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PD 4 English
Thematic Essay Outline
A Lesson Before Dying

I. PARAGRAPH #1: Introduction

A. Hook Opening: Engage the reader with an interesting statement, famous quote, or question that
relates to the theme. If using a quote, briefly explain the hook in your own words and how it connects
to the novel. ****Do not use quotes from the book yet.
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B. Summary: Write a short summary of the novel (3-5 sentences). Be sure to include the setting (time and
place), main character(s), and the major conflict in your summary. The point of this summary is to give
your reader some background information about the book so they are not lost while reading your essay.
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C. Thesis Statement: Write down a claim about the theme you will be proving. Your thesis should be 1-2
sentences in length.
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D. Preview of the Essay: Tell the reader the three examples from the text that you will use to prove your
thesis true. Put the examples in order of importance or in chronological order (the order in which they
appear in the text.
1. Topic sentence #1: One example of this is ________________________________________
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2. Topic sentence #2: Another example of this is ______________________________________
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3. Topic sentence #3: A final example of this is ______________________________________

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II. PARAGRAPH #2: Counterclaim + Rebuttal: Before you go on and prove your thesis to be true, you have to
address a possible counterclaim to your thesis. What would somebody who does not agree with your thesis argue?
What evidence could they use against you? Keep in mind the first piece of evidence for your thesis (refer to topic
sentence #1), because that evidence will later be used as a rebuttal against the counterclaim.
Sentence Starters: Some people may say that.
A different reading of the text might suggest that
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Rebuttal: When you are done addressing the counterclaim, wrap it up by bringing in your thesis again as the
rebuttal and briefly explaining why your thesis is stronger than the counterclaim. Think about the
3 pieces of evidence you plan to use to prove your thesis true to help you with your rebuttal.
Sentence Starters: Contrary to this argument, it is clear that (insert thesis here) because
However, a closer reading of the text will reveal that (insert thesis here) because
Despite this possible counterclaim, it is more evident that (insert thesis here) because
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III. PARAGRAPH #3: FIRST EVIDENCE
This paragraph will focus on the FIRST piece of evidence (quote) from the text that proves your thesis true.
A. Topic Sentence #1:__________________________________________________________________
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B. Introduce the Quote (context): Write 1-2 sentences explaining the background information behind
the quote. For example, what has just occurred, who is speaking, and any other important information
someone who hasnt read the book might need to know. Avoid too much plot summary.
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C. Quote (with citation): Write down the quote as it appears in the text. Use quotation marks. Include a
citation at the end of the quote (Gaines 42).
Sentence starters: According to the text/character,
(Name of character) says,
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D. Explanation of Central Idea of Quote: In your own words, briefly explain the main idea of what is
going on in the quote or restate what the character is saying. DO NOT make any inferences yet. You
only need 1-2 sentences for this.
Sentence Starters: In other words,
In this quote, (name of character) is saying that
Here we see
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E. Close Reading of Quote: In detail, explain how this quote proves ALL PARTS of your thesis.
Remember, you are using the quote as evidence for your claim, so explain how it proves your claim to
be true and how it disproves the counterclaim. You will have to make some strong inferences here.
******Your close reading should be at least twice the length of the quote itself.
Sentence Starters: This example is evidence of (restate your thesis) because
This example supports (restate your thesis) because
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IV. PARAGRAPH #4: SECOND EVIDENCE
This paragraph will focus on the SECOND piece of evidence (quote) from the text that proves your thesis true.
A. Topic Sentence #2:__________________________________________________________________
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B. Introduce the Quote (context): Write 1-2 sentences explaining the background information behind
the quote. For example, what has just occurred, who is speaking, and any other important information
someone who hasnt read the book might need to know. Avoid too much plot summary.
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C. Quote (with citation): Write down the quote as it appears in the text. Use quotation marks. Include a
citation at the end of the quote (Gaines 42).
Sentence starters: According to the text/character,
(Name of character) says,
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D. Explanation of Central Idea of Quote: In your own words, briefly explain the main idea of what is
going on in the quote or restate what the character is saying. DO NOT make any inferences yet. You
only need 1-2 sentences for this.
Sentence Starters: In other words,
In this quote, (name of character) is saying that
Here we see

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E. Close Reading of Quote: In detail, explain how this quote connects ALL PARTS of your thesis.
Remember, you are using the quote as evidence for your claim, so explain how it proves your claim to
be true. You will have to make some strong inferences here.
*****Your close reading should be at least twice the length of the quote itself.
Sentence Starters: This example is evidence of (restate your thesis) because
This example supports (restate your thesis) because
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V. PARAGRAPH #5: THIRD EVIDENCE
This paragraph will focus on the THIRD piece of evidence (quote) from the text that proves your thesis true.
A. Topic Sentence #3:__________________________________________________________________
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B. Introduce the Quote (context): Write 1-2 sentences explaining the background information behind
the quote. For example, what has just occurred, who is speaking, and any other important information
someone who hasnt read the book might need to know. Avoid too much plot summary.
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C. Quote (with citation): Write down the quote as it appears in the text. Use quotation marks. Include a
citation at the end of the quote (Gaines 42).
Sentence starters: According to the text/character,
(Name of character) says,

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(

D. Explanation of Central Idea of Quote: In your own words, briefly explain the main idea of what is
going on in the quote or restate what the character is saying. DO NOT make any inferences yet. You
only need 1-2 sentences for this.
Sentence Starters: In other words,
In this quote, (name of character) is saying that
Here we see
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E. Close Reading of Quote: In detail, explain how this quote connects to ALL PARTS of your thesis.
Remember, you are using the quote as evidence for your claim, so explain how it proves your claim to
be true. You will have to make some strong inferences here. *Your close reading should be at least
twice the length of the quote itself.
Sentence Starters: This example is evidence of (restate your thesis) because
This example supports (restate your thesis) because
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VI. PARAGRAPH #6: Conclusion

A. Restate Thesis: Restate your original thesis by changing just a few of the words around.
Sentence Starters: In conclusion,
As we have seen,
As has been proven,
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B. Show that you proved your thesis: Rewrite your topic sentences by changing a few words around.
1. Topic sentence #1: ___________________________________________________________
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2. Topic sentence #2: ___________________________________________________________
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3. Topic sentence #3: ___________________________________________________________
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C. Closing Thoughts: Leave the reader with something to think about relating to your thesis. Make a
statement or ask a question that applies the thesis to the world outside of the book. How could regular
people connect with your theme? Just like the hook sentence, your last statement should be
memorable.
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