How to Write Body Paragraphs
Many writers have not learned how to write body paragraphs for an essay, article, formal research paper, or business letter. All too often, students only received this limited instruction about how to write body paragraphs: “Write a topic sentence; write major detail sentences; then, support the major detail sentences with minor detail sentences.” Not much help with that limited instruction…
The following strategies will help you write learn how to write body paragraphs that will be appropriate to the writing task, provide pertinent evidence to prove your thesis, and also show off your writing skills. The FE SCALE C memory trick will help remind you of the evidence strategies you need to use on timed writing tasks. Not every evidence strategy fits the purpose of every writing task, so learn and practice these options to increase your writing skill-set.
Body paragraphs are organized around the topic sentence, which is the main point, reason, or argument to prove the thesis statement. Always place your topic sentence at the beginning of each body paragraph. Writing research indicates that the topic sentence is placed at the beginning of the body paragraph 80% of the time in published works, so don’t re-invent the wheel. Write in the way your reader expects to read.
Then, use the FE SCALE C evidence strategies to provide the evidence to support the topic sentence. Think of writing body paragraphs much as a prosecuting attorney uses evidence to convince a jury that the defendant is guilty of the crime. Connect your body paragraph evidence strategies with effective transition words to maintain coherence. The body paragraph should flow together as one whole. Every word should move the reader toward the demanded verdict, which is your thesis statement.
Use a variety of evidence to support your topic sentence in each paragraph. I suggest that two or three types of evidence per body paragraph is most effective. A good attorney uses a wide variety of evidence. Limiting evidence to one form will weaken your overall argument and not win your conviction. Think of the O.J. Simpson’s “Trial of the Century.” The prosecution overly relied on DNA evidence and failed to convince its jury. All it took was “If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit” to provide enough doubt to the jury to acquit the defendant.
After composing the topic sentence, flesh out each evidence strategy in a compound-complex sentence or two separate sentences. Then, analyze the evidence in another sentence. Of course, sometimes it is also appropriate to do the reverse: state a major detail that addresses the topic sentence and then provide the evidence strategy to support that detail.
A good body paragraph might be structured in this way:
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Topic Sentence
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Evidence Strategy #1 Sentence
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Analysis Sentence
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Evidence Strategy #2 Sentence
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Analysis Sentence
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Major Detail
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Evidence Strategy #3 Sentence
Types of Evidence: FE SCALE C
1. Fact means something actually done or said.
Neil Armstrong was the first person to step on the moon. He said, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”
2. Example is a part of something used to explain the whole thing.
Peas, beans, and corn are examples of vegetables.
3. Statistic is an amount, fraction, or percentage learned from scientific research.
The world has over 7 billion people; half live in Asia; only 5% live in the United States.
4. Comparison means to show how one thing is like or unlike another.
Both automobiles are available with hybrid engines, but only one has an all-electric plug-in option.
5. Authority is an expert which can be quoted to support a claim or a topic.
According to the Surgeon General of the United States, “Smoking is the chief cause of lung cancer.”
6. Logic is deductive (general to specific) or inductive (specific to general) reasoning.
All fruits have vitamins and apples are fruits, so apples have vitamins. The first 10 crayons I picked were red, so the whole box must be filled with red crayons.
7. Experience is a personal observation of or participation in an event.
Hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back requires careful planning and takes most of the day.
8. Counterclaim is the argument against one’s point of view, which the writer then minimizes or refutes (proves wrong).
Some argue that a high protein diet is healthy because… However, most doctors disagree due to…
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TEACHING ESSAYS BUNDLE
The author’s TEACHING ESSAYS BUNDLE includes the three printable and digital resources students need to master the CCSS W.1 argumentative and W.2 informational/explanatory essays. Each no-prep resource allows students to work at their own paces via mastery learning. How to Teach Essays includes 42 skill-based essay strategy worksheets (fillable PDFs and 62 Google slides), beginning with simple 3-word paragraphs and proceeding step-by-step to complex multi-paragraph essays. One skill builds upon another. The Essay Skills Worksheets include 97 worksheets (printables and 97 Google slides) to help teachers differentiate writing instruction with both remedial and advanced writing skills. The Eight Writing Process Essays (printables and 170 Google slides) each feature an on-demand diagnostic essay assessment, writing prompt with connected reading, brainstorming, graphic organizer, response, revision, and editing activities. Plus, each essay includes a detailed analytical (not holistic) rubric for assessment-based learning.