it be your plan to always include them.
The claim always begins by restating the prompt:
Should fracking be allowed in the United States?
Claim
Fracking should be allowed in the United States because it's good for the economy and reduces our dependency on other countries for oil and natural gas.
or
Fracking should not be allowed in the United States because it can pollute both the air and the water supply.
From here you would write your two body paragraphs: one about how fracking is good for the economy, and the about how fracking makes the US less dependent on other countries for oil and natural gas.