essay on a skeleton

The Skeletal System Essay

Introduction, axial portion of the skeleton, appendicular portion of the skeleton, functions of the skeleton, relationship between the skeletal system and the muscular system, sexual differences in skeletons, clinical conditions and disorders that affect the skeleton, works cited.

Movement is vital for all of you because it provides you with the opportunity to live your lives to the full. Just as other human beings, you fall and stand up to continue moving forward. But what provides you with this opportunity? It is your skeletal system. It does not only facilitate your physical activity but also supports and protects your bodies. This system consists of hundreds of bones that are full of calcium, which makes them strong enough to carry your weight. Bones are connected with the help of joints that facilitate motion. The majority of you were born with about 300 bones that fuse with the course of time so that now you have only 206 bones. They all are divided into two parts: axial and appendicular skeletons.

Your axial portion of skeleton is composed of “the skull, the vertebral column, and the thoracic cage” ( Skeletal System: Bones and Joints 120). Due to its location, it manages to protect your brain and spinal cord from injuries. In addition to that, it supports the organs in the ventral body cavity so that you do not need to carry them in your hands.

Twenty-two bones that are separated into two parts form the skull. You have 8 bones of the cranial cavity that are known as braincase. They surround your brain so that you do not hurt it when fall or receive a headnut. The rest of the bones (there are 14 of them) form your face. They are tightly connected to one another so that your nose is always in the right place. The only exception is the mandible that makes chewing possible. Otherwise, how would you eat? Minimal movement can also be observed within the middle ears. Each of them includes 3 auditory ossicles that are hidden deep in your head.

The vertebral column, or backbone, usually consists of “7 cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, 5 lumbar vertebrae, 1 sacral bone, and 1 coccyx bone” ( Skeletal System: Bones and Joints 125). It is the central axis of the skeleton that has four major curvatures. Normally, the cervical and the lumbar regions curve anteriorly. The thoracic, as well as the sacral and coccygeal regions, curves posteriorly. However, considering the way you sit, abnormal curvatures are widespread.

The thoracic or the rib cage protects your organs and supports them. All in all, human beings have 24 ribs that are divided into 12 pairs, but you can recount them to make sure. They are categorized according to their attachment to the sternum. Thus, a direct attachment by costal cartilages is true (1-7); an attachment by a common cartilage is false (8-12); and the absence of attachment resorts to floating ribs (11-12). The sternum, or breastbone, consists of three parts: “the manubrium, the body, and the xiphoid process” ( Skeletal System: Bones and Joints 129).

Your appendicular skeleton consists of the bones of limbs and girdles so that you have:

• “4 bones in the shoulder girdle (clavicle and scapula each side).
• 6 bones in the arm and forearm (humerus, ulna, and radius).
• 58 bones in the hands (carpals 16, metacarpals 10, phalanges 28, and sesamoid 4).
• 2 pelvis bones.
• 8 bones in the legs (femur, tibia, patella, and fibula).
• 56 bones in the feet (tarsals, metatarsals, phalanges, and sesamoid)” (“The Axial & Appendicular Skeleton” par. 4).

What would you be without this part of skeleton? Imagine that it is a big 3D puzzle, gathering all these bones together in a right order, you will build your arms and legs with all details. These are all movable parts that allow you to run, dance, write, and even hug your nearest and dearest. Even though the axial skeleton seems to be more important because it is connected with your brain, the appendicular portion of the skeleton contains about 60% of all your bones, which means that its importance should not be undervalued.

As you have already understood, your skeleton maintains a lot of different functions. Some of them, such as movement and support, were already mentioned. But let us discuss them all in detail.

• Support. Your bodies are supported by the skeleton so that you can change your position to vertical one and stand strait. Without it, you would be able only to lie because of the gravitation. This function is provided by many bones but the long ones seem to be the leaders in this competition. For instance, those that are in legs, support the trunk. Similarly, vertebras support one another so that eventually the firs one provides support to the skull. In addition to that, they support the organs and ensure that they do not change their positions.
• Protection. The skeleton also protects you. For example, the skull prevents fatal brain injuries. The rib cage protects such vital organs as the heart and lungs. It also takes care of your abdominal organs ensuring that they develop normally.
• Movement. The function of bodily motion allowed you to come here today. However, it is critical to remember that it is maintained not only due to the bones but also with the help of the muscular system.
• Mineral and energy storage. From the outer side of your bones, there is a tissue that serves as a storage. It gathers calcium and phosphorus and withdraws them to maintain appropriate blood levels. In addition to that, mature bones store yellow marrow. It consists of fat almost totally and provides you with energy for various activities.
• Blood-cell formation. The inner core of your bones takes part in the formation of blood cell and platelet. It is known as bone marrow or red marrow. Platelet is vital for you because it ensures your ability to heal wounds while blood cells spread oxygen and destroy infectious cells (CAERT 3).

Have you ever thought of the way our movement are maintained? Even a simple nod of the head requires the cooperation between the skeletal and muscular systems. Muscles ensure movement of our body through the attachment to the bones. All in all, there are about 700 of them, which is an enormous amount that comprises about 50% of your weight.

So what happens in your body when you moves? When you want to move, your brain sends a message for the body to release energy. In medical terms, it is called adenosine triphosphate. Affecting your muscles, it makes them contract or shorten. Shortened muscles pulls bones at their insertion point. Thus, the angle between the bones connected by a joint shortens. Relaxation is maintained when the opposing muscle extends and pulls a bone to its initial position.

Human skeletons seem to be similar, as they contain the same bones. However, you should remember that their characteristics differ depending on the gender. For example, women have lighter pelvis bones that form a shorter cavity with less dimensions. It has less prominent marking for muscles and more circular pelvic brim. The sacral bones of men are longer and narrower, which makes them more massive. Their femur is also longer and heavier. Its texture is rough unlike women’s smooth.

Muscle marking is more developed and shaft is less oblique. The head of men’s femur is larger and trochanters are more prominent. The femoral neck angle in males is more than 125 and in females is less than 125. Women’s sternum is less than twice the length of manubrium and larger in men. Differences in skull include greater capacity, thicker walls, more marked muscular ridges, prominent air sinuses, smoother upper margin of orbit, less vertical forehead, and heavier cheekbones in males.

Hopefully, it will never affect any of you but the skeleton may be affected by tumours that cause bone defects. People may have skeletal developmental disorders including gigantism, dwarfism, osteogenesis imperfecta, and rickets lead to abnormal body sizes, brittle bones, and growth retardation. Bacterial infections cause inflammation and lead to bone destruction.

Decalcification, including the known to you osteoporosis, reduces bone tissue and softens bones. Joint disorders often deal with inflammation. For instance, arthritis. They are often influenced by age and physical activity. In this way, degradation of joints is observed in the elderly but can be delayed due to regular exercises. The abnormal curvatures of the spine may also cause health issues. That is why you should pay attention to your back posture and avoid kyphosis (a hunchback condition), lordosis (a swayback condition), and scoliosis (an abnormal lateral curvature).

CAERT. Structures and Functions of the Skeletal System . 2014. Web.

Skeletal System: Bones and Joints. 2012. Web.

“ The Axial & Appendicular Skeleton. ” TeachPE , 2017. Web.

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Teaching Analytical Writing: Essay Skeletons

Posted March 17, 2015 by laurielmorrison & filed under Series on teaching students to write essays , Teaching .

Hi there! I’m back with the third installment of my series on teaching analytical writing. Last time, I explained the TIQA paragraph , which I see as the building block of an analytical essay, and described how I give students a lot of practice writing analytical paragraphs before moving onto essays.

When it’s time to move onto analytical essays, I lay the groundwork in a couple of ways. First, I tell students about the essay topics I plan to give them as we are reading the book they will be writing about. We look out for quotes that relate to those topics together, and I encourage them to look out for additional quotes on their own. That way they’re not starting from scratch when it comes time to find quotes for their essays.

Once we’ve finished the book, I have students choose an essay topic. I can provide scaffolding for students who need it by steering them toward one of the topics we found quotes for during class, while I can encourage other students to branch out to topics we haven’t spent much class time exploring or even to come up with topics on their own.

Next, each student creates an essay skeleton . The essay skeleton includes their thesis statement , their  topic sentences , and the quotes they will use in their body paragraphs. (For eighth grade I require that at least one of the body paragraphs includes a second quote and follows the TIQATIQA format. For seventh graders I don’t require a double TIQA paragraph, but some students choose to write them.)

The essay skeleton provides the core of the essay that students will be writing. It isn’t too difficult for me to give prompt feedback to each student on a thesis statement, topic sentences, and quotes, and I find that it’s worth it to look at these elements of their essays before they move forward with drafting. The bottom line is, it’s impossible to write a successful essay without a decent thesis or with quotes that don’t match up with the thesis.

So how do you teach students to write a good thesis statement ? Here is my explanation of  thesis statements , adapted from a handout I made for seventh graders writing essays about Howard Fast’s novel April Morning.  If students are struggling to grasp thesis statements, it can work well to create some faulty thesis statements, model the process of fixing one, and then have students work together to fix another.

Interested in tips for explaining topic sentences ? Here’s my explanation of  topic sentences , using the same example thesis from the  April Morning  thesis resource. It can work well to have the class practice breaking down a model thesis into effective topic sentences before students try to write their own.

Once students have their essay skeletons, they draft their body paragraphs, using the TIQA format, and then after that, we move on to introductions and conclusions. Next time I’ll explain my reasoning for leaving the introduction and conclusion until the end, and I’ll share handouts I use for those two parts of the essay.

7 Responses to “Teaching Analytical Writing: Essay Skeletons”

Wow. That’s excellent, Laurie. Have your students given you any feedback on ways the essay skeleton (great idea) or the TIQATIQA format in general helped them formulate their arguments? This is such a good way to help them to not be afraid of analytical writing.

Thanks so much! Most of them prefer creative writing assignments regardless of my attempts to make analytical writing accessible. 🙂 But several of them have mentioned that essays feel more manageable in chunks, and they definitely have some satisfying aha moments when they get what makes a good thesis and how to analyze a quote well. I’ve heard from a few of them who continue to start by coming up with the thesis, quotes, and topic sentences once they get to high school because they find the process helpful, and that makes me feel like it’s working pretty well.

Good. They’ll be ready for the research papers they will have to write!

Laurie, I love the way you’re teaching this to your students. Not an easy task at all. You sound like such a wonderful teacher!

Thanks so much, Sharon! I know you know a lot about teaching, so I especially appreciate that comment coming from you!

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Paper Skeleton

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What Is a Skeleton?

A skeleton is the assemblage of a given paper’s first and last sentences of each paragraph.

Why Should I Use a Skeleton?

A skeleton can be used to address a bunch of different elements of a paper: precision of topic and concluding sentences, transitions, arrangement, repetition -- you name it. Mostly, it forces us to think of these sentences as joints to a skeleton, or moves being made in papers, and whether those moves are effective and accurate.

How Do I Perform a Skeleton?

First, copy and paste (or copy if working with a paper draft) the first and last sentences of each paragraph into a different document. Then, read them in the order they’re written and consider the moves these sentences are trying to make.

Example (the Following Skeleton Represents About One-Third of a Complete Draft):

P1​: Topic: Jean Rhys' Good Morning, Midnight confines the reader to Sasha's declining mental state for the whole of the novel, robbing them of varied perspectives and enveloping them in her traumatic isolation. Conclusion: In doing so, Sasha creates a world within the world, one that exists behind the curtain of her mind, to remove herself from the pain of the present. P2: T: Terrance Hawkes argues that it is human nature to create worlds – stories, myths, and the like – to deal with the immediate world creatively, rather than directly. C: Deep within this well, Sasha finds herself mute during moments where she might defend herself, or dignify her actions.   P3: T: Ewa Ziarek's writing in Female Bodies, Violence, and Form, help inform Sasha's silence as having resulted from (and be Rhys' response to) sexism and the abasement of females during the time of publication. C: However, Sasha's outward silence that is ventilated in her mind reveals a great deal about the nature of her isolation and her means of maintaining it. P4: T; Sasha's most telling method of isolation is what Ziarek refers to as 'petrified female tongue' (174), a silence that arises when a voice is needed most. C*: This is the present the novel takes place in. P5:  ​ T: Stuck in the now but desperately escaping to the safe place inside her head (which proves not much better), Sasha often reflects on the past to anesthetize the pain of the present. C: Sasha doesn't feel a connection with men like Mr. Blank but rather perceives herself as a damaged commodity, albeit one with a small measure of dignity   *You’ll notice that this structure can and probably should be changed. Often we open and conclude in 1-2 sentences, and so paragraph 4’s last sentence is actually only half of the conclusion. 

To What End?

Many observations may be made from the above skeleton, given a reading of the entire paper. Since it’s an old paper of my own, I see now that front-loading Hawkes and Ziarek into the paper might not be the most effective use of those readings. Moreover, I can see now the transition between such readings (P2C and P3T) is pretty loose.

[ Activity written by Luke Useted, May 2015. Image by Flickr user,  Shaun Dunmall  and used under Creative Commons license]

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Skeleton Outline – How To Use It In Writing?

If you do anything just to put off your writing, you might be stuck in a vicious cycle of procrastination.

This time, instead of simply powering through the writer’s block, you can try to alter your approach. Finding out about the skeleton outline method gave me a fresh attack plan for every piece of writing I needed to do. Instead of staring at a blank page for hours, not knowing where to start, I know exactly what points I need to get across in which paragraph. Ultimately, skeleton outlining has made my writing more efficient , less stressful, and easier to manage. And the best thing is – it’s so simple you’ll wonder how come the idea never crossed your mind!

What is a Skeleton Outline and Why Should Writers Care?

A skeleton outline is a framework you build to make content creation smoother. It’s the bare bones of your article/book/essay – ready for you to add meat and skin on top. Let’s translate that into the terminology of digitally written documents. With skeleton outlining, you want to build the heading structure and write down the main ideas to include under each heading. In a way, creating this type of outline helps you break down your project into manageable chunks . The idea behind skeleton outlining is to organize your writing before you type a single word. Planning this way results in a concise piece of writing . You build your writing up in layers, never losing sight of the big picture. This type of planning works for any kind of writing, whether you’re in charge of creating a white paper , a blog post, a podcast episode, or a fiction book.

Skeleton Outline – How it Helps in Writing:

1. don’t lose track.

Did you ever get halfway through your blog post only to realize you can’t remember the other points you wanted to make? If this sounds like you, chances are that the quality of your writing will rise significantly as soon as you integrate skeleton outlining into your routine. Setting up an outline skeleton with short notes in advance will let you focus on what you’re writing right now and know exactly what you need to write later on. That way, you’ll cover all the details without losing track of the big picture. Content and essay writers who need to reach a particular word count will love working with a skeleton outline – you can pre-calculate how long each heading needs to be to reach your target length!

2. Take It Step By Step

When you have your outline nailed down, it doesn’t matter if you write from top to bottom or from the middle out. Filling out part by part will make the whole writing process faster and help you beat procrastination. Work in little bits and tackle the easier sections first for a motivation and productivity boost !

3. Reorganize Easily

A skeleton outline makes it easy to reorganize the text you wrote if you decide to change the structure later on. Minimal editing is required! Programs like MS Word and Scrivener let you move headings (and the text under each) by simply dragging and dropping. That’s far easier than cutting, scrolling, and then pasting each paragraph separately!

How to Create a Skeleton Outline and Write Faster

So, what exactly does a skeleton outline look like? Well, it depends on the kind of writing you do. Here, I’ll share my process, which is tailored for blogging . Here’s what this article’s skeleton looks like:

Step 1 – Create a Heading Structure

This heading structure is the first thing that I created for this article, right after doing my research. This article is rather simple – it includes four H2 headings and six H3 subheadings. In some cases, the skeleton may get pretty intricate, going as far as including H4 subheadings. I wasn’t sure whether to put the “How to” or the “How it helps” section first, so I dragged them around a bit and settled for this structure in the end. In essence, your headings should cover the basic concepts, and subheadings are reserved for details and specifics.

Step 2 – Add Details and Research Notes

Now you can refine your structure further deciding where intros, transitions, lists, and other parts of the article will go. This will help you follow a pre-set structure if you need to, but I omit this step to retain structural flexibility. Apart from structural details, you can also add notes from your research to help you cover everything. I usually label research notes with a colored highlight just to be sure I don’t accidentally leave them in the finished article. If that sounds too complex, a program like Scrivener can make keeping track of research simpler for you.

Step 3 – Start Adding Meat

Now, there’s only one thing left to do – write, write, and write! You can fill in your outline in order or jump from part to part. It doesn’t matter because your skeleton outline won’t let you stray far from your main points. Case in point – I wrote this “How to” section first, even though it’s located at the end of the article! Bonus Tip: There is a lot of great outlining software for writers in the market that you can check out. These apps can help you structure your stories and other compositions faster and easier.

It’s not easy to create something great if you don’t know what it’s supposed to look like. Setting up an outline before you start writing will give you the freedom to focus on the details without worrying if your work makes sense when you zoom out. After all, it’s true that preparation is half the battle. Do you create an outline before writing? How do you approach building your content? Next up, you may want to explore a guide on how to create a synthesis essay outline .

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Advantages of Drafting a Skeleton Essay Structure

Table of Contents

Writing is a complex process. You are in charge of coming up with what you’re about to say and how you’re going to say it. Then you have to be able to convey it in a way that others will get what you’re saying.

That’s no small feat. So, to help you, let me look at writing as a process with several skeleton essay structures . This can help in your ability to communicate clearly.

What Is a Skeleton Essay Structure?

Just like a skeleton gives a body its basic shape and gives muscles, tendons, and other body parts something to connect to, a skeleton essay structure shows how a piece of writing is put together . It can help plan and draft work in fiction writing, article writing, or copywriting.

Think of it as your writing’s GPS. If you don’t enter a location and at least quickly look at the route you want to take, you probably will not arrive on the most efficient road. You’ll probably get there, but it could take longer.

Reasons Why You Should Use a Skeleton Essay Structure

1. having the freedom to be inspired.

Some writers think an outline will stop them from being creative, but that’s usually not the case. When I don’t have a strategy, I feel like I have to stick to the subtopic I’m working on at the time. The structure of your essay’s skeleton keeps you on track and gives you ideas .

2. The Bucket Effect

Your skeleton outline’s parts are like empty buckets, each holding blocks of a different color. If you think one bucket would perform better in another place, you can reposition it and all the colored blocks with it.

3. Research With Structure

With a skeleton outline, you don’t have to go all over the Internet looking for statistics that relate to your topic.

Your skeleton outline gives you sub-topics that help you search in a much more focused way. You should know that the more organized your research is, the fewer reasons to follow random research.

How to Start Writing Your Skeleton Essay Structure

1. start with your main points.

Assume you’ve been requested to write an essay about how to concentrate while writing. The first stage is to decide on your primary points. You make the call.

You’re ready to go on to details if you’re satisfied with your three primary points or however many you decide to employ.

2. Sort Your Details

Many writers are familiar with an awkward experience. You’ve chosen a topic and supported it with three or four specifics, each leading into the next. You started studying one of the specifics and discovered that the rest of your post is based on one supporting point, so you must go back and start over.

3. Start Writing!

If you’ve carefully approached the first two phases, this last one will be a snap. Your research is complete, and the article is organized; all that remains is transforming the information into sentences and paragraphs.

Is it feasible to write without a skeleton essay structure ? Without a doubt. The shorter the piece, the better it is to write on the spur of the moment. However, if you use an outline, you will produce better work in less time.

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Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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Essay Samples on Skeleton

Application of forensic anthropology in human identification from the skeleton.

Forensic Anthropology The study of Biological anthropology includes a wide rage of sub categories such as medical anthropology, evolution, and forensic anthropology. Forensic anthropology uses the methods of osteology, a physical anthropology to analyse physical remains for legal issues such as criminal trials. Forensic anthropologists...

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Anatomy of the Human Muscular-Skeleton System

Morphology is a division of biology selling with the study of the shape and structure of organisms and their exact structural topographies. This includes features of the external arrival. outside morphology, as well as the shape and structure of the interior parts like bones and...

Bones TV Series: Show's Approach to the Anthropology

Introduction The field of forensic anthropology is critical in determining causes of death, sex, age, and time of death by studying the bones of the deceased. Anthropological procedures, such as trauma investigations, can help in ascertaining the object that hit a bone and possibly caused...

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Protein Benefits And Intake Awareness For Osteoporosis Patients

Introduction Protein is an indispensable supplement required for structure, keeping up, and fixing tissues, cells, and organs all through the body. When you eat protein, it is separated into the 20 amino acids that are the body's essential structure obstructs for development and vitality. The...

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Best topics on Skeleton

1. Application Of Forensic Anthropology In Human Identification From The Skeleton

2. Anatomy of the Human Muscular-Skeleton System

3. Bones TV Series: Show’s Approach to the Anthropology

4. Protein Benefits And Intake Awareness For Osteoporosis Patients

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Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, why you shouldn't copy skeleton templates for the sat/act essay.

SAT Writing , ACT Writing

Creating your own essay skeleton can go a long way towards helping you prepare for the SAT or ACT essay. Having an essay template ready to go before you take the test can reduce feelings of panic, since it allows you to control at least some of the unknowns of a free-response question. It can even be helpful to look at other people’s essay skeletons to get an idea what your own essay template should look like.

But when does using an essay skeleton go from a great idea to a huge mistake? Keep reading to find out.

feature image credit: Skeletons taking a selfie @ Street art @ Walk along the Amstel canal @ Amsterdam by Guilhem Vellut , used under CC BY 2.0 /Cropped from original.

UPDATE: SAT Essay No Longer Offered

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In January 2021, the College Board announced that after June 2021, it would no longer offer the Essay portion of the SAT (except at schools who opt in during School Day Testing). It is now no longer possible to take the SAT Essay, unless your school is one of the small number who choose to offer it during SAT School Day Testing.

While most colleges had already made SAT Essay scores optional, this move by the College Board means no colleges now require the SAT Essay. It will also likely lead to additional college application changes such not looking at essay scores at all for the SAT or ACT, as well as potentially requiring additional writing samples for placement.

What does the end of the SAT Essay mean for your college applications? Check out our article on the College Board's SAT Essay decision for everything you need to know.

What Is An Essay Skeleton?

An essay skeleton, or essay template, is basically an outline for your essay that you prewrite and then memorize for later use/adaptation . Usually, an essay skeleton isn’t just an organizational structure—it also includes writing out entire sentences or even just specific phrases beforehand.

"But how can you do this, and more importantly, what’s the point?" I hear you cry (you sure manage to get out a lot of words in one cry).

Creating an essay template for the current SAT essay is pretty simple, as the SAT prompts tend to fall into one of six categories :

• What should people do?
• Which of two things is better?
• Support or refute counterintuitive statements (Is it possible that [an unlikely thing] is true?)
• Cause and effect (is X the result of Y?)
• Generalize about the state of the world
• Generalize about people

Because the prompts are, at the core, all "yes or no?" questions, you can somewhat customize your introduction and conclusion. Doing this is especially helpful if you tend to choke under pressure or are worried about your English language skills—you can come up with grammatically correct templates beforehand that you can memorize and then use on the actual test (filling in the blanks, depending on the prompt).

Formulating an essay template for the ACT is a little more tricky, as the new ACT essay asks you to read an excerpt, consider three perspectives, come up with your own perspective, and then discuss all the perspectives in the essay using detailed examples and logical reasoning. It’s possible to come up with a useful template, but I’ve not really come across any students using templates in the 200+ ACT essays I’ve graded.

In addition to figuring out your essay organization beforehand, you can look up synonyms for words that get commonly used in essays (like “example” or “shows”) and prewrite sentences that use these words correctly . For example, for the SAT essay, you could pre-write a way to introduce your examples: “One instance that illustrates [x] can be found in [y]" (where [x] is the point you're trying to make and [y] is the place from which you're taking your example).

Finally, on a semi-related note, because you know that you’ll have to use examples to explain your reasoning on the essay, you can also come up with the examples you’ll use beforehand and get good at writing about them. The better you know your examples, the more organized your writing will be on the essay (because you won’t have to waste valuable time trying to think of what exactly happened in The Hunger Games that proves your point). For more on this, see our article on the 6 examples you can use to answer any SAT essay prompt .

So What’s The Issue?

Problems occur when you rely on other people's skeletons, rather than coming up with your own. In theory, there’s nothing wrong with looking at other people’s essay skeletons to help inform your own—in fact, I've even written up a helpful template on this blog for SAT and ACT essays . The issue arises when you move beyond using the organizational aspects of someone else’s skeleton to copying words directly from someone else.

A Spooky Tale of Essay Skeleton Plagiarism

Out of the 600+ SAT essays I’ve graded over the last three months, I’ve seen the same essay skeleton come up 7 times . I know that it’s an essay skeleton because the key phrase repeated from essay to essay (“critics are too dogmatic in their provincial ideology”) was so unusual (and kind of grammatically incorrect) that I commented on it specifically the first time it showed up (to point out vocab misuse...because it just wasn’t good writing) and Googled it the second time it showed up.

It turns out that this phrase is from an SAT prep skeleton (we're not going to name the book or the author), but it also shows up in various essays around the internet that either copied that prep book or copied a College Confidential posting that plagiarized the book, so I don't know where exactly students were seeing this skeleton.

Here's the problem: while the idea of using essay skeletons makes a lot of sense, and even the using of some organizational aspects of another essay skeleton is acceptable, word-for-word copying of sentences is considered plagiarism, and plagiarism is not permitted on the SAT. In fact, it's specifically addressed in the SAT Terms and Conditions .

I sent a message to the CollegeBoard asking about the use of essay skeletons and what, exactly, was considered plagiarism. The language used to describe it in the terms and conditions is pretty vague, and I wanted to know if, for instance, a certain number of words had to appear in a row for something to be considered plagiarism. The response I got back only contained the relevant text from the Terms and Conditions:

“ ETS reserves the right to dismiss test-takers, decline to score any test, and/or cancel any test scores when, in its judgment , as applicable, a testing irregularity occurs, there is an apparent discrepancy in a test-taker's identification, an improper admission to the test center, a test-taker engages in misconduct, or the score is deemed invalid for another reason, including , but not limited to, discrepant handwriting or plagiarism .” [bolding mine]

Basically, if the CollegeBoard thinks you’re plagiarizing, then they can cancel your SAT score . And because the CollegeBoard does not define plagiarism, they basically have the latitude to do one of those “I know it when I see it” standards with things like essay skeletons. Chances are that you won't get marked down for the essay (other than for using vocab incorrectly), but since the template is so common, why risk it? Take an hour to develop your own template . You'll end up with even better results since you crafted it yourself and will be able to use it with more precision.

So what is plagiarism? There's the Google definition , which says plagiarism is taking the work or idea(s) of someone else and not crediting them/presenting it as your own work or idea(s). Plagiarism is generally considered ethically wrong, and in many cases (including with the SAT), it can have real world consequences.

You might have read that the writer of the essay template gave permission to reuse the template, and that makes it OK. This is 100% false. Consider this scenario: you're in high school and you're taking AP English. Your brother had the same teacher the year before, and he got As on all his essays. For whatever reason, he gives you permission to reuse his essays in your class. Does that count as plagiarism? 100%. There's no question about it. Your teacher and school don't care whether the writer gave you permission or not. You copied the essay, and that is an ethical lapse that is entirely on you. You'd probably fail the class and/or face whatever other punishment your school has as policy.

What Does This Mean For My SAT/ACT Essay?

Obviously, using the same word, or even the same couple of words in a row, as someone else isn't plagiarism (otherwise there would be lots of controversies over people using the two words “of the” together all the time and not citing their sources). A good general rule to follow is to avoid copying more than four words in a row .

I’ve seen several essays since that begin with the phrase “The presupposition that,” which is fine, because it’s a phrase anyone could come up with to describe an assumption, and is relatively short (3 words). The phrase “these romantic critics are too dogmatic in their provincial ideology,” on the other hand, is problematic because

When it comes to preparing for the SAT or ACT essay, it's much better to rephrase in your own words and create your own skeleton . You can (and even should) look at other people’s skeletons/essays for tips, but you should never copy someone else's work word-for-word without making it clear that it's someone else's work.

What’s Next?

Can’t get enough of those SAT essays? Check out our 15 tips and strategies for writing the SAT essay , as well as a complete list of SAT essay prompts . On the ACT side, we have a corresponding article with tips to raise your ACT essay score , as well as a complete guide to the new ACT Writing Test (for September 2015 and onward).

Want more in-depth essay articles? You’re in luck! We’ve got step-by-step examples of how to write both the SAT and ACT essays, as well as detailed advice for how you can get a perfect 12 on the SAT essay .

Reading articles is all very well and good, but how can you get feedback on your practice essays? One way is through trying out the PrepScholar test prep platform , where intrepid essay graders (like myself) give you custom feedback on each practice essay you complete as part of our program.

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Laura graduated magna cum laude from Wellesley College with a BA in Music and Psychology, and earned a Master's degree in Composition from the Longy School of Music of Bard College. She scored 99 percentile scores on the SAT and GRE and loves advising students on how to excel in high school.

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An Awesome Essay Skeleton in 5 Simple Steps

I know what you’re wondering, what is the difference between an essay skeleton and an essay outline? To be honest, there is very little difference other than the outline tends to come equipped with a little more meat. The essay skeleton is, as the name suggests, just a basic frame of reference that helps students organize their ideas and define what goes where. In most cases, it does not have too much content other than the titles and subtitles and maybe topic sentences.

A thesis statement is also a welcome edition to the skeleton. In comparison, an outline will usually have brief paragraphs that define what the segment will talk about. The skeleton is usually very heavily edited throughout the writing process.

So, why even bother creating an essay skeleton, you wonder? Simple, because it will serve as a boilerplate for all your written assignments. And I do mean all of them. Forever!

Let’s dive in and see how is this even possible.

Table of Contents

What is an essay skeleton.

The skeleton is the framework that guides your writing . Think of it this way. If you wanted to build a house, the first thing you’d do is to draw a design, layout of the rooms, placement of the electric and water appliances, doors and windows, and similar. The skeleton is just like that, only for writing. If you do it properly, it will help you organize your research and writing, which saves time and lowers stress. So let’s dig in and see what can you do to make an awesome essay skeleton.

Understanding the Structure

Understanding the essay’s structure is crucial. Learn the anatomy of an essay: introduction, body, and conclusion. This comprehension guides your essay’s direction. In almost every situation you will come across, written work will have only three main parts – the introduction, the body, and the conclusion.

While in most cases there are some elements that must be added later such as the abstract or the bibliography , the three core elements never change.

Essay Skeleton Examples

Depending on the length of your paper, each part will vary in size and can encompass several sub-sections. It is important that you outline these immediately, as it helps define what you need to focus on. For example, a standard essay structure may look like this:

• Introduction
• Body topic 1
• Body topic 2
• Body topic 3
• Bibliography

If you need to write a longer paper, say 10-15 pages that requires primary or secondary research, then you would use something like this:

• Research question
• Thesis statement
• Literature review
• Body topic 4
• Body topic 5

Selecting the Main Points

Choose the main points wisely. They form the backbone of your essay skeleton. Prioritize key arguments that align with your thesis statement. Don’t go into too much detail, but rather focus on those elements that make the core of your essay. If you’re writing about World War II, pick 3-5 main points and create body paragraphs first, and only then develop the other parts. This way you will be more prepared and know what to write about.

Crafting a Strong Thesis

Crafting a robust thesis statement is pivotal. It succinctly summarizes the purpose of your essay and sets the roadmap for your skeleton.

Building the Body

The body of your essay skeleton fleshes out your main points. Arrange them logically, ensuring coherence and progression.

Incorporating Evidence

Support your main points with credible evidence. This can include statistics, quotes, or scholarly references. Strengthen your essay’s structure with substantial support.

Conclusion and Recap

Conclude your essay skeleton with a concise recap. Reinforce your thesis and summarize the key arguments. A well-constructed skeleton ensures a robust essay.

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From Bare Bones to Meaty Analysis: How to Skeleton Outline Your Essay

December 15, 2014 By Ariel Salzer Leave a Comment

1. Get with the Times

Note the start time and the time when you should be moving on from outlining your answer to actually writing it. Plan to spend about a quarter to a third of the total allotted time in planning mode—just you, your fact pattern and your scratch paper—no typing.

2. Look to the Call for Help

Immediately read the call of the question first. This will help to orient you toward the question being asked and give you any structural clues your Professor may have left for you.

3. Build an Issue “Skeleton”

Read the fact pattern the first time. Note on your scratch paper any issues you see that you think may be triggered by the facts you have in front of you and the rules you’ve learned over the semester. If you’re not sure about something, write it down anyway, but put a question mark. Underline or highlight any facts that seem important. Leave space between each issue you jot down so you have room to write below each one. Think of this as the “skeleton stage.” You’re laying down the bones of your essay.

4. “Flesh Out” the Skeleton with the Facts

Read the facts for the second time. This time, try highlighting every fact and asking yourself whether it fits into the skeleton you’ve constructed, and if so, where. The goal here is to “find a home” for every fact, if possible. In matching the facts up and writing them under the issues you’ve mapped out on your scratch paper, you’re taking a valuable step toward a more structured, coherent and concise essay. Think of this step as “fleshing out” the skeleton you’ve built. Adding the facts that go with each issue is like wrapping muscle onto the bones.

Whether your Professor throws in facts that don’t matter, e.g. “red herring” facts will depend on her individual exam writing style. For each fact, though, at least ask yourself “does this fact matter?” Challenge yourself to pin each legally significant fact to an element from one of the rules triggered by the issues you’ve spotted and put in your skeleton. Check off each highlighted fact so you can tell at a glance whether you’ve used it yet or not. Note: I’m not saying you should actually spend time writing the full rule out in your skeleton. Hopefully by the time you get to exams, you know the rule in your head well enough to not have to write it down.

5. Write! Write! Write!

Either IRAC or follow an integrated approach. Which style you use will depend on what your individual Professor is looking for. Write based on the structure you’ve come up with. Hopefully, with the comprehensive blueprint you’ve made, you won’t have to stop and think about what to say, you’ll just type quickly and efficiently until you’re finished!

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And check out these helpful posts:

• Don’t Panic! Last Minute Tips for Final Exams
• Can You Fake It Till You Make It With Law School Final Exams?
• Rely on Systems, Not Willpower
• You’re Totally Unprepared for a Law School Exam! How to Avoid Disaster

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About Ariel Salzer

Ariel Salzer is a tutor and mentor tutor for Law School Toolbox and Bar Exam Toolbox. Ariel has taught everything from conjunctions to calculus on four different continents. A primary and secondary school educator in the U.S. and abroad before law school, Ariel has always had penchant for teaching and editing. As a student at the University of San Francisco School of Law, Ariel tutored Torts and led 1L workshops on time management, exam preparation, legal writing, and outlining. As the chief Technical Editor on the Executive Board of the USF Law Review, Ariel was in charge of ensuring the accuracy of thousands of legal citations, and has become a Bluebook expert. She also served as a Case Counsel for the USF Moot Court program, and received CALI awards for high-scoring two classes, including Legal Research and Writing. After practicing law as a product liability litigator in California for a number of years, Ariel found her way back to teaching and now enjoys helping students find success in their law school classes and on the bar exam.

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Before ‘S-Town’ Made Him Famous, Clock Lovers Knew Him Well

John B. McLemore, the brilliant and quirky star of the hit podcast “S-Town,” is the center of a show highlighting his work in the art of clock restoration.

By Bill Marsh

Reporting from Columbia, Pa.

John B. McLemore, a profanely outspoken, brilliant and troubled restorer of antique clocks, emerged a national figure in 2017 with the podcast “S-Town.” As a horologist — a repairer of devices that measure time — he restored intricate and rare pieces in a workshop at his family homestead in rural western Alabama.

But that was just part of the story.

In short order, “S-Town” hit 40 million downloads , and has since surpassed 100 million, making it among the most downloaded podcasts.

For those who missed this unusual tale, there will be no major spoilers here. It’s enough to say that McLemore, and many in his orbit, were vaulted from obscurity to sometimes painful visibility.

(Tyler Goodson, a prominent character in the podcast, was killed in a police shootout in December. Jeff Dodson, the mayor of Woodstock, the hamlet where “S-Town” takes place, said he hasn’t received an update on the police investigation of the shooting.)

Before “S-Town,” McLemore was known to collectors of rare clocks, earning fame as an unlikely genius who could diagnose mechanical trouble and revive one-of-a-kind antique timepieces.

One of those collectors, William R. Tatum, was close to “John B.,” as friends called him. Tatum — referred to only as Bill in the podcast — entrusted McLemore with many of his prized clocks. An exhibition of 34 of those pieces, all restored by McLemore, runs through April 30 at the National Watch & Clock Museum in Columbia, Pa.

“It’s really to showcase his uniqueness, his abilities, his talents,” Tatum said of the exhibition. “He could fix anything. He could do anything. He worked on my dishwasher, my washer and clothes dryer, he worked on my truck, he worked on my car.” But those were mere distractions. “Clocks were what made him tick, no pun intended.”

In the series “S-Town” (its title is an abbreviation of McLemore’s derisive nickname for Woodstock), listeners hear the musings, longings and rantings of a man captivated by science, vexed by climate change, chagrined by local social norms and frustrated at love.

“He was too smart for that county in Alabama, and that’s what made him feel isolated,” Tatum said. “He was too smart for most of those people. He had nobody to relate to. He knew I was educated, and we became friends.”

Tatum drove last fall from Alabama with two others who were featured in the podcast, Cheryl Dodson and her husband, Jeff, Woodstock’s mayor, to see the show and recall their friend’s quirky talents.

But you don’t have to listen to McLemore’s story to find things of interest elsewhere in the museum. A tour begins with the sound of iron gears clanking together in a room full of muscular tower clock mechanisms. Hundreds of clocks and watches trace the science and artistry of timekeeping.

On the day of Tatum’s visit, a group of schoolchildren sat rapt for a demonstration of the Engle Monumental Clock, a 19th-century contraption that resembles a cross between a castle and a cathedral. As the docent turned the minute hand, its arrival at various points on the dial set off whirring processions of historical and allegorical characters, 46 in total. When the minute hand reached 12, a thighbone-wielding skeleton, representing death, struck a skull to count the hour — a vivid reminder that we all have one less hour to live.

On View: Five Marvels Revived by John B. McLemore

A dedicated collector, Tatum found many unusual clocks needing repair. These are some of his favorite John B. stories.

Lighthouse Mantel Clock | French, ca. 1880

A simulated lantern atop this lighthouse-style clock oscillates between green, clear and red glass. The case has a bright, two-tone gilt finish. “When he handed the clocks back to me, they looked like they just came from the factory,” Tatum said.

The pre-McLemore lighthouse was missing its crowning detail. “He made that little flag, and he said he made that when he was stoned,” Tatum recalled. But, Tatum added, “he hand-filed it and whatever state of mind he was in, he made it correct. He always made it correct.”

Paris Fountain Clock and Barometer | French, ca. 1890

This miniature likeness of stately fountains that offered drinking water to 19th-century Parisians was purchased by Tatum “as is”: a monochrome brass, its original finish gone.

McLemore added flourish to its four female figures, a dark patina to make them stand out. “If it was all just gold-plated, it wouldn’t have any character,” Tatum said, noting that McLemore would conduct extensive research before making aesthetic choices.

The clock features a spinning rod of twisted glass that mimics flowing water, via a second mechanism. Clocks with animated features were challenging to repair but emerged from the McLemore workshop alive again. “He wouldn’t have given it back to me if he couldn’t make it work,” Tatum said.

Floating Turtle Clock | French, ca. 1900

This remarkable table clock announces the hour via a floating turtle in a pewter bowl: Fill it with water, drop in the turtle and, presto, the animal glides to one of the numerals around the pan’s rim. “He’s going to float to whatever time it is,” Tatum said. “It never disappoints you.”

The turtle is pulled to the correct time by a magnet hidden beneath the bowl.

“When I bought that clock, it did not have the right turtle,” he said. “It was too heavy to float.” Another friend carved a lighter specimen. The finishing touch: “John B. took a magnet off his refrigerator and inserted that into the turtle.”

A rare misstep also left its mark. After McLemore fixed the clock, he tested a new, lighter turtle. “We didn’t know there was a leak in the bottom of the pan,” Tatum recalled. “He filled it up, went to bed, and came back to the shop and there was water on the movement,” Tatum explained, referring to the clockwork mechanism. “Wasn’t expecting that! Parts of it are a little rusted because of that escapade.”

McLemore patched the hole and convinced his customer to live with the rust. “He was of the mind-set that if something’s not broken, it’s better to leave it alone,” Tatum said.

Sedan Chair Carriage Clock | French, ca. 1900

One of the podcast’s mysteries: Did McLemore’s use of mercury poison him?

He liked bygone techniques, notably fire gilding, in which gold and mercury are combined; the mix is torched to vaporize the mercury, leaving only a gold finish. McLemore scarcely protected himself from the ensuing fumes.

For most of Tatum’s clocks, McLemore used electroplating, a process involving dangerous materials. Metal is refinished in a solution that is part toxic potassium cyanide. This method may not produce fumes, but the vats used would contain extremely hazardous chemicals.

Several such brews were required to refinish this fanciful miniature sedan chair. It was a uniform brass tone when Tatum bought it, and he calls its restoration “the crowning jewel of John B.’s work.”

McLemore spent weeks masking off portions of the clock’s motifs by applying a lacquer seal. When plated in the cyanide mixture, the exposed, unlacquered sections acquired their intended finish. Then the lacquer is removed, applied to different sections and placed in a new cyanide mixture; the process is repeated several times until all the finishes are applied.

The replated details glimmer in pure and tinted golds and silvers, the result of tedious work. Upon finishing the clock, McLemore said: “Tatum, I’ll never do that again.”

Musical Singing Birdcage Automaton | French, ca. 1880

This Victorian novelty exists strictly to entertain. Wind it up and three feathered birds spring to life while music plays for about 10 minutes. Tatum bought it “dead in the water,” its complex workings frozen. He knew that McLemore had tackled projects like this before.

After weeks of waiting, Tatum received the expected call from his friend, who declared matter of factly: “I got it working. Take it home. Put a dome on it.”

It was a familiar statement. “He would always say, ‘Ah, just put a glass dome over it.’ That was his way of saying, ‘I did my job.’”

Bill Marsh is a graphics editor for The Times. More about Bill Marsh

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Title: multi-scale spatial-temporal self-attention graph convolutional networks for skeleton-based action recognition.

Abstract: Skeleton-based gesture recognition methods have achieved high success using Graph Convolutional Network (GCN). In addition, context-dependent adaptive topology as a neighborhood vertex information and attention mechanism leverages a model to better represent actions. In this paper, we propose self-attention GCN hybrid model, Multi-Scale Spatial-Temporal self-attention (MSST)-GCN to effectively improve modeling ability to achieve state-of-the-art results on several datasets. We utilize spatial self-attention module with adaptive topology to understand intra-frame interactions within a frame among different body parts, and temporal self-attention module to examine correlations between frames of a node. These two are followed by multi-scale convolution network with dilations, which not only captures the long-range temporal dependencies of joints but also the long-range spatial dependencies (i.e., long-distance dependencies) of node temporal behaviors. They are combined into high-level spatial-temporal representations and output the predicted action with the softmax classifier.

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