Planning example

Introductory paragraph   Introductory statement               Thesis statement         Main points

Notes     This is optional. Useful for giving the name of the text and the author. Underline the title.     This is your answer to the question in one sentence.     Don’t put all of your main points in one sentence.

Maureen McCarthy's novel, Chain of Hearts, follows the life of Sophie Douglas as she reaches back into her family's past in a way that eventually heals both herself and others.         Chain of Hearts is an extremely appropriate title because of the themes which the novel explores as Sophie's journey to recovery unfolds.        Family relationships and the links which bind the Douglas family, in spite of their differences, are at the heart of the novel. Love creates a chain which remains unbroken, even if at times, the links between the family members are stretched. The novel also explores the way guilt can create a chain of events and reactions, needing the power of family love to heal and demonstrating how appropriate the title of the novel is.

Body Paragraph 1   Topic sentence Point           Evidence             Explanation                             Concluding sentence

Make sure your topic sentence refers to your argument as well as the topic of the paragraph   Introduce your evidence  - don’t go straight from your topic sentence to a quotation.   Remember to identify the literary technique   Avoid saying – “this quotation means” … You should not be interpreting the quotation – you should be explaining its significance.

The title Chain of Hearts relates closely to the way in which the relationships of Sophie’s family are bonds which are impossible to break.         Fran and Geraldine’s relationship –     difficult, haven’t spoken to each other for year quotation/literary technique is not broken – Geraldine asks Fran’s help with Sophie is much better by the end quotation/literary technique shows that a chain is an appropriate symbol for family   Sophie and Geraldine’s relationship difficult, don’t get along together Sophie still loves her mother quotation/literary technique Geraldine loves her daughter in spite of what others think           quotation/literary technique their relationship is not shattered, it remains unbroken and is healed greatly by the end quotation/literary technique           The way in which relationships of the Douglas family survive in spite of the many tests and trials they undergo, makes it clear to the reader that a chain of hearts is a relevant symbol on which to base the title of the novel.