Course Profile - Curriculum Services Canada

• What do you think the individual in the essay will be doing ten years from now?
• What makes this an essay?
• What is the thesis of the essay? Where did you find it?
• Support your choice of thesis.
• Some background information that students should have when writing essays:
A Personal Essay:
a) uses an informal style;
b) is written in the first person;
c) is subjective in tone;
d) often contains background information, examples, and anecdotes;
e) is similar to writing a letter to an acquaintance;
f) has a traditional structure.
A Critical/Analytical Essay:
a) is often used for literary analyses;
b) must include specific references to plot, character, and/or setting to support thesis;
c) often includes quotes;
d) is written in third person;
e) sometimes requires additional research.
A Descriptive Essay:
a) chooses words carefully to create descriptions of people, places, or things;
b) provides details in an organized fashion;
c) may be objective or subjective;
d) may be first or third person.
A Narrative Essay:
a) is usually organized chronologically;
b) usually tells a non-fictional story;
c) implies the meaning/thesis rather than stating it directly;
d) may be in first or third person.
• Develop a pre-reading strategy to introduce the short story. For example, select words from the story
that would help students identify setting, take students on an appropriate field trip or show a short
video or film that relates to the theme or setting of the story.
• Find the cultural references in the story, e.g., biblical allusions, Greek mythology, Native mythology,
English/French relations, people, places, film, fiction or fantasy characters. Include non-western
references, e.g., jade (Asian), bindi, cows (south-east Asian), etc.
• Make a class set of Appendix 1E – Literary Genre Comparison Charts.
• Answer key for Appendix 1E – Literary Genre Comparison Chart.
Poem Essay Short Story
Thesis/Theme Theme Thesis Theme
Fiction/Non-
Fiction Non-fiction and fiction Fiction and non-fiction
fiction
Structure
Development
(How it is written)
Stanzas, phrases,
sentences, verses, free
verse
Depends on the type of
poem, e.g. narrative is
chronological, lyrical is
images, emotions, points
of view, ideas, etc.
Sentences and
paragraphs
Arguments and supports
(some personal and
narrative essays use
elements of story
telling)
Sentences and
paragraphs
Chronological,
flashbacks,
foreshadowing
Unit 1 – Page 8
• Bridge to English – Open