Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" provides middle schoolers with an opportunity to hone their close reading and literary analysis skills. After annotating their copy of the story, writer's craft an essay in which they analyze...

Resource defines what an essay is, the parts of an essay and their functions, and also discusses the editing process and how important it is to check a draft for completeness and high quality. Includes a link to an online guide to citing...

How do you write a winning statement of purpose? This is a clear and comprehensive explanation of how to approach and write an essay from the San Jose State University. Practice exercises are given at the end.

In an expository essay, a type of informational text, the writer clarifies or explains something by using facts, details, and examples in a clear and concise way. To write an effective expository essay, students need a basic...

This website provides tips to writing which develops an argument. When writing an essay, show that the writer can construct a coherent argument and employ critical thinking skills, as well as support an argument with evidence.

Lists the proper way to develop an outline before writing a paper or an essay.

A printable graphic organizer for students to use when writing on opinion or persuasive essay. Directions on how to use this type of graphic organizer as well as lists of teaching ideas, lesson plans, and other resources are also...

A tip sheet on how to write and develop an introduction to a research paper.

This resource explains how to write an essay. Provides information regarding length, order, and opening strategies. W.9-10.1a claims/intro/org

This writing assignments asks students to assume the voice of a person from history they have researched. Focusing on a topic or belief the person showed passion about as history unfolded, the students write an essay modeled after NPR's...

This writing assignments asks learners to assume the voice of a character from a novel they are reading. Focusing on a topic or belief the character shows passion about in the novel, the students write an essay modeled after NPR's "This...

Read this example essay with its highlighted comments and labeled parts to get a good grasp of what an effective essay does. United States students should note that the documentation style is slightly different in this example. For more...

This page has eight basic steps for writing expository essays: select topic, write the thesis, choose a method of development, organize, write topic sentences for body paragraph, write the body paragraphs, write an introduction, and...

A professor's excellent explanation of how to write a professional sounding essay. Covers all aspects of an essay, and detailed examples give information on exactly how to write the essay.

Tips on organizing and writing an argumentative essay.

This resource provides good insight on how to structure a well organized effective persuasive essay.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This is a study guide for Act 1 Scene 1 of Othello including writing an essay, locating quotes to support ideas, creating characters, and acting out the scene.

This resource teaches how to write a conclusion for an essay. Also includes a few pointers on how not to end one.

English Works site has suggestions on how to write an essay to convey helpful information. This site offers examples of eight different types of essays and graphic organizers.

Two slideshows and a screencast on organizational patterns used when writing essays and speeches. The first is a 20-slide presentation explaining the seven most common organizational patterns used in writing: time sequence, spatial,...

This site provides some help reading an essay that deals with the classification and analysis of a piece of literature. Offers some instruction about the type of essay, a sample text, and guiding questions to help you analyze your own...

Explains the thesis statement and distinguishes it from the purpose statement. Gives an example of a paragraph containing both. Be sure try the link at the bottom of the page, "Developing a Thesis Statement." This page goes into further...

An explanation of an expository essay and its structure: thesis statement, logic transitions, introduction, body, conclusion, support, and creativity.

This resource discusses some terms and techniques that are useful to the beginning and intermediate fiction writer, and to instructors who are teaching fiction at these levels. W.11-12.3a Narratives