Educate your students on the writing process by showing them how to create an outline for their essay to help organize the ideas and points they plan on addressing.
Explain how an essay is formatted and the different parts/ paragraphs that an effective essay includes within it. Go over the purpose and importance of each paragraph; the thesis statement and/or introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. For example, the thesis statement introduces the subject of the essay and the points or arguments the author will make in the following paragraphs. The body paragraphs are used to clarify, express or argue the essay's main ideas. Finally, the conclusion unites and sums up all of the previous points in the essay.
Give the students exercises to help enrich their grammar, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary and sentence structure. Hand out sample essays for them to edit and have the class identify and mark off the different paragraphs within the essay (such as the ones explained above). Ask them to underline the writer's key points and sub points. This will help them get a feel for how an essay should progress and how the author expands upon his topic.
Discuss the different types of essay prompts and have students chose a topic and create an outline for their essay. Explain how each key concept or idea in their outline can develop into one of the body paragraphs for their essay.
Give students a list of sample GED essay topics. According to EssayWritingBlog.com, these include: personal essay topics, discussion essay topics, and argumentative or controversial research paper topics on the GED. Some sample essay topics to use are: What are the essential characteristics of a good teacher?
What is the most valuable lesson you've learned in life and why?
Is health care reform a good idea?
If you had to create a new curriculum for your school, what new subjects would you include?
Prep students for the GED by giving them a topic and having them compose the essay within the allotted time period (45 minutes). You can use a timer or a watch, so that students are aware of how much time they are spending on each section. Remember, GED essays should be roughly 250 words in length.