Unit 1 Essay

1. Unit 1 Essay Final assessment for Unit 1

2. The Question How did the attitudes and beliefs of early settlers in America not only help them endure hardships, but also shape their interactions with the native inhabitants?

3. Writing Your Thesis Statement • Your thesis statement is the most important sentence in your entire essay. • This is the sentence that lets your reader know specifically what your essay is going to be about. • It is important to write your thesis BEFORE you start your essay so you know where your writing is going.

4. Writing Your Thesis Statement • You will write a 3 prong thesis, one prong for each of your body paragraphs. • Remember, your thesis needs to be something that can be argued. DO NOT write statements of fact that cannot be argued like “the Puritans survived many hardships.” This is a true statement that cannot be argued. A better statement would be “the Puritan’s strong determination helped them survive many hardships.” • Based on the question, one prong should be about how the colonists’ attitudes helped them survive hardships, another should be about how their beliefs helped them survive hardships and the last one should be about how their attitudes and beliefs shaped their interactions with the native inhabitants.

5. Writing Your Thesis Statement • Pick one attitude you think helped them survive the hardships they faced. Brainstorm attitudes of the early Puritans and colonists: Independent, courageous, stubborn, self-reliant etc. • Pick one specific religious belief you think was key to their survival. Brainstorm religious beliefs: God’s chosen people, this life is only a test for heaven, the hardships they faced were just a test for heaven. • Make sure the attitude and belief you have chosen can be supported with details from the selections we have read in Unit 1. Also make sure that the two things you have chosen to focus on affected how they interacted with the native inhabitants (good or bad).

6. Writing Your Thesis Statement • Sample thesis for this essay. DO NOT COPY. • The Puritan’s strong sense of determination, along with the belief they were creating a “New Eden”, allowed them to endure the hardships they faced and also shaped their interactions with the Native Americans.

7. Writing Your Introduction • Once you know specifically what you are going to write about, it is time to write your introduction. • Your introduction is usually the hardest paragraph to write in your entire essay. • IF you are struggling writing your introduction, you can start writing your body paragraphs and come back to it later.

8. Writing Your Introduction • There are 3 parts to your introduction: • Hook- This is the first sentence of your introduction. It gets your readers attention. • Bridge- this is 2-3 sentences that bridge your hook to your thesis. It shows how your hook connects to the topic of you essay. • Thesis- This is the last sentence of your introduction. It tells your audience what your essay is specifically about.

9. Writing Your Introduction • Hook-attention grabbers • Interesting fact/statistic: While most people are familiar with the story of the Pilgrims landing in the New World, ,many are not aware that only 53 of the original 102 passengers survived. • Famous quote: In a little while you will meet in heaven; he will then be dearer to you than the nearest friend you have upon earth is to you now. • Short anecdote: brief story relating to the topic based on an event in history or your life. • A vivid scene related to the topic: Describing a scene from literature or history that will draw the reader in. • A question: Asking a thought provoking question relating to the topic. AVOID asking “Have you ever…”or “Did you know…” questions.

10. Writing Your Introduction Bridge Sentences: • Connect, or “bridge” your hook to your thesis. • This is where you introduce the name of a novel, unit or course to give context to what you are writing about. • The key to your bridge is to make your introduction flow, so be sure to avoid big jumps in ideas or topics.

11. Sample Introduction While most people are familiar with the story of the original Puritans landing in the “New World”, many are not aware that only 53 of the original 102 passengers survived. These early colonists chose to give up a comfortable, safe life in Europe for the chance at religious freedom. It was not an easy life for them once they arrived in North America, and they faced many new challenges. These unexpected challenges cost nearly half of the original Puritans their lives, but it also made the survivors more determined to make their new colony work. The Puritan’s strong sense of determination, along with the belief they were creating a “New Eden”, allowed them to endure the hardships they faced and also shaped their interactions with the Native Americans.