essay format for middle school

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by Michelle Boyd Waters, M.Ed.  

A Plethora Of Writing Examples For Middle School (& High School)

October 14, 2014 in  Pedagogy

When I started my first job as a professional newspaper reporter (This job also served as an internship during my junior year in college — I just didn’t leave for about 6 years.), I quickly realized that all my experience, and all my years of journalism education had not been enough to help me write stories about drug busts, fatal car accidents and tornadoes. All the theoretical work I’d done, and all of the nifty little scholastic and collegiate stories I had done, did not prepare me for real world writing.

At that point, I had to find a solution quickly. After all, I had a deadline to meet, and it was only a few hours away.

One of my colleagues, who also served as a mentor, had the solution. She introduced me to the newspaper’s “morgue.” This was a room filled with filing cabinets in which we kept old — dead — stories arranged by reporter. Whenever I wasn’t’ sure how to write a story, all I had to do was check the morgue for similar stories. If I needed to write a story about a local drug bust, for example, I’d find another story on a similar incident, study its structure, and mentally create a formula in which to plugin the information I’d gathered.

Once I’d gained more experience, and had internalized the formula for that particular type of story, I felt free to branch out as the situation — and my training — warranted.

I do the same thing when I want to write a type of letter, brochure, or report that I’ve never written before.

This is what writing looks like in the real world.

Of course, if you’re a new teacher like me, there is one problem with providing mentor texts to my students: I have a dearth of middle school level writing sitting around in my file cabinets.

Fortunately, the Internet is full of sources, so I scoured the bowels of Google to find examples. I know how busy you are, so I’m sharing.

Expository writing examples for middle school

Below are several sources of expository writing samples for middle school students.

• The Write Source Expository Writing Samples
• Holt, Rinehart, Winston Expository Essay Models

Finally, here is an article in the New York Times that will help you teach your students  real-world expository writing skills .

Descriptive writing examples for middle school

• Descriptive Writing Samples from Novels
• Milwaukee Public Schools Descriptive Essay Samples (p. 137)
• Holt, Rinehart, Winston Descriptive Essay Models

Narrative writing examples for middle school

• Writing Samples by Steve Peha (PDF)
• The Write Source Narrative Writing Samples
• Oregon Department of Education Scored Writing Samples (Ideas and Organization)
• Oregon Department of Education Scored Writing Samples (Sentence Fluency and Conventions)
• Oregon Department of Education Scored Writing Samples (Voice and Word Choice)
• Oregon Department of Education High School Scored Narrative and Argumentative Writing Samples
• Holt, Rinehart, Winston Narrative Essay Models

Argumentative/persuasive writing examples for middle school

• The Write Source Persuasive Writing Samples
• Holt, Rinehart, Winston Persuasive Essay Models

Reflective writing examples for middle school

• Reflective essay examples from Lake Washington Girls Middle School

If you know of any other online writing example sources, please feel free to share them in the comments below.

Related topics: Argumentative Writing , Informative Writing , Mentor Texts , Narrative Writing

About the author 

Michelle Boyd Waters, M.Ed.

I am a secondary English Language Arts teacher, a University of Oklahoma student working on my doctorate in Instructional Leadership and Academic Curriculum with an concentration in English Education and co-Editor of the Oklahoma English Journal. I am constantly seeking ways to amplify students' voices and choices.

This is very, very helpful. Thank you for sharing!

As a new middle school teacher (coming from elementary) this was very helpful and encouraging.

Thank you very much for letting me know. I’m glad that I was able to help you!

Thank you! I’m glad I can help.

Your welcome

This is super helpful. Thank you!

These links are a fantastic help. Thank you!

This helped me BUNCHES! Thanks so much!

thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD

These links are now dead 🙁

Thank you for notifying me! I have updated the post to include new (live!) links. Some of them are geared towards high school, but I think we can still use them as exemplars of what we want our students to aim for.

Comments are closed.

Reluctant Reader Books

The Ultimate Guide to Middle School Essays

Why are middle school essays such a chore? Is there a way to make them more manageable? To teach the planning, organizing, writing and editing in a way that is simpler but more effective? We think so.

Below you’ll find our complete guide to middle school essay writing. The resources mentioned below can be found on TPT.

Want a sneak peak first? Check out the preview below (preview does not include full resource).

Before You Write: Taking Notes & Brainstorming

Taking notes for middle school essays.

Often middle school essays begin with taking notes. There are dozens of quality notetaking methods out there, from Cornell Notes to Sketch Notes and more. We don’t necessarily recommend a single notetaking system, given that some students are linear learners while others are visual, etc. Whatever notetaking method you use in your own room is fine.

What our resources focus on is the fundamentals of notetaking. What does it mean to take notes in the first place?

At it’s core taking notes is about noticing something within a text and then thinking about what you noticed.

This is what we try to get across to middle school students.

What you notice is not actually as important as the fact that you noticed it in the first place. And no matter what you did notice, it is the thinking that is most important of all.

Noticing…thinking…noticing…thinking. Back and forth.

But aren’t there questions students can ask? Guides that can direct them to the kinds of deeper level noticing that we want them to aspire to.

Indeed there are.

Which is why we have created just such a list.

We recommend modeling notetaking as a whole class. It can often be helpful to assign different types of questions to different students to track. So one student might be responsible for tracking images, another for looking out for foreshadowing, another for pondering why the writer chose a particular title, etc. Then you as the teacher can model how you take notes, what you notice and think, while at the same time getting input from students as you go.

No matter what system of notetaking you use with your students, it is an endeavor that requires lots of practice. But the more you do it together as a class, the more students will start to understand what to look for in the first place.

Image Boards & Quote Boards

So you’ve got a decent set of notes. Now what? How do you use those notes to write a compelling essay?

This is the step that many middle school students get bogged down on. Many either can’t come up with anything at all or just want to dive directly into the writing (which can be fine for the students who are great writers, but is often a disaster for everyone else).

Image Boards and Quote Boards are two methods for mining the notes students have taken and pulling out ideas to build an essay around. And what’s great about both is that they are very visual.

To make either, the first step is for students to review their notes and identify major ideas, concepts or themes that stand out (hopefully something stands out).

For example, a student reading Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart may have noticed that there is a lot of references to eyes and seeing. Poe repeats words related to sight multiple times throughout the story, and the old man’s eye is central to the plot. Jumping off from there, a student could create an Image Board that focuses on this theme.

Or perhaps a student has noticed that Poe never names the narrator of the story. In fact, there are no details about the narrator at all, nothing that reveals the narrator’s identity in any way. A savvy student might then ask: what if the narrator is a woman?

Image Boards do not have to be overly complicated. The purpose is simply to identity major themes and ideas that could be explored in an essay. Image Boards work best when students stick to broader concepts (which, after all, are what essays will likely be crafted around).

A Quote Board is in the same vein. The difference is that instead of looking for images, students will search for quotes from other writers that relate to the theme or idea they want to write about.

For example, Ray Bradbury’s story All Summer in a Day revolves around the idea of memory. In the story, it is Margot’s memory of the sun that separates her from the other students on Venus, who cannot recall the sunshine they experienced when they were little.

Quote Boards and Image Boards can easily be combined by simply requiring students to make an Image Board that includes so many quotes.

Both boards can be easily made in Canva (which offers free versions for students).

Claim Station

Once students have started to get an idea of what they want to write about, it’s time to start crafting claims. A claim is the central argument or idea that students will explore in the essay. It is the essay’s central thesis statement.

There are lots of ways to work with students to create claims for their essays. We like creating a Claim Station: a tag board or area in the classroom where students can write out claim sentences on sticky notes and hang them for everyone to see. We recommend having each student write multiple claims and post them (this encourages students to think about a range of different essays that can be written from the same text).

As students post claims, give them time to review all the different claims that their classmates have come up with. Then tell students that any claim at the station is up for grabs. You don’t have to write about the claim you came up with if a different claim is more compelling.

The purpose of a claim station is for students to see that there are a lot of different ideas out there, and thus a lot of different possible essays. It can also help those students who still feel lost in trying to connect their notes to an actual argument to build an essay around.

Structuring Your Essay

Structure cards.

Once students have a solid claim, they can begin structuring their essays. This is another area middle school students often struggle with. Which is why Structure Cards can be particularly helpful.

Structure Cards are color-coded cards for each of the following:

• Claim/Thesis Card
• Opening & Closing Paragraph Cards
• Topic Sentence Cards
• Evidence Cards

Each card requires students to get specific: what is your thesis sentence? What evidence supports this sentence? What sentence opens your closing paragraph? Etc.

Because the cards are color-coded, students can visually see the way their essay’s structure works. They can visualize the connections between the different parts of their essay.

Structure Cards a great way to help visual learners understand essay structure.

Visual Essays

Once students have worked out the structure of their essays, they can now craft Visual Essays. This is the last step before sitting down to pound out the first full draft.

A Visual Essay is another scaffolding piece between brainstorming and writing. It allows students to build from their Structure Cards and fully visualize each section of their essay.

To create a Visual Essay, students must create either a slide or a PNG image (we recommend using Canva) for each paragraph in their essay. For each slide/image, students must take a picture or upload an image of the text they read (you can have students take pictures with their phones and upload them, or do this yourself and supply the images in a shared drive). These pictures are used as the main section of the image/slide.

Students must identify and highlight in the text the evidence they will be citing for each paragraph. This forces students to get very specific and connect the ideas they are writing about to the text they read.

Then students must add the following:

• Their thesis/topic sentence
• An Evidence Sentence that points to the evidence in the text
• A Justification Sentence that explains how the evidence supports the thesis/topic sentence

Visual Essays are also great for peer feedback. They are much easier for students to read and review and provide criticism for. And they provide an excellent space for feedback before students go through the laborious process of writing the entire essay.

Writing & Revising Your Essay

Brain dumping.

We work with a lot of visual-spatial students. Many of these students struggle to write at all and especially struggle to write by hand. Their minds are often filled with dozens and dozens of ideas, all of which are vying for attention right this second .

One way to help students put aside all the ideas buzzing inside their heads and focus on the single idea of their essay is to have them do a Brain Dump before they get to work.

A Brain Dump is simply a bullet list. It doesn’t have to be complete sentences (although it can be). Give students five minutes to write down every single idea that they have in their heads right now. Tell them to jot the ideas down quickly and succinctly.

And then, at the end of five minutes, tell students to review their Brain Dump. These are all the ideas that they must now shelve to Think About Later. For some students, it may actually help to cross each idea out to reinforce this concept visually.

Once this is complete, have the Brain Dumps put aside, and students can begin to write.

Sentence Starters

Once students get going on writing a first draft, it can be helpful for them to have access to sentence starters and transitions they can utilize to move their essays forward. In our resource, we include handouts with all the various sentence starters below.

Check out our full resource for middle school essays .

Topic Sentence Starters

A topic sentence is the first sentence of a paragraph or essay. It informs the reader of the subject of the essay or the paragraph.

• This essay discusses…
• This essay explores…
• This essay outlines…
• This essay examines…
• This essay analyzes…
• This essay explains…
• This essay evaluates…
• This essay describes…
• This essay illustrates…
• In this essay we will discuss…
• In this essay we will explore…
• In this essay we will outline…
• In this essay we will examine…
• In this essay we will analyze…
• In this essay we will explain…
• In this essay we will evaluate…
• In this essay we will describe…
• In this essay we will illustrate…

Conclusion Sentence Starters

A conclusion sentence is a sentence where you make a final point by wrapping up or summarizing what you have been explaining to your reader.

• In summary…
• In brief…
• Thus…
• Ultimately…
• As a result…
• As I see it…
• Accordingly…
• Finally…
• To review…
• Hence…
• Given these points…
• Considering these facts…
• Put simply…
• In a nutshell…
• Consequently…
• Therefore…
• In conclusion…
• In short…
• In general…
• After all…
• To reiterate…
• In effect…
• Essentially…
• Undoubtedly…

Evidence Sentence Starters

An evidence sentence is a sentence where you support a claim or argument that you have made by providing evidence to your reader.

• According to the text…
• According to the author…
• The text states…
• The author states…
• The study notes…
• The study demonstrates…
• The evidence shows…
• An example can be seen…
• This clearly shows…
• Another reason…
• I observed…
• The research concluded…
• The author describes…
• One example of this…
• According to the passage…
• I think this because…
• The graphic shows…
• The statistics prove…
• The illustration demonstrates…
• This explains…
• This demonstrates…
• This confirms…
• According to the research…
• What the authors discovered…

Transition Sentence Starters: Contrast

When you contrast between two different ideas or pieces of evidence, you may want to use a transition sentence starter that cues your reader.

• However…
• Nevertheless…
• On the one hand…
• On the other hand…
• Alternatively…
• Apart from…
• Contrarily…
• Despite this…
• Whereas…
• Even so…
• In spite of…

Transition Sentence Starters: Order

Many times you need to make distinct to your reader the the information you are giving them comes in a specific order.

• Following…
• First/firstly…
• Second/secondly…
• Third/thirdly…
• At this time…
• Previously…
• Last/lastly…
• Subsequently…
• Before…
• Next…
• Above all…
• Only then…

Reading Your Essay Aloud

Middle schoolers should be encouraged to read their essays aloud to a partner both during the writing process and once their drafts are finished. The ear is almost always a better editor than the eye, and the process of reading aloud often draws a student writer’s attention to problem areas they would have otherwise overlooked.

To make peer review a bit less laborious, we have students find different partners for each paragraph of their essays. This breaks the editing process up and ensures that students hear from a range of different editors.

Paragraph Cut Apart

Another fun (and visual) way to edit essays is to have students cut their paragraphs apart into their component sentences. Then give those cut-apart sentences to a partner and have the partner try and put the paragraph back together in the proper order.

This exercise is useful for both partners. It can reveal structural and transitional problems for the writer, and it is good practice for the partner who is trying to reconstruct the paragraph. Well-written paragraphs have a flow to them. Their ideas progress in a logical order. Identifying and understanding that order is something that requires practice.

1,029 Writing Prompts for Middle School

In addition to the middle school essay resources mentioned above, our Ultimate Guide also includes another resource we use regularly for bellringers and fun writing exercises: 1,029 Writing Prompts for Middle School.

This massive collection of writing prompts is perfect for short writing assignments but is also a goldmine for ideas for larger essays. It is broken down into 20 different prompt categories:

There are dozens upon dozens of prompts for each category. Some are serious and thoughtful. Others are comical and amusing. Many are designed to get students to reflect upon their own ideas and place in the world.

Our 1,029 Writing Prompts for Middle School can be used throughout the year and for every subject, with prompts that cover a wide array of topics and subject matter.

Interested in just the writing prompts guide? Check it out here .

Using ChatGPT in the Classroom

Many school districts and educators have taken a stand against ChatGPT and other AI programs. We have no problem with that. But we were also curious if ChatGPT could be used effectively in the modern classroom, and we set out to create an in-depth guide on how to use ChatGPT to enhance student writing.

Since ChatGPT is most effective in the planning and organizing of student essays, we have included this resource as well in our Ultimate Guide to Middle School Essays.

Our ChatGPT guide ( learn more about it here ) examines how AI can be used at every stage of the writing process: idea generation, outlining, writing topic sentences, editing, making citations, etc. But at each stage, our guide focuses on the thinking process that students must engage with if they are to use AI as something other than just a crutch.

The trick is to leverage AI in a way that keeps the critical analysis and thought process squarely with the student. And our guide provides a roadmap for how to do that.

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How to Write an Essay Outline + Essay Outline Examples

Download for free, how to write an essay outline + essay outline examples .

Writing an essay can seem like a daunting task, but one of the best ways to tackle this challenge is to organize your ideas into a well-structured essay outline. This guide will walk you through the process of creating an essay outline, complete with essay outline examples, to ensure your next essay is a masterpiece.

We’ve compiled a variety of essay outline examples to help you understand how to structure your own essay. We'll cover persuasive essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, expository essays, and even provide a sample research paper outline. Each example will provide you with an idea of how to lay out the structure and details for each type of essay.

Looking for a printable list of essay outline examples? Our printable PDF features essay outline examples and templates that your students can use as examples when writing research papers, or as a supplement for an essay-writing unit

Why write an essay outline? 

An outline serves as the skeleton of your essay, giving you a clear and organized path to articulate your thoughts. Not only does it make writing an essay significantly easier, but it also allows you to present your arguments coherently and effectively.

An essay outline will help you organize your main ideas and determine the order in which you are going to write about them.

Types of essay outlines

Several types of essay outlines can be used when writing an essay. The two most common types are the alphanumeric outline and the decimal outline.

An alphanumeric outline typically uses Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals, and lowercase letters, in that order. Each level provides a different level of specificity. This structure is a very effective way to think through how you will organize and present the information in your essay. It also helps you develop a strong argumentative essay.

Alternatively, a decimal outline uses only numbers, and each subsection is a decimal subdivision of the main section. This type of outline is often used in scientific papers.

Persuasive essay outline example 

In the following section, we'll explore a persuasive essay outline example on competitive swimming. The purpose of a persuasive essay is to convince the reader of a particular point of view or idea, using compelling arguments and evidence.

In this case, the argument is that competitive swimming is an ideal sport for kids. The essay will present a series of arguments to support this view, demonstrating the various benefits of competitive swimming for children.

Competitive Swimming, an Ideal Sport for Kids

Introduction

Start your argumentative essay outline by stating your point of view and/or presenting your persuasive argument.

Thesis: Competitive swimming is a great alternative to other youth sports.

Body Paragraph 1

Introduce your primary persuasive argument and provide supporting details in your argumentative essay outline.

Topic Sentence:   Competitive swimming provides the same benefits as other sports.

• Detail Sentence 1:   It is good exercise and builds muscular strength.
• Detail Sentence 2:   It promotes cooperation among team members, especially in relays.

Body Paragraph 2

Introduce a secondary argument and provide supporting details.

Topic Sentence:   Competitive swimming provides some unique additional benefits.

• Detail Sentence 1:   Swimming is an important skill that can be used forever.
• Detail Sentence 2:  Swimming poses a reduced risk of injury.
• Detail Sentence 3:   Each swimmer can easily chart his or her own progress.

Conclude your essay writing with a summary of the thesis and persuasive arguments. Brainstorming details that support your point-of-view is a great way to start before creating your outline and first draft.

Concluding Sentence:   There are many reasons why competitive swimming is a great alternative to other youth sports, including...

Narrative essay outline example

In the following section, we will examine a narrative essay outline example titled "How Losing a Swim Meet Made Me a Better Swimmer." Narrative essays aim to tell a story, often about a personal experience, to engage the reader and convey a particular point or lesson.

In this case, the narrative revolves around the author's personal journey of improvement and self-discovery through swimming. The essay will illustrate how an initial setback served as a catalyst for significant improvement and personal growth.

How Losing a Swim Meet Made Me a Better Swimmer

Introduce the subject of your narrative essay using a thesis statement and a plan of development (POD).

Thesis: The first time I participated in a competitive swim meet, I finished in last place. With more focused training and coaching, I was able to finish 2nd in the State Championship meet.

Plan of development:   I was very disappointed in my results from the first meet, so I improved my training and fitness. This helped me swim better and faster, which helped me to greatly improve my results.

Set the scene and provide supporting details. Again, start by brainstorming different ways to begin; then go ahead and craft an outline and a first draft.

Topic Sentence:   I was embarrassed at finishing last in my first competitive swim meet, so I began working on ways to improve my performance.

• Detail Sentence 1:   I spent extra time with my coach and the team captains learning how to improve my technique.
• Detail Sentence 2:   I started running and lifting weights to increase my overall fitness level.

Provide additional supporting details, descriptions, and experiences to develop your general idea in your essay writing.

Topic Sentence:   Over time, my results began to improve and I was able to qualify for the state championship meet.

• Detail Sentence 1:   My technique and fitness level made me faster and able to swim longer distances.
• Detail Sentence 2:  I steadily got better, and I began winning or placing in the top 3 at most of my meets.
• Detail Sentence 3:  My results improved to the point that I was able to qualify for the state championship meet.

Body Paragraph 3

The next step in the writing process is to provide additional supporting details, descriptions, and experiences. You can then divide them up under different headings.

Topic Sentence:   With my new confidence, techniques, and fitness level, I was able to finish 2nd at the state championship meet.

• Detail Sentence 1:   I was able to swim well against a higher level of competition due to my training and technique.
• Detail Sentence 2:  I was no longer embarrassed about my last-place finish, and was able to use it as motivation!

Conclude the narrative essay with a recap of the events described or a reflection on the lesson learned in the story. Briefly summarize the details you included under each heading.

Concluding Sentence:   I used my last-place finish in my first competitive swim meet as motivation to improve my performance.

Descriptive essay outline example

We will now delve into a descriptive essay outline example. Descriptive essays aim to create a vivid and detailed description of a person, place, object, or event to paint a picture for the reader. The intention is to immerse the reader in the subject matter fully.

In this case, the essay provides an in-depth description of a visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The essay will use sensory and descriptive details to create a vivid and memorable experience for the reader.

Visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame

Introduce the subject of your descriptive essay with a thesis statement covering the person, place, object, etc. you are writing about.

Thesis: The Hockey Hall of Fame is full of sights, sounds, and experiences that will delight hockey fans of all ages.

Set the scene and provide factual details.

Topic Sentence:   The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Canada and features exhibits from amateur and professional hockey.

• Detail Sentence 1:   The Hall is located in downtown Toronto and is visited by 1 million people every year.
• Detail Sentence 2:   You can see exhibits ranging from the early beginnings of the sport to the modern NHL and Olympics.

Provide additional sensory details, descriptions, and experiences.

Topic Sentence:   There are many types of exhibits and shows, including activities you can participate in.

• Detail Sentence 1:  Player statues, plaques, and jerseys decorate the walls in every room of the Hall.
• Detail Sentence 2:  Many of the exhibits have movies and multimedia activities that make you feel like you're part of the game.
• Detail Sentence 3:  You can even practice shooting pucks on virtual versions of some of the game's greatest goalies!

Conclude the essay with a paragraph that restates the thesis and recaps the descriptive and sensory details.

Concluding Sentence:   The Hockey Hall of Fame is an experience that combines the best sights, sounds and history of the game in Toronto.

Expository essay outline example

In the following section, we will explore an example of an expository essay. An expository essay aims to explain or describe a topic using logic. It presents a balanced analysis of a topic based on facts—with no references to the writer’s opinions or emotions.

For this example, the topic is "Why The School Year Should be Shorter". This essay will use logic and reason to demonstrate that a shorter school year could provide various benefits for students, teachers, and school districts.

Why The School Year Should be Shorter

Introduce the primary argument or main point of an expository essay, or other types of academic writing, using a thesis statement and context.

Thesis: The school year is too long, and should be shortened to benefit students and teachers, save districts money, and improve test scores and academic results. Other countries have shorter school years, and achieve better results.

Describe the primary argument and provide supporting details and evidence.

Topic Sentence:   A shorter school year would benefit students and teachers by giving them more time off.

• Detail Sentence 1:   Students and teachers would be able to spend more time with their families.
• Detail Sentence 2:  Teachers would be refreshed and rejuvenated and able to teach more effectively.

Provide additional supporting details and evidence, as in this essay outline example.

Topic Sentence:  A shorter school year would save school districts millions of dollars per year.

• Detail Sentence 1:   Districts could save money on energy costs by keeping schools closed longer.
• Detail Sentence 2:  A shorter school year means much lower supply and transportation costs.
• Detail Sentence 3:  Well-rested and happy students would help improve test scores.

Provide additional or supplemental supporting details, evidence, and analysis, as in the essay outline example.

Topic Sentence:   Shortening the school year would also provide many benefits for parents and caregivers.

• Detail Sentence 1:   A shorter school year would mean less stress and running around for parents.
• Detail Sentence 2:  Caregivers would have more balance in their lives with fewer days in the school year.

Conclude the essay with an overview of the main argument, and highlight the importance of your evidence and conclusion.

Concluding Sentence:   Shortening the school year would be a great way to improve the quality of life for students, teachers, and parents while saving money for districts and improving academic results.

Sample research paper outline

Now let’s dive into a research paper outline. Unlike a typical essay, a research paper presents a thorough and detailed study on a specific topic. However, it shares the same foundation with an essay in terms of structuring the ideas logically and coherently. The outline for a research paper includes an introduction, a series of topic points that cover various aspects of the main topic, and a conclusion.

This research paper will explore the background of Mt. Everest, the major explorers who attempted its summit, and the impact of these expeditions on Mt. Everest and the local community.

The Conquest of Mt. Everest

• Location of Mt. Everest
• Geography of the Surrounding Area
• Height of the mountain
• Jomolungma (Tibetan name)
• Sagarmatha (Nepalese name)
• The number of people who have climbed Everest to date
• First to reach the summit (1953)
• Led a team of experienced mountain climbers who worked together
• Norgay was an experienced climber and guide who accompanied Hillary
• Sherpas still used to guide expeditions
• Leader of the failed 1996 expedition
• Led group of (mainly) tourists with little mountain climbing experience
• Loss of trees due to high demand for wood for cooking and heating for tourists.
• Piles of trash left by climbing expeditions
• Expedition fees provide income for the country
• Expeditions provide work for the Sherpas, contributing to the local economy.
• Introduction of motor vehicles
• Introduction of electricity

The Everest essay outline template is based on a research paper submitted by Alexandra Ferber, 9th grade.

Happy writing!

Writing an essay outline is a crucial step in crafting a well-structured and coherent essay. Regardless of the type of essay - be it persuasive, narrative, descriptive, expository, or a research paper - an outline serves as a roadmap that organizes your thoughts and guides your writing process. The various essay outline examples provided above serve as a guide to help you structure your own essay. Remember, the key to a great essay lies not just in the content but in its organization and flow. Happy writing!

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How to write a perfect essay

Need to write an essay? Does the assignment feel as big as climbing Mount Everest? Fear not. You’re up to the challenge! The following step-by step tips from the Nat Geo Kids Almanac will help you with this monumental task. 

Sometimes the subject matter of your essay is assigned to you, sometimes it’s not. Either way, you have to decide what you want to say. Start by brainstorming some ideas, writing down any thoughts you have about the subject. Then read over everything you’ve come up with and consider which idea you think is the strongest. Ask yourself what you want to write about the most. Keep in mind the goal of your essay. Can you achieve the goal of the assignment with this topic? If so, you’re good to go.

WRITE A TOPIC SENTENCE

This is the main idea of your essay, a statement of your thoughts on the subject. Again, consider the goal of your essay. Think of the topic sentence as an introduction that tells your reader what the rest of your essay will be about.

OUTLINE YOUR IDEAS

Once you have a good topic sentence, you then need to support that main idea with more detailed information, facts, thoughts, and examples. These supporting points answer one question about your topic sentence—“Why?” This is where research and perhaps more brainstorming come in. Then organize these points in the way you think makes the most sense, probably in order of importance. Now you have an outline for your essay.

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, WRITE!

Follow your outline, using each of your supporting points as the topic sentence of its own paragraph. Use descriptive words to get your ideas across to the reader. Go into detail, using specific information to tell your story or make your point. Stay on track, making sure that everything you include is somehow related to the main idea of your essay. Use transitions to make your writing flow.

Finish your essay with a conclusion that summarizes your entire essay and 5 restates your main idea.

PROOFREAD AND REVISE

Check for errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar. Look for ways to make your writing clear, understandable, and interesting. Use descriptive verbs, adjectives, or adverbs when possible. It also helps to have someone else read your work to point out things you might have missed. Then make the necessary corrections and changes in a second draft. Repeat this revision process once more to make your final draft as good as you can.

Download the pdf .

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Chase the Write Dream

College Tips and Millennial Advice

Ultimate Middle School Guide to Essay Writing

A middle school is basically a place when you finally dip your toes into a real academic program. Compared to elementary school, it is no longer all about playing and having fun. Now begins the real education and it requires much more patience and effort to succeed.

Entering middle school, pupils face many subjects for the first time. And, they face many new types of assignments for the first time as well. One such assignment is an essay.

While you could’ve been assigned essays in elementary school, trust us – it is not the same. A middle school essay is way more complicated and demanding, so it is important to know how to handle it.

Middle School Essay: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

If you were assigned to write a middle school essay but have not the slightest clue where to start, pluck up the courage and get ready to do some work. Whether you need assignment assistance from CopyCrafter or you’re ready to dive in yourself, we’ve got you covered. To help you get on the right track, we’ve prepared a detailed guide on how to tackle the task and get the best results.

Grasp the Basics

Before you dive right into the process, take a moment to understand the basic requirements. As a rule, a teacher will provide you with all the instructions.

Some of such basics may include:

• Type of essay
• Suggested structure
• Format, etc.

As soon as you know and understand all these details, you can move on.

Learn to Use Available Tools to Your Benefit

Before you get straight to writing, think of the tools you have that make the process simple and enjoyable.

Some basic tools you will need are a laptop or a pen with a paper, and access to the Internet. However, there are many other handy tools. For example, if you know that you are getting distracted easily, you might want to get yourself some distraction blocking software.

Some other tools to use are text editors. They will make the process much simpler.

Finally, keep in mind that there are such resources as https://essaywriterservice.com/ that also can come in handy. Such services employ professional essay writers and help students handle their tasks with no effort.

Choose Your Topic

In many cases, you will have a specific topic assigned to you by a teacher. However, it is also not uncommon to be given a choice of a topic . If the latter is your case, you need to approach this choice with the utmost attention.

First of all, when picking the topic, you should keep in mind your purpose. Depending on the assigned type of paper, you may need to take your essay in a certain direction. So, it is an important factor.

Also, it is vital to consider your interests. The truth is that the best academic papers are written by students who are genuinely interested in what they are writing about. You can also check it at test-done.com . But, at the same time keep in mind that it should be engaging for the audience as well.

Finally, it is important to pick a topic that has the perfect scope. This means that it shouldn’t be too broad or, on the contrary, too narrow.

Next, you need to learn more about the selected topic and find trusted sources of information. Ideally, you should conduct your research in a library. Books are proven to be the most reliable sources.

However, if you still decide to do research online, here are the two key tips we have for you:

• Always question the validity of obtained data and double-check facts across different sources.
• Use the right tools for online research such as academic databases like Google Scholar.
• If you follow these tips you will handle the research stage easily and effectively.

Organize Your Thoughts and Sources

The next step is brainstorming. During this stage, one must lay out all the ideas and information they have and think about how to organize them right in a paper.

The main tips for this stage are to always ensure a logical flow of information, avoid contradictions, and think of smooth transitions between different ideas. Another handy tip is to organize your points by their value. Consider placing the most convincing ideas or arguments close to the beginning of your essay and follow them with less significant ones.

Make an Outline

It can feel frightening to get started on your essay. And, it gets especially scary when you are not too experienced in handling such tasks. But, there is a way to reduce stress. You should create a detailed outline of your work!

Outlining gives plenty of benefits. It helps to follow the right structure. Also, it ensures that all your ideas and arguments will be just in the right places and that you won’t miss out on anything. Finally, writing is just much simpler when you have a plan. So do not neglect this step!

Create Your Thesis

First of all, when you get to writing, you need to develop a strong thesis statement . A thesis statement is your core argument. It is what you are going to prove throughout the paper. Thus, it should be very clear and specific, define your position on the topic, and also be concise.

Write the Paper

When the thesis is ready, move on to writing. At this stage, be sure to strictly follow the plan you already have. You can tackle your paragraphs one by one starting with the introduction to body paragraphs, and finishing with a conclusion.

However, it is often recommended to start with the body of the text. The thing is that both the introduction and conclusion are really tied up onto the body paragraphs. Thus, in order to make them logical, many experts advise to handle them last.

Lastly, the final stages of the work are proofreading and editing. Before getting started, be sure to let your essay rest for a few hours or even a day. Then, come back to it with a fresh outlook. Carefully check the work for grammar, punctuation, style, formatting, and other errors that might be present.

A good tip is to let someone else read your paper before the submission. Another person, for example, a friend or family member, can notice some mistakes you’ve missed.

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