PBS
"Heart Berries" Author Terese Marie Mailhot Answers Your Questions
Terese Marie Mailhot, author of our January pick for the NewsHour-New York Times book club, Now Read This, joins Jeffrey Brown to answer reader questions on “Heart Berries,” and Jeff announces the February book selection.
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The power of a great introduction - Carolyn Mohr
Never underestimate the power of an intriguing start. When analyzing the literary greats like Charles Dickens and Kurt Vonnegut, be inspired by their craft and learn how to write a tantalizing introduction and strong thesis for your...
Curated Video
Responding to a Prompt
A video titled "Responding to a Prompt" that explains how to effectively respond to a writing prompt.
Curated Video
Composing a Persuasive Essay
A video titled "Composing a Persuasive Essay" which explains the components needed to write a persuasive essay.
Curated Video
Thesis Statement
This video, entitled "Thesis Statement," describes how to create a strong thesis statement.
Curated Video
Drafting an Expository Essay
A video entitled "Drafting an Expository Essay" discussing how to write an expository essay.
Curated Video
How to Write a Thesis
Howcast - Whether in grade school or grad school, this guide will help you write a pitch-perfect thesis statement for any essay.
Curated Video
How to Write the Conclusion of an Essay
Howcast - If you've toiled through an essay but lack the steam to write a convincing conclusion, these tips will help crank out that last paragraph in a snap.
Curated Video
How to Write a Thesis Statement
A thesis statement identifies to the reader the main idea of your essay or paper and the direction in which it will go.
Curated Video
Writing introductions and conclusions for an 'An Inspector Calls' essay
Pupil outcome: I can create sophisticated introductions and conclusions for an essay about the Birlings and the theme of responsibilty. Key learning points: - An introduction and conclusion could follow a three part structure. - An...
Curated Video
Writing an analytical essay about Lady Macbeth as a Machiavel in ‘Macbeth’
Pupil outcome: I can write a well-structured and convincing analytical essay about how far Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain. Key learning points: - An introduction can start with a general statement about the...
Curated Video
Essay writing: creating introductions and conclusions on 'Animal Farm'
Pupil outcome: I can use a three part structure to create an effective introduction and conclusion. Key learning points: - An introduction and conclusion should follow a three part structure. - An excellent introduction should start with...
Curated Video
Planning an analytical essay about Lady Macbeth in ‘Macbeth’
Pupil outcome: I can plan a well-structured and convincing analytical essay about how far Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as a Machiavellian villain. Key learning points: - Machiavellian is an adjective. It describes someone who gets...
Curated Video
Essay writing: unpacking questions and writing theses on 'Animal Farm'
Pupil outcome: I can identify the key words in a question and use them to create a thesis statement. Key learning points: - Underlining key words in an essay question helps identify what the focus of the question is. - The 'how' in the...
Curated Video
Conclusions to essays: Puck and the supernatural in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Pupil outcome: I can write a well-structured conclusion about how Shakespeare uses the character of Puck to explore the supernatural in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Key learning points: - Conclusions can follow a three part structure...
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Creating an argument about the character of Puck in ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Pupil outcome: I can create and maintain an argument about the character of Puck by writing clear topic sentences which support a thesis statement. Key learning points: - A thesis is an idea that you develop and maintain throughout an...
Curated Video
‘The Twisted Tree’: selecting excellent quotes when writing about the novel
Pupil outcome: I can select excellent quotations when planning writing on 'The Twisted Tree'. Key learning points: - Topic sentences state a paragraph's main idea. - Topic sentences should develop and maintain your thesis. - Each...
Curated Video
'The Twisted Tree': expressing my ideas about the novel
Pupil outcome: I can express my ideas about 'The Twisted Tree' with well-structured writing. Key learning points: - Our writing should be structured in a clear and logical way with our reader in mind. - Effective writing will include an...
Curated Video
'The Twisted Tree': introducing thesis statements
Pupil outcome: I can write a clear thesis statement about 'The Twisted Tree'. Key learning points: - An introduction to an analytical essay should include a clear thesis statement. - A clear thesis statement should introduce your...
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Comparing ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Boscombe Valley Mystery’
Pupil outcome: I can plan a comparison between two texts. Key learning points: - Both 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' share detective conventions - 'The Speckled Band' and 'The Boscombe Valley Mystery' mostly differ...
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Constructing an argument about Othello as a tragic hero
Pupil outcome: I can construct a clear argument about Othello as a tragic hero. Key learning points: - Introductions could follow the three-part structure. - The thesis statement should address the writer's purpose or message, in...
Curated Video
'Jekyll and Hyde': planning a successful essay
Pupil outcome: I can plan an essay response, showing a clear understanding of key terms which structure a successful plan. Key learning points: - Annotate an essay question so you know its focus. - A successful plan follows a clear...
Curated Video
Detailed analysis of an extract in 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'
Pupil outcome: I can analyse an extract from Chapter 7, ‘Incident at the Window’. Key learning points: - Analysing an extract means considering its position in the text, word choices, sentence structure and context. - An analytical...