MY PO

WERPO

INT

DESERVES A B

ETTER

TITL

EHOW TO CREATE A CREAT IVE T ITLE

HERE ARE POPULAR TITLES

• Hero Essay• Research

Assignment• Hero

Research Essay Report

• Heroes• My Essay

• Research Paper

• Research Paper Assignment

• Hero Research Paper

• Research Paper about Heroes

Which of Those Titles Would Get

You Interested in Reading?

Then What Makes You Think

I Want to Read it?!?!?

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO READ A BOOK, ARTICLE, POEM, OR STORY"

Popular answers include

• Length• Subject• Title

AN EFFECTIVE TITLE MUST MEET ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA

It should accurately predict the contents or focus (main idea) of the work.

It should set limits on the topic. It should communicate the

dominant impression the writer wants his or her writing to make.

It should grab the reader’s attention.

CREATE YOUR TITLE1. Fold a slice of paper in half.

2. Brainstorm a list of possible titles using the aforementioned criteria. Write those titles on the left side of your paper.

(Writing "My Essay" will cause the paper to burst into flames and result in an automatic 'F‘.)

3. Write the criteria used next to each title on the right side of the paper.

1. Main idea2. Sets limits3. Communicates dominant impression4. Grab reader’s attention

4. Narrow your list to three titles

(Writing "English Essay" will cause a hailstorm to pelt your house and result in an automatic 'F‘).

MORE TITLE SUGGESTIONS

Use wordplay that sets up a contrast: Good Times for Me; Bad Times for You.

Use words in an unexpected way: I'm a Frayed Knot: Lessons on Bullying from a Messy-Haired Shoe String

Use alliteration: Fewer Fried Foods For Franklin High School

Use a phrase or an oft repeated word that captures the essence of the essay: My Essay Deserves a Better Title

Remember: If your title is "Writing Assignment," you will be forced to eat 29 hotdogs from the school cafeteria and will receive an 'F'.

AVOID THE FOLLOWING

A Question: Why do Some People Still Use Questions as Titles After I Tell Them Not to?

Titles with an article followed by a noun or verb: The Essay, A Teacher, The Bus

CHOOSE YOUR TITLE

If you choose "My Essay," a comet

will strike your desk

and you will receive an 'F'.