On a scrap of paper, compose a thesis statement and a list of relevant supporting papers in answer to the prompt. Respond in writing. Include your thesis statement and relevant supporting evidence in well-organized paragraphs with subject sentences. Edit your work. Receive feedback from peers and teachers.
Writing a Reaction or Response Paper
Writing a Reaction or Response Paper
Use the prompt's essential terms to help you develop your subject sentence. Some of the key terms may be useful to add in your topic sentence. Check sure your topic sentence meets all sections of the assignment and conveys the topic of your work effectively. A good topic sentence should not only describe the content of your essay, but also express its main idea or point.
For example, let's say that one of your assignments was to compare and contrast two films that deal with same subject. Your topic sentence could be "The themes of courage and survival are common to both J.D.: The Bookish Boy and I Love Lucy." You would then write about those themes as they relate to the film adaptations of J.D. Salinger's novel and Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz's sitcom.
Essays that follow a specific format will usually include a topic sentence. For example, an argument essay might have as its topic sentence "The benefits of having a unionized workforce are evident from viewing this video." Here, the writer is saying that by viewing the video she can see how union workers are benefited by having a labor union. Without going into great detail, the video provides evidence that supports her claim.
A descriptive essay would not have a topic sentence because it is not necessary. Rather, it is simply a sentence that describes its subject matter.
Develop each paragraph by performing the following:
Take your time reading the prompt. Reread the prompt and highlight important terms that indicate the topic of the writing assignment, the objective (for example, to explain or describe), the kind of text, the length, and any particular information that must be included. The subject sentence states the main idea of the paragraph or piece of writing.
To write an effective essay, you need a good topic that holds your interest and allows you to express yourself clearly. Every essay should have a subject sentence that tells what the essay is going to be about. The rest of the essay should support and clarify this subject sentence. You can use details from the text or research materials to do this. For example, if the essay topic is "Why I want a new car," then you could include reasons such as "I need a new car for my job" or "My old car doesn't hold enough gas for my work trips."
Some subjects are more interesting than others. If you pick a boring topic, you're not going to enjoy writing about it that much. Choose a topic that you feel passionate about or one that will help you grow as a writer. That way you'll have something to write about that won't seem like work!
You can also choose a controversial topic to add some spice to your essay.
Summarize the main questions and thesis or findings. Skim subheadings and topic sentences to understand the organization; make notes in the margins about each section. Read each paragraph within a section; make short notes about the main idea or purpose of each paragraph. Review the article's conclusion; it should summarize the main ideas or points made throughout the paper.
An abstract is a brief summary of an article's contents designed to interest potential readers. Abstracts are used by scientific journals to decide whether to print an article they receive. They should be written only to address these interests: who, what, when, where, and why. The who is usually omitted from abstracts because it is generally understood from the title and/or keywords of the article that it concerns humans. The what is usually a short description of the method(s) used in the study. The where is often omitted but can be helpful for locating studies of interest. For example, an abstract for a study of heart disease in women might include age range, ethnicity, location, and time frame in which the study was conducted. The why is often left out but may help scientists interested in similar topics find other studies worth reading. For example, an abstract for a study on how smoking affects the risk of developing heart disease might mention previous research on this subject.
As with any abstract, the goal is to provide enough information for others to want to read the full paper.