Today you will turn in your first essay to me. Writing is a lot of fun, but it can be hard work. I believe that writing is a function of organization. The more you organize your thoughts, the easier it is to write. So the question is: "why did Islam spread so quickly."
This leads to your thesis which should read like this,
"There are three (four) main reason why Islam spread rapidly; reason 1, reason 2, reason 3. The key on this thesis is to keep it simple.
Now lets look at the reasoning behind Islam's spread.
#1 I will argue that trade routes is a key factor in the spread of Islam. So my "baby" thesis would go like this,
Islam spread so quickly because of trade routes of Arabia."
Ok I have a thesis, but now I evidence to back up my thesis. So organizationally, I will say 2 to three things.
1. Mecca was a very prosperous trading town in the Arabian Peninsula. (Doc A)
2. Caravans of traders carried products to Arabia, China, north Africa, and other areas of the Mediterranean Sea. (Doc A)
No I just need to explain how the two facts above answers the main question. So I would say that Muslim Merchants no doubt shared the teachings of Muhammed as they traveled.
So there you have it. Those are key elements to organizing a strong paragraph. Of course there is always CUPS to keep in mind... So
capitalize all proper names including, Muslim, Allah, Mohammad, God (monotheism God, not polytheism gods), Arabia, and any other proper noun.
Use proper language, no "I" in this type of writing.
Punctuation is important (I am horrible in my comma usage, so for important work I get a proofreader).
Spelling is also important, use the documents in your notebook as a guide.
If you are not sure, always ask.
A
