BODY PARAGRAPHS AND INCORPORATING EVIDENCE STRUCTURE OF A

BODY PARAGRAPHS AND INCORPORATING EVIDENCE

STRUCTURE OF A BODY PARAGRAPH 1. Topic Sentence 2. Background Information 3. Textual Evidence

TOPIC SENTENCE = MAIN IDEA • First sentence of your body paragraph • Introduces what the paragraph is about • Connects back to your thesis statement from your Intro Paragraph • You do NOT need to mention the title of the book

BACKGROUND INFORMATION • Set the scene for your reader • What important details from the book does your reader need to know in order to understand your textual evidence? • Give a brief, but specific summary that relates to the main idea of your paragraph

TEXTUAL EVIDENCE = QUOTES FROM THE TEXT • Pieces of text that support your thesis • 3 parts: • Lead-in (with context) • Quote • Citation

LEAD-IN • DO NOT begin a sentence with a quote, you need to lead into it • Introduce your quote with context to give your reader information about the evidence you have selected

CONTEXT • What is happening in the scene? • What characters are involved? • For dialogue: Who is the speaker? Who are they talking to?

3 TYPES OF LEAD-INS 1. Somebody says 2. Sentence

SOMEBODY SAYS LEAD-IN • Introduces someone speaking • Punctuation: comma , • Example: In addition, while spending Christmas at Finches Landing, Francis tells Scout, "Atticus is ruinin' the family" (87).

SENTENCE LEAD-IN • Introduces the quote with a complete sentence • Punctuation: colon : • Example: For example, Scout explains to her father why she pummeled Walter Cunningham in the schoolyard: "He made me start off on the wrong foot" (27).

BLENDED LEAD-IN • Embed the quote within your own sentence. • Punctuation: none • Example: Furthermore, when Scout and Jem are walking home from the pageant, they hear a man "running toward [them] with no child's steps" (264).

QUOTE REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT • You MUST use at least 6 direct quotes (two in each of your body paragraphs) throughout your essay. • You MUST cite your quote

EXPLANATION • Every time you include a piece of evidence, you need to explain it • Why is your evidence important to the topic you are writing about? • What does it reveal about the main point of this paragraph? • Even if something is 100% obvious to you, it might not be clear to me. • An in-depth analysis will typically be 2 -3 well thought out

MRS. GALLOWAY'S WRITING PET PEEVE • DO NOT USE phrases like "this quote or the author says/shows/reveals" • The quote is not saying or showing anything. • The author is not saying or showing anything. It is your job to explain your interpretation of the novel.

MRS. GALLOWAY'S WRITING PET PEEVE This quote shows that Montag and Clarisse are now friends. The author reveals that propaganda controls people.

MRS. GALLOWAY'S WRITING PET PEEVE • DO NOT WRITE: • "In this essay/paragraph, I'm going to talk about. . . " • "This essay/paragraph was about. . . "

CONTINUE. . . • Bring in your second piece of evidence with a lead-in that includes context • Repeat for your second and third body paragraphs