Essay Writing Worksheet

The Declaration of Independence advocates the “Pursuit of Happiness” as a

fundamental human right, and many people pursue happiness for their entire
lives. This prompted Bertrand Russell’s observation that, “To be without some of
the things you want is an indispensible part of happiness. ”

Evaluate which brings us the most happiness: the pursuit of our desires or
the attainment of them, support your answer with examples from history,
your life, or current influential figures ?

Step 1: Develop your thesis:

Remember: A thesis should express the main idea of your paper, be specific, and be one,
declarative sentence.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Step 2: Identify your sources, if any:

Remember: A source can be an interview with a person, an article, a book, or any other
written document or oral presentation. Don’t forget to document all important information
for later citation when you decide to use a source.

Source One:

Author: _______________________________________________________________________________________

Article Title: __________________________________________________________________________________

Book, Magazine, or Website Title: __________________________________________________________

Date Published: ______________________________________________________________________________

Date Accessed (if online): ___________________________________________________________________

Publisher or web address: _________________________________________________________________

 Page Numbers: ______________________________________________________________________________

Source Two:

Author: _______________________________________________________________________________________

Article Title: __________________________________________________________________________________

Book, Magazine, or Website Title: __________________________________________________________

Date Published: ______________________________________________________________________________

Date Accessed (if online): ___________________________________________________________________

Publisher or web address: _________________________________________________________________

Page Numbers: ______________________________________________________________________________

Step 3: Take Notes and Paraphrase:

Remember even if you paraphrase you still have to cite the original author with either
footnotes or parenthetical citations.

Source: ______________________________________________ Page Numbers: ______________________________

Quote: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paraphrase in your own words: ____________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Source: ______________________________________________ Page Numbers: ______________________________

Quote: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paraphrase in your own words: ____________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Source: ______________________________________________ Page Numbers: ______________________________

Quote: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paraphrase in your own words: ____________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 4: Outline:
Now it’s time to formulate your paper. Outlines should not be in complete sentences, but
short phrases. Also, formal outlines require that if you have one point or sub-point you
must have a second point or sub-point, but after 2 you can have as many as you want. Each
type of letter or number represents a different level of point.

I, II, III, IV are Main Paragraph Points

A, B, C, D are Main Sentence Points

1, 2, 3, 4 are Main Sentence Sub-Points

a, b, c, d are Supporting Points

i, ii, iii, iv are Supporting Sub-Points

Thesis: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I. ___________________________________________________________________

A. __________________________________________________________

1. __________________________________________________

a. __________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________
 2. _________________________________________________

a. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

B. __________________________________________________________

1. __________________________________________________

a. __________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

a. _________________________________________
 i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

C. __________________________________________________________

1. __________________________________________________

a. __________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

a. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________
 b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

II. ___________________________________________________________________

A. __________________________________________________________

1. __________________________________________________

a. __________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

a. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________
 i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

B. __________________________________________________________

1. __________________________________________________

a. __________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

a. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________
 C. __________________________________________________________

1. __________________________________________________

a. __________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

a. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

III. ___________________________________________________________________

A. __________________________________________________________
 1. __________________________________________________

a. __________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

a. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

B. __________________________________________________________

1. __________________________________________________

a. __________________________________________
 i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

a. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

C. __________________________________________________________

1. __________________________________________________

a. __________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________
 b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

2. _________________________________________________

a. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________

b. _________________________________________

i. __________________________________

ii. _________________________________
Step 5: Writing your paper:
Now it’s time to turn your outline into a real 5 paragraph essay.

Paragraph 1: Introduction
This paragraph should explain to the reader what your paper is about. It should start out
general and become more specific. The last sentence should be your thesis. This paragraph
should be a minimum of 5 sentences.

Paragraph 2-4: Body

These paragraphs should cover points I, II and III from your outline, using the sentence
points and sub-points to construct well-formed sentences. Don’t forget to use your quotes
and paraphrased quotes to support your ideas. These paragraphs should be a minimum of
7 sentences each.

Paragraph 5: Conclusion
This paragraph should recap everything for the reader. It’s the backwards version of your
introductory paragraph. It should start out specific and become more general. This
paragraph should be a minimum of 5 sentences.

Tips
Add citations as you go along, so you don’t have to go back.

If you can’t think of what to say next, go back to your outline.

Your first time is a rough draft, plan to return to reword at least one more time; the
first time, get your thoughts onto paper.

Have someone else read your paper when you’ve finished, to suggest changes.

Refer back to your topic and thesis to make sure you are answering the question
asked and supporting your thesis.

Step 6: Revise
Reread your paper and correct any grammar or spelling problems, make any necessary
content changes, have someone else read your paper.

Step 7: Bibliography
Use MLA or APA style citations for your Works Cited or Bibliography. Make sure your
citations in your paper match the bibliography.