PIE Strategies

P.I.E. Strategies:

Ideas for making a POINT:

Decide what you want to say to support your thesis based on your reaction to the text

Try categorizing your ideas and make a comment on a recurring theme you've found

Ideas for INFORMATION/support:

Information from the readings or class discussions (paraphrases or, occasionally, short quotes)

Personal experience (stories, anecdotes, examples from your life)

Representations in mass media (newspapers, magazines, television)

Elements from popular culture (song lyrics, movie lines, TV characters, celebrities)

Definitions (from the dictionary, the readings, or another source)

Statistics (polls, percentages, data from research studies)

Ideas for EXPLANATION:

Interpret, analyze, explain the information, opinion or quote you have included

Comment on the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the quote, fact, data, information, etc.

Decipher the meaning or try to better your understanding of your observation, findings or experience

For an essay:

Suggest or explain to your reader how the information relates to your THESIS.

“Paragraph Organization and Development: The P.I.E. Paragraph. N.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2013.