A thesis statement sums up the essay as a whole. It tells the audience what the essay is about. Ask the student what they are trying to accomplish with the essay, and help them form their thesis statement. Give the student examples of simple statements. For example, for an environmental essay, the thesis statement could be "Recycling helps everyone."
Have the child plan the essay and decide what he is going to say in it. This allows the student to organize his thoughts and to avoid repeating himself. One way to organize an essay is to draw the rough outline in the shape of a house. Then have the child write the thesis statement on the roof. Draw supports for the house, where the student can write out the facts or ideas that support the thesis statement. This visual outline is an excellent way to make sure that the essay flows easily.
Ask the student to write out a rough draft. A rough draft does not need to be perfect, but it should include everything that the student wants to say in the paper. Have her use the organization notes to guide her, as she creates the rough draft. Encourage her to put everything that she wants to say on the paper, as she can always edit things out later.
Set the essay aside and give the student some time away from it. Writing needs to be revised and edited before it can really shine, so have the student look for mistakes that he made the first time around. Ask him to read for spelling and grammar errors and for word choice. After that, the student is ready to make a clean copy that can be turned in.