Essay Conclusions

Today in class we read yesterday’s blog and the best student examples of how to pick out the main point from the blog and list three pieces of specific supporting information concerning the main point. This is similar to the article reviews we had to do in sixth grade.  It requires us to read carefully, summarize and paraphrase information, all skills we will be using all year long.

We practiced summarizing and paraphrasing during our Writing Workshop mini lesson on conclusions.  We read each paragraph of the handout, and then someone in class either summarized or paraphrased what that paragraph was saying.

Ending the Essay: Conclusions

So much is at stake in writing a conclusion. This is, after all, your last chance to persuade your readers to your point of view, to impress yourself upon them as a writer and thinker. And the impression you create in your conclusion will shape the impression that stays with your readers after they’ve finished the essay.

The end of an essay should therefore convey a sense of completeness and closure as well as a sense of the lingering possibilities of the topic, its larger meaning, and its implications: the final paragraph should close the discussion without closing it off.

Summarized by Isabelle W.

Your conclusion to an essay should close the conversation in a way that is final and goes over all your main points, but should keep the reader thinking, even when they are done reading.

Paraphrased by Olivia L.

The end of an essay should sound like the end of a book in a series, so it’s like it’s the end of this piece of writing but there is more on the topic and more can be written or thought about the topic.  So it can end the writing but not shut down the topic in the reader’s mind.

The conclusion is the end of the essay. It is the last part of the essay and it is the part that the reader may remember most. It should be clear and avoid confusing the reader.

The reader expects the conclusion to do some or all of the following

• rephrase the question
• summarize the main ideas
• give your opinion, if you haven’t given it already
• look to the future (say what will happen if the situation continues or changes)

The reader DOES NOT expect new information in the conclusion. Never add a new idea just because you have thought of it at the end!

If your essay is a story, the story is over, and the conclusion is for reflecting on its consequences and meaning.

You must do all of this in just three or five sentences!

Your conclusion should be based on the points made in your essay content. This conclusion needs to be relevant to the essay argument made by you. It could be a suggestion on getting over an issue or it could be a statement on something more general. Again, it is important that you describe this in a few sentences.

Word Choice is Important

The conclusion is very similar to the introduction. However, you should avoid repeating the same words. After all, if you only have a 250-word essay but use the same word 10 times, this will be repetitive.

Paraphrased by Noel K.

The conclusion is your last chance to convince your reader of what your essay is on. The wording must be perfect so you get the reader to remember the point.  You want your reader to think of you as a thinker and author.  The conclusion is where you must reinforce your ideas so the reader can take something away from this reading.

Paraphrased by Levi M.

So much is at stake in writing a conclusion. This is after all, your last chance to persuade your readers to your point of view, to impress yourself upon them as a writer and a thinker. And the impression you create in your conclusion will shape the impression that stays with your readers after they’ve finished the essay.

While summarizing involves gathering the main points and presenting them in a more concise (shortened) manner, paraphrasing allows for restating points in your own words.  When you paraphrase you give voice to the information, or explain it in a way that makes more sense to you or your reader.

We also receive a great list of transition words that can help us connect the different parts of our essays.

For the root word today, we made two root word cards for the words that were filled out as examples on our glossary. Those words are:

Acu which means sharp and Anni, annu, or enni which means year.

Example words for acu included:  acute, acupuncture, and accurate.

Example words for anni, annu, or enni included: anniversary, annually, and centennial.

We had the rest of the class period to revise our essay conclusions.  One change was made to the lesson plans for tomorrow – we don’t have to have our essay ready to turn in on our way into class.  Instead, we will have a few minutes to make any last minute changes needed and then print out two copies in class.  We will be doing an activity to examine the revisions we have made to our introductions and conclusions.  After that, we will turn in the revised copy stapled to the original rough draft of the essay.