I think that for most students, writing an essay is a daunting process. There is so much that they need to include and incorporate within it, while ensuring that they remain coherent and concise. I would break down writing a literary essay (or any essay for that matter) into simple steps. I would encourage students to rely on the writing process and an outline for essay writing, which I would present to them at the same time. The outline would look like the following:
Introduction:
(Include a brief, general overview of what your essay will be about, it is the lead-in to your thesis):
Thesis (What do you want to prove in your essay? What will your essay be about? Ensure that you are clear, concise, and coherent in your thesis statement. You want the readers to know exactly what you will be arguing):
Body:
(This is where you prove your thesis statement through your personal analysis of the given text and rely on quotes and excerpts as proof/facts. It is important to relate your arguments back to your thesis in each paragraph in this section)
Paragraph 1:
Topic/Argument:
Proof:
Link to thesis:
Paragraph 2:
Topic/Argument:
Proof:
Link to thesis:
Paragraph 3:
Topic/Argument:
Proof:
LInk to Thesis:
Conclusion:
(You will begin by reiterating your thesis statement. Furthermore, you will restate your main arguments that you relied on in the body of your paper. This part is essential because it summarizes your literary essay, reminding the reader what the point of your essay is. This is where you draw conclusions, relate to further research/analysis that could be made regarding your topic).
This outline is perfect for high school students because it maps out how they should go about writing an essay and encourages them to take their time and think about their topic. It forces them to think about their topic as a whole and then follow through and figure out how to argue their point of view and how they will support their arguments.
I would scaffold this process to make it easier for students to tackle. Before asking students to choose a topic, I would tell them to write reflections and take notes while reading the novel that they will be analysing. Once they have finished the novel, I would have students organise their thoughts and think of a general topic for their literary essay. Once they figure out their topic, I would then proceed to give them a blank outline (shown above), where they can begin to think about the arguments that they will use to prove their thesis statement.
Once students have determined what their arguments will be, they can refer back to their reflections and notes that they took while reading their novel to look for proof from the text to use to reinforce their arguments.
When the students have their outline completed, then students can proceed to begin writing their paper, which will serve as a draft. The next step would be to have students exchange essays and peer edit, so that they can obtain the opinion of one of their peers regarding their work.
The final process of the scaffolding of essay writing would be relying on the notes/comments that they received from their peers, editing their own papers, and writing their final version of the essay.
By breaking it down into smaller steps, it makes the process in and of itself less daunting for students, making essays less intimidating and easier to write.
