Suggestions for success

Lesson Details:

I: Introduction

A: The article will be about programming languages in general, going over what they are and how they have evolved into what they are today.

II: Body

A: One suggestion to help you succeed in your programming endeavors is to start early. There’s no time like the present.

III: Conclusion

I: The conclusion will tie off the article by restating the main points from each section.

Do not use a word processor to write your outline. Use paper and pencil; it will make the editing process much easier. You can always transfer your outline to a word processor later, but starting on paper allows you to get the ideas out of your head and onto paper (or notebook).

Now that you’ve got your outline together, you’re ready to start writing.


Writing the Essay


Writing an article can be one of the most difficult tasks for many people. It is important to remember that this is an outline, not a complete article. Do not feel obligated to write out all three parts of your outline in full at this juncture. You should concentrate on making sure that you have all of the major points represented in your article. This is where your notes will come in handy, helping you fill in blanks and remember things you may have forgotten while writing, so use them!


Editing the Essay


Editing is just as important as writing. A poorly written article can ruin your chances of getting into the school of your choice, regardless of how well you perform on the SAT. If you are unsure of your writing skills, get someone else to look over your article before submitting it to schools on which you are applying.


How to Write a Hook


One of the most important parts of any article is the opening paragraph, or hook. The hook is crucial in getting the reader interested enough in the topic to read the rest of the article. Think of it as a way of grabbing the reader by his or her shirt collar and pulling him or her into the subject at hand.

First impressions are often lasting ones, so don’t put anything down on paper without thinking carefully about it. Review all of your notes again before putting finger to keyboard. Make sure that you are able to clearly explain why you are writing about this topic, so that in case they are looked at in isolation, all they have to do is read the first paragraph to understand why you are writing about your subject.

When creating a hook, it is important to remember that brevity is key. Avoid long words or phrases in the introduction unless absolutely necessary—more than likely, there are shorter synonyms available for whatever word you are trying to use. Using big words just for the sake of using big words will distract your readers from what you are trying to convey in your article.


Here are some examples of good hooks:


Hook #1: “Long ago when I was a child, I used to sit and watch my father work on our old VW bus, which he named ‘The Beast’ because no matter what he did, it never ran quite right. On sunny afternoons we would pull it into our driveway and he would open up the hood and begin tinkering with it, trying to figure out what was wrong and how he could fix it. He had a love for old cars and tried everything he could think of to get ‘The Beast’ running again, but nothing seemed to work. The car sat there day after day until one morning we woke up and found it gone; overnight someone had stolen it right out from under our noses. That was when he told me that sometimes things like that happen and there isn’t anything anyone can do about it, but that if we were patient and waited long enough, something better would come along; and that is exactly what happened; a few days later we were surprised by a brand new shiny red convertible sitting in our driveway instead of our old VW bus."


Hook #2: “I want to tell you about my mother who was born and raised in Italy; she lived through both World Wars and had an extremely hard life growing up. As a young girl she worked as a domestic servant for wealthy families in her neighborhood, cooking and cleaning for them every day from sun up until sundown for very little pay. She was never allowed to have any fun or enjoy herself because if she did she risked being fired from her job and being unable to support herself or her family."


Hook #3: “My cousin Billy was always a bit slow when it came to learning things, no matter how hard his parents tried to teach him things just didn’t stick with him. When Billy was five years old his parents took him to see a doctor who tested him and said that he was fine physically but that he may have dyslexia or some other learning disability that prevented him from retaining information as well as he should have been able to. The doctor suggested that his parents take him out for a nice dinner and then come back another day to speak with him about testing Billy further."


Hook #4: “Growing up as a kid I always wanted a dog but my parents were never able to afford one. We lived in a small apartment with no yard for a dog to run around in, so my parents weren’t able to justify buying one even though they also wanted one very badly. We were pretty comfortable financially so my father started saving money so that if something happened where they could afford one they would have enough money set aside for us to go pick out our own dog."


Hook #5: “My grandmother was ninety-seven years old when she passed away last year; she had lived a long happy life filled with love and happiness. She had seen many things happen during her lifetime; wars fought across continents, technological advancements that had changed the lives of everyone on this planet for better or worse, and more recently she had seen man land on the moon for the first time ever."


Hook #6: “I was born with cerebral palsy; my left arm does not work properly and I walk with an awkward shuffle instead of having normal gait like everyone else my age. Growing up I was made fun of constantly by other kids because I was different than everyone else; they would laugh at me whenever I walked by them at school or call me names like spaz or mongrel behind my back."


Hook #7: “I want to talk about how my relationship with my mother has changed over time; she used to be very critical of me growing up but now that I am older she has become much more understanding of my choices and actions."


Hook #8: “I want to tell you about how I met my best friend Amanda; we met through my brother Jack who introduced us at a party when I was fourteen years old."


Hook #9: “I have always loved swimming since I was very young; I spent every summer at my grandparents’ house on Long Island where I spent hours splashing around in their pool during the hot summer months."


Hook #10: “As a teenager I used to work part time at McDonald's flipping burgers; I hated having to go there almost every day after school."


Hook #11: “Every year my family takes a vacation together; last year we went camping in Quebec City."


Hook #12: “I want to tell you about the time I broke my leg playing basketball with my friends at recess."


Hook #13: “I used to be really fat as a kid; my mother used to make me wear clothes two sizes bigger than I needed just so that I would fit into them."


Hook #14: “I always thought that girls weren’t attracted to guys like me because I wasn’t athletic or good looking so it really surprised me when girls started coming on to me when I became more popular."


Hook #15: “I was born prematurely after only twenty-two weeks gestation; my mother almost died giving birth to me because I weighed only two pounds at birth."


Hook #16: “I always thought that college was going to be fun but after spending four years there I can say that it wasn’t nearly as great as I had imagined it would be."


Hook #17: “I want to tell you all about how I met my wife; after six months of dating one day she decided that she had enough of me and broke up with me."


Hook #18: