How To Write An Analytical Essay: Planning

Summary

In this video on planning your analytical essay, viewers learn the critical importance of thoroughly understanding the essay question and planning before writing. The video covers techniques for identifying key content and direction words in the prompt, brainstorming methods like mind maps, and organizing ideas into a structured outline. Emphasizing that skipping the planning stage leads to disorganized essays, the video equips students with effective strategies to approach the essay-writing process with confidence. It's a crucial guide for anyone looking to enhance their analytical writing skills.

Takeaways

• 😀 Planning is crucial for a successful essay, and skipping this step can lead to a disorganized and poorly written piece.
• 📚 Read the essay question multiple times to fully understand what it is asking before starting your work.
• 🔑 Identify and highlight the key words (content words) in the essay question, such as topics or themes that the essay must address.
• 📝 Write the essay question in the center of a page to visually organize your thoughts and ideas.
• 🎥 When analyzing a text like a movie, make sure to understand the key aspects such as filming techniques, characters, and themes like change.
• 🔄 Make a list of synonyms for the key words to avoid repetition in your writing.
• 🚦 Direction words (e.g., 'discuss,' 'analyze,' 'compare') are essential as they guide how to approach the essay.
• 💭 Brainstorm freely and list all ideas related to the key content words, letting your creativity flow.
• 🧠 Use various brainstorming methods, such as mind maps, dot-point lists, or discussions with peers, to organize your thoughts.
• 📑 Once brainstorming is done, organize the ideas logically, ensuring they directly address the essay question.
• 📅 Planning will help you produce a coherent, structured essay, with well-organized paragraphs that address the key themes effectively.

Q & A

Why is planning important before writing an analytical essay?

Planning is crucial because it helps avoid a disorganized, messy, and poorly written essay. It ensures that your ideas are structured and aligned with the essay question, improving the overall quality of your work.

What should you do first when you receive an essay question?

The first step is to read and reread the essay question multiple times to fully understand what it is asking. This helps ensure you focus on the correct topic and don't stray from the main task.

What are 'keywords' in the context of essay planning, and why are they important?

Keywords (or content words) are the words in the essay question that indicate what topics or themes you need to focus on. They guide the content of your essay and ensure you address the right aspects of the topic.

Can you give examples of common keywords in an essay question?

Examples of keywords include specific terms like 'change,' 'character,' or 'filming techniques,' which direct you to specific elements to discuss in your essay.

What should you do if a keyword repeats in your essay question?

It's important to identify synonyms for the repeated keywords. This helps avoid redundancy and keeps your writing varied, which is important for clarity and engagement.

What are 'direction words' in an essay question, and how do they differ from keywords?

Direction words tell you what type of response the question expects, such as 'discuss,' 'explain,' 'compare,' or 'analyze.' While keywords focus on what to discuss, direction words tell you how to approach the discussion.

How does brainstorming help in essay planning?

Brainstorming helps generate a wide range of ideas related to the keywords in the essay question. It allows you to think freely and creatively about the topic before organizing your thoughts into a coherent structure.

What are some recommended methods for brainstorming ideas for an essay?

Popular brainstorming methods include mind maps, Lotus diagrams, dot-point lists, or using digital tools like Padlet and Popplet. These methods help you organize your ideas visually and make it easier to see connections between them.

How do you organize your brainstorming ideas after generating them?

After brainstorming, you should organize your ideas by relevance and importance, ensuring they directly relate to the essay question. Group similar ideas together and think about how they can be structured into paragraphs.

What should you do once you have a full plan for your essay?

Once you have a comprehensive plan, review it to ensure it addresses the essay question clearly and comprehensively. Then, move on to structuring your essay by deciding how to present your ideas in paragraphs.