Build-a-Paragraph

When writing a paper, you should present your ideas and research in an effective manner. You are entering into a conversation between you and your sources. This should help you organize your ideas in relation to your these, evidence, and conclusion.

Step 1: Introduce

◦Introduce your ideas of this paragraph through your topic sentence.

◦It should be precise enough that it separates itself from the rest of your essay, but

relatable enough that you can refer back to it if needed.

Example: In today’s world, a lot of people think that we have come a long way in terms of acceptance, but research has proven we have not come as far as we think.

Step 2: Reproduce

◦To back up your assertions, you will need to provide evidence

◦You can look for evidence in articles, papers, books, statistics, etc.

Example: According to the study conducted by the New York Times, the older generation in our society is far less accepting because of the time period they were raised in.

◦(Make sure you cite whatever evidence you use in your paper)

Step 3: Explain

◦Now that you have provided evidence to your opinion, you need to explain why this evidence is important.

◦You can either agree with the evidence you have provided or disagree, but always make sure to explain your reasoning.

Step 4: Adding Commentary

◦You have already provided evidence and reasoning about your point of view, but now it is time to add commentary.

◦When adding commentary, make sure not to repeat what was already said, but also don’t introduce new ideas.

◦You can and should provide a somewhat new interpretation of what was said in the paragraph.

Example: To out it another way, millennials have more of an open mind because of the different groups present in today’s society.