Career I-Search: Building the Essay ~ Part 2 of 3

"A thesis provides the firm foundation of an
essay.  It is the strongest point a writer can make and it
bears the weight of your ideas."

REVIEW ~ "THE FIRM FOUNDATION":  The wise man built his house upon the rock, right?  Just like every house needs to have a firm foundation, our kiddos need to have a strong understanding of the purpose for their writing. This is where a thesis statement comes in.

• I sometimes avoid calling it research right at first; the word tends to scare off students who will want to naturally want to investigate resources to find answers to questions.

"Topic sentences frame your writing.  They provide
an organized place for the supporting details."

TOPIC SENTENCES ~ "THE BASIC FRAME": created in "Career I-Search Part 1":  Now that they have a hook (their career, why they chose that career, what they already know about it), and their purpose or thesis (that they have questions -- even listing the questions as a roadmap statement), they're ready to consider topic sentences -- their questions from yesterday's lesson at the top of each page of the worksheet packet, Body 1-3.

I tell the students this:  These topic sentences support the essay.  They become a blueprint that shapes the essay.  They invite the writer to stick to the plan, and if there IS a change in direction, the topic sentences allow for a constructive change that will not topple the overall design.

RESOURCES ~ "THE WORKABLE COMPONENTS":  Next, I invite students to consider WHERE they will find their answers.  Most just say, "Google," but when I ask them WHICH site on google, they're not sure.  Again -- I encourage them to go to www.bls.gov.

"Resources are the working part of an essay.
They illuminate your ideas and make your
points clear and credible.

"But where else can you go to find the answers to what you want to know?" I ask.  Yes -- the internet is a great place to go to find just about anything; also, resources like eLibrary will help students locate legitimate resources, but there are more places to find information than from a computer.  Yes -- there are more places to find information than from a book or any type of publication.  If a teacher keeps at it, these are typical responses.

"Consider this:  Do you now of anyone you can go to and ask them a few questions?"  Yes -- primary resources can and should be utilized for this project.   For my kids, they go to their shop teachers for information; some may know of business leaders or members of the career community who would love to share what they know about their career.   Regardless, interviewing an expert in the field of study is a solid idea.

CITING THE SITE:  From our trips to the library and the presentation about how to avoid plagiarism, students know that it's not cool to steal someone else's ideas.  Now they know how important it is to give the author credit, they need to know this: How can students cite their sources?

In addition to our school's citation reference books, I also show students how they can use citation tools like www.easybib.com and www.citationmachine.net.

Students working together to put finishing touches,
 the "editing phase" on their building project.

Citing resources can be compared to the working part of the essay.  If a writer uses his or her own point of view, the essay becomes no more than opinion.  When a writer uses outside resources to make connections, he or she takes the essay to a whole new level!  It can be compared to the wiring and pluming in a house.  Without these two features, the house is no more than a shed.

ADDING THE BLING:  Sure, a house can be a house without the finishing touches, but it might not be much to look at.

This is similar to the editing process.

Above and beyond a spell check, Word features GRAMMAR AND STYLE check; In Microsoft Office 2007, .