Page 302 - Foundations of Learning, 4th Edition (Revised)

might want to compare “community policing” with other types of policing to argue for its
benefits. Would this work in all neighborhoods?

has been asked by the group if eating locally might be too expensive for college students.
What ideas does she have on that?

3. Perform exploratory writing. Spend twenty minutes, writing, exploring your thinking, opinions,
and questions relating to your essay topic.

All the students do this step in class.

4. Develop a working thesis statement. This should represent your main idea, based on the discussion
with your classmates and your exploratory writing.

Sharing creative work through a Creative Commons license will actually help protect artists’
and writers’ work from being plagiarized by others.
Learning a second language is a vital part of an elementary student’s preparation for success
in other subjects.
The success of community policing in other cities makes it an important strategy to pursue
in our city.
There are so many health and environmental benefits to eating locally grown products that
students should find cost-efficient ways to do so.

5. Devise a plan. Use your thesis statement, exploratory writing, and discussion with classmates to
prepare a working outline of your essay.

The students in this group use various methods to outline their essays. One maps out
the supporting points and how they relate to the thesis. Another begins with a list of the
topic’s pros and cons. Still another does a more formal outline, with the supporting points
numbered. The final student begins by answering classmates questions on the topics. At
the end of this initial session, all students have a clear outline of the thesis and supporting
points of the essay in order.

6. Create a draft, using your outline as a guide. What kind of Introduction will immediately engage
your readers, especially those who were not in your discussion group? Would a story work? An
important fact? A definition? You may want to start with the Introduction or go back to it, after
you have written a portion of the essay. Your draft should be as complete as possible, with an
Introduction, a Thesis, Development, and a Conclusion. Your classmates will help you revise this
essay in the next activity.

The students head home to write their drafts, confident that they are moving in the right
direction!

296 Foundations of Learning