essay

Revision Activity for Essay #1: Turn this in with your final draft on Friday, October 19.

1. Does your introduction provide a brief summary of the story and state your thesis? Does anything need to be added?

2. Now, number each paragraph in your essay. Read through the essay, writing a phrase for each paragraph that identifies the paragraph’s main idea (the point for the body paragraphs). Then make a rough outline by listing the phrases in order below. Does the order make sense? Do all paragraphs support the thesis? Is the point in each body paragraph a point of interpretation (as opposed to simply a point of summary)?

3. Underline or highlight your quotations from the text. Have you integrated them well using the suggestions in the handouts and textbook? Have you used too many or too few quotes? How could you improve your use of quotations?

4. Now underline or highlight the transitions between paragraphs (the last sentence or idea of a paragraph and the first sentence or idea of the next one). How do they relate? How might they relate better?

5. At this point, what is most important for you to revise (thesis, support, organization, etc.)?