How to Write a Literary Essay

How to Write a Literary Essay

Answer these questions as you watch this video:

"How do I write a literary essay?"

Multiple Choice

What is the main purpose of a literary essay?

• To summarise the book

• To analyse the theme or character of the book

• To write a review of the book

• To create a character list

Multiple Choice

What is the first step suggested before drafting your essay?

• Read the book again

• Write a conclusion

• Gather quotes

• Create an outline

Multiple Choice

What should you include in the INTRODUCTION of your literary essay?

• A detailed analysis of the characters

• Quotes from the book

• A summary of the book, and your claim

• A personal opinion about the book

Multiple Choice

How many reasons should you provide in support of your claim?

• One

• Two

• Three

• Four

Multiple Choice

In which paragraph do you elaborate on your first reason?

• Introduction

• First body paragraph

• Second body paragraph

• Conclusion

Multiple Choice

What does the example in the video focus on?

• A summary of different fairytales

• A character analysis of Goldilocks

• Goldilocks and the Three Bears

• The author's biography

Multiple Choice

What does the author of the example essay claim about people compared to bears?

• People cause more destruction than bears

• Bears cause more destruction than people

• People and bears are equally destructive

• Bears are misunderstood animals

Multiple Choice

What does the author need to add to improve their essay?

• An entirely new introduction

• More personal stories

• A list of other fairytales

• Evidence with quotes

Multiple Choice

What is the desired aim for someone who is watching this video?

• To feel overwhelmed by the essay process

• To gain confidence in writing a literary essay

• To choose a different book to read

• To avoid writing essays altogether

Open Ended

In your own words, what is a literary essay?

Open Ended

In the example essay in the video about Goldilocks and the Three Bears, what was the author's claim?

Open Ended

In the example essay about Goldilocks and the Three Bears, what were the three reasons the author used to support the claim?

Poll

Are you feeling confident with your knowledge of what a literary essay is?

• Yes

• No

• I'm not sure

Word Cloud

What do you understand well about literary essays? Enter 1-2 words.

Word Cloud

What do you want to learn more of, about literary essays? Write 1-2 words

The following questions are based on a literary essay that answers this question:

In the fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood," Little Red Riding Hood makes several important choices during her journey to visit her grandmother. Choose three of her decisions and explain how it affects the outcome of the story. Use specific examples from the story to support your answer.

Reorder

Reorder the following sentences to make an effective INTRODUCTION for this essay.

• In the classic fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood," a young girl sets off through the woods to visit her grandmother, carrying a basket of goodies.

• Along the way, she encounters a cunning wolf who tricks her into revealing her destination.

• Little Red Riding Hood's decisions throughout her journey play a crucial role in the story's outcome.

• This essay will explore how Little Red Riding Hood's choice to talk to the wolf changes the course of the tale and determine if she acted wisely.

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Reorder

Reorder the following parts of the paragraph into the correct order.

• Topic Sentence

• Explanation

• Evidence

• Link

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• 1
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• 3
• 4

Match

Match the following parts of a TEEL paragraph with their correct definition.

• Topic Sentence

• Evidence

• Explanation

• Link

Identifies a key point/reason

Supportive quotes/events from the book

Provides more depth to your reason

Connect your reason to the main question

• Identifies a key point/reason

• Supportive quotes/events from the book

• Provides more depth to your reason

• Connect your reason to the main question

Reorder

Reorder the following to create a TEEL paragraph that responds to the Little Red Riding Hood example question.

• One of the most important decisions Little Red Riding Hood makes is when she stops to talk to the wolf in the forest.

• This choice sets off a chain of events that significantly impacts the rest of the story. By talking to the wolf, Little Red Riding Hood unknowingly reveals where she is going and what she is doing, giving the wolf a chance to trick her and her grandmother.

• For example, in the story, the wolf asks Little Red Riding Hood where she is heading, and she innocently replies, "I'm going to visit my grandmother, who lives just beyond the forest." This information allows the wolf to reach the grandmother's house first, disguise himself as the grandmother, and plan his attack.

• This decision is crucial because if Little Red Riding Hood had not spoken to the wolf, he would not have known about her plans, and the dangerous encounter at her grandmother's house might have been avoided. This shows that her choice to talk to the wolf directly leads to the story's central conflict.

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Multiple Choice

Here is another paragraph for the Little Red Riding Hood essay.

Do you think it is an effective paragraph or not an effective paragraph?

"Little Red Riding Hood talks to the wolf in the forest. This is important. She tells the wolf where she is going. The wolf goes to her grandmother’s house first. He dresses up like her grandmother. This makes trouble for Little Red Riding Hood. This was a bad choice. She should not have talked to the wolf."

• Effective paragraph

• Not an effective paragraph

Open Ended

"Little Red Riding Hood talks to the wolf in the forest. This is important. She tells the wolf where she is going. The wolf goes to her grandmother’s house first. He dresses up like her grandmother. This makes trouble for Little Red Riding Hood. This was a bad choice. She should not have talked to the wolf."

This paragraph is NOT effective.
Suggest how this paragraph could be improved