Outline:

Introductory paragraph 

Hook: Swish, the basketball shot straight through the hoop as I released it from my hands! Shooting is my favorite part of basketball. 

Background (why are you an expert or authority on the subject?): I have been playing basketball for 12 years including two years on my high school team the Westford Academy Grey Ghosts. 

Thesis statement (break down your explanation into three logical parts or steps): The three components to successfully shoot a basketball is the stance, your focus, and your shot. 

Body paragraph No. 1 

Part 1: Stance 

Topic sentence: One of the most important parts of shooting a basketball is to start in a relaxed and balanced stance. 

• Step 1: Keep your feet no further than shoulder width apart, preferably closer together, and slightly staggered. 
• Step 2: You should put your shooting foot very slightly ahead of your non-shooting foot. Your shooting foot is the foot on the same side as your shooting arm – if you’re right-handed, it will be your right foot. 
• Step 3: Your feet should be turned 10 to 45 degrees towards your off-hand side, and your shoulder, hip, and elbow should be aligned with the basket. 
• Step 4: Next, flex your knees slightly. Locking your knees makes it easy for you to get knocked off balance. 
• Step 5: Keep your stance in mind as you learn to shoot and begin to practice. Once you find the stance that suits you best, use it every single time. 

Body paragraph No. 2 

Part 2: Focus 

Topic sentence: Once you have the proper stance, it is important to focus on the basket. 

• Step 1: First step is to locate the target. If you want the ball to go into the net, then you need to look at the net. 
• Step 2: If you’re planning to bank the ball in off the backboard (which is shooting the ball off the backboard of the hoop, the big glass rectangle behind the hoop, and have the ball land in the basket), then look at the spot on the backboard you want to hit. 
• Step 3: Your eyes are an incredibly important part of a good shot in basketball. Once you release, you may either follow the flight of the ball or continue to look at the rim. 

Body paragraph No. 3 

Part 3: Your Shot 

Topic sentence: Now that your stance and focus are established, it is time to take a shot! 

• Step 1: Once you have the ball in your hands, depending on which your shooting hand is, dip the ball down to your waist or thigh. The ball and your shooting eye should form a straight line to the basket.  
• Step 2: Next, position your elbow so it’s under the ball, not cocked to the side. Learn to position the ball in this same place every single time you get ready to take a shot. When someone passes you the ball, dip it to your waist or thigh. If you catch a bounce pass or another low pass, or are shooting off the dribble, you don’t need to dip, as you are already in a dipping motion. 
• Step 3: Also, if you are right-handed, keep your left hand on the side on the line and your right hand holding the back of the ball firmly in place. 
• Step 4: Use your hand that you write with to shoot with. Your other hand is just for the guide. If you are left-handed, do the opposite. 
• Step 5: Now, grip the ball correctly. Position your shooting hand so that your fingertips are perpendicular to the seams in the ball. This hand is responsible for launching the ball. Place your non-shooting hand on the side of the ball to act as a guide for the shot. 

Conclusion 

• Summarize the thesis 
• Compare and contrast? 
• Include any evidence that didn’t fit into the three body paragraphs 
• Leave the reader with a lasting impression 

An athletic stance, a focused mindset, and a fluid shooting motion are key elements to successfully shoot a basketball. With this newfound knowledge, anyone should be able to learn how to shoot a basketball correctly and be successful at it. It takes hard work, and lots of practice, but eventually, this motion becomes easier. 

Expository Essay on How to shoot a Basketball

According to Oxford Dictionary, the definition of journalism is the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast. When the journalism assignment was given to the class, I assumed that it was going to be easy. I did not think that capturing all the details to a story would be hard, but it was. Especially when I was covering a sporting event like the soccer game. It was completely different then writing a story that someone was discussing with you like the first journalism assignment. With the soccer game, I had to pay attention to the littlest of details, and if I missed it, there was no asking if they could repeat that or if they could replay that. It was live and anything you missed, well that was it. That I believe was the most challenging part of the journalism process. Making sure that all the important details were captured and written into the story. Overall, I had fun completing this assignment. It was something completely different that I had never done before, and was a learning experience. 

Soccer game on Saturday, December 16th at the soccer field at Assumption College at 1pm.

Truth and Accuracy: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/08/reader-center/breast-cancer-diagnosis.html

Independence: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/04/us/politics/op-ed-anonymous-justice-department.html

Fairness and Impartiality: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/02/insider/trump-twitter-data.html

Humanity: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/01/reader-center/readers-grief-dining.html

Accountability: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/01/the-weekly/breathalyzer-drunk-driving.html

Title: An interview with Andrea Ottaviano (Mom) Giving birth to her first child 

The 5 Ws: Who, what, when, where, why 

Notes… 

• It began on a Friday morning of a November 5^th, 20 years ago, today 
• Dad went off to work 
• Night before having a lot of back pain, Dad was rubbing her back 
• Dad drove to work today, and he was planning on stopping the GBSCC annual sports convention 
• Later on, that morning, my mom had the “bloody show” which is what they call it 
• My mom thought she was having contractions 
• She called the doctor, Dr. Zuckerman 
• They said she should come in 
• My mom called my dad at 10 am 
• My dad said, “Do you think this is it”? 
• My mom made sure her bag was packed and ready to go 
• She took a shower, put makeup on, got her hair all good and ready to go 
• My mom is looking at the clock waiting for my dad. A couple of hours went by, my mom was thinking that it was getting late, and they were going to hit rush hour traffic if she didn’t leave 
• My mom called my dad at work and he wasn’t answering 
• My mom thought to herself that she might have to drive herself and her contractions were getting closer 
• She put her suitcase in the car, and then my Dad finally shows up at 4 o’clock 
• My mom said, “where were you!!” 
• Sadly, they hit rush hour traffic 
• My mom had such bad back contractions while she was in the car 
• They get to the hospital; they checked her to see how many centimeters she was dilated 
• They brought her into the labor room 
• Then Dr. Berry comes in 
• Dad was hovering in the corner 
• My mom had her blood pressure taken and it was very high (called Pre-eclampsia) 
• That set the hospital in a whirlwind!! Some people can stroke out because of Pre-eclampsia 
• They put her on the appropriate meds 
• Dad was sitting in the corner, didn’t know what to do 
• Dr. Berry looked over at my Dad and said, “Stop being a piece of furniture and c’mon over here!” 
• The doctors come in and they put the epidural in 
• About an hour later the epidural didn’t work anymore 
• My mom said the pain was excruciating 
• My mom says that she wants the epidural to be put back in 
• The nurse tells her that she can’t because she was 8 centimeters dilated, you are too close to labor/birth (10 centimeters) 
• My mom looks over at the nurse and says, “If you don’t get that anesthesiologists, I am calling the head of anesthesia, Doctor Wurm”. 
• Now the anesthesiologist comes back in and she puts the epidural back in, now my mom was feeling great 
• Now it was time to push 
• My mom gives a few big pushes 
• And there is my sisters head 
• My dad is looking down there and says, “Oh my god it’s her head, and its purple!” 
• Then my dad says, “Ang you’re going to want to see this!” 
• My dad brings a full-length mirror over and all they saw was a big purple hairy ball 
• All my mom could think of was what it felt like, she said it felt like a watermelon was coming out of her 
• Then the doctor comes in and says it’s time to really push and time to deliver the baby 
• Pushing and pushing and pushing and boom, my sister is out and all they could hear was crying 
• The nurses said, “Oh she looks great!” And they cleaned her up and said she has ten fingers and ten toes 
• They wrapped her up in the baby blanket and handed her to my mom 
• “It was the most amazing thing in the world, to have so much love for one little bundle” my mom said 
• “There’s nothing like it, it’s just amazing” 
• The nurse said, “your daughter was born on November 6 at 12:01 am” 
• Then my dad had a few words with the nurse 
• My dad said “That’s wrong, I have a runners watch, so no she was not born on the 6, she was born on November 5 at 11:59” 
• And the Nurse says “we will split the difference and compromise. She was born at midnight on November 6” 
• “Cause I’m in charge here” the nurse said 

It was the most memorable experience ever and the most wanted experience and gift that my mom and dad were given. 

Topic: Should the start times for middle school and high school students be later? 

Hook: It’s 2 AM in the morning, and I finally finished my homework after long hours of work, family time, and extracurriculars. Stumbling over my own two feet, I somehow found my way to my bed, and as soon as I know it, I drift into a deep slumber. I’m passed out for a good four hours before an ear-splitting noise interrupts my dream. “BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!!!” My entire body jolts awake as soon as the sound waves reach my ears. It’s 6 AM, and I could already tell that today was going to be a great day. 

Background: I believe that it is important and necessary for middle and high schools to have a later start time. 

Thesis statement: Many middle and high schools start too early in the morning to allow teens to get enough sleep – and that’s taking a huge toll on health, safety, and learning. 

Expository essay topic:  

Topic: How to hit a softball 

Background: I played softball for 12 years. I played for my high school team called the Westford Academy Grey Ghosts. We made it to the DCL’s in the spring of 2019. I’ve had some amazing coaching over the years. 

Thesis statement: The three key components to successfully hit a softball is your stance, focus, and swing. 

The best piece of food that I ate this weekend was homemade pizza with broccoli, mushrooms, Italian hot cherry red peppers from my dad’s garden, arugula pesto and spicy marinara sauce. I could see the stringy cheese spread out over the pizza. All the mushrooms, broccoli, and peppers were perfectly cooked into the pizza. I carefully put the right amount of sauce and pesto on the pizza, just enough so that it bubbled as I took it out of the oven. The crust was cooked to perfection. It was crispy and a little charred on the bottom to give it some flavor. The smell made my mouth salivate. The pizza smelled like a breath of fresh air. It was a different type of oxygen that I couldn’t stop breathing. I could smell the charred crispy crust, with the cooked and baked mushrooms and vegetables, and the hot mozzarella cheese. I could also smell the spicy sauce that I put on my pizza. Every time I smelled the sauce, I could feel the insides of my nose burning. Then I picked up a thick, rigid, sharp corner piece of pizza, and began to chow it down. I could taste every single ingredient that was in my mouth. Each one complimented the other. Although I did not wait very long for the pizza to cool, so every bite was burning the back of my mouth. But I didn’t care. Each piece that I ate was a slice of heaven. The pizza was the best piece of food that I ate over the weekend because I made it with my family, and it was like eating a piece of home. 

Church 

1. The tree is white like a cloud 
2. The flowers look like elderly people’s hair 
3. The church has two large glass openings like an airplane hangar 
4. The bell tower is a carousel 
5. The cloud is a white cotton ball 
6. The light blue sky looks like a cotton candy  

Coney Island 

1. The streetlight is a star in the night 
2. The neon signs are as colorful as a rainbow 
3. The sky is a blue ocean
4. The mustard on the hot dog sign looks like yellow raindrops 
5. The Coney Island sign is orange like a tangerine