C.E.R. Paragraph Format

How to Write a Claim Evidence Reason (CER) Paragraph

Are you struggling with Claim Evidence Reason?

A Claim Evidence Reason is a traditional paragraph you might find in an essay. It makes a claim, provides evidence that backs that claim, and provides the reason that the supports the claim. In this class, I am looking for students to respond to big questions in class by using an arguable claim, evidence, and reasoning that is persuasive. Below is an example that will help you better right CER's.

1. Claim: »This is a statement of your topic (what your paragraph is about) AND your specific opinion or observation about it. This is the top piece of bread to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Example: "Video games contribute to youth violence."

In this case, video games is the topic, believing they cause youth violence is your observation.

This can also be called a topic sentence, a thesis, or even just an opinion.

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2. Evidence: This is a quote, statistic, or other piece of evidence that supports your claim. It needs to be introduced by a transition sentence. I call this the peanut butter.

Example: "According to Elizabeth Eisentein's article "Video games and violence," 85% of kids that play violent video games are more aggressive."

You also may include a secondary piece of data to back your point, but this is not always necessary:

Example: "Furthermore, Alexander Flymoy, a PhD at Stanford, states in his article that "every school shooting ever committed was done by teenage consumers of violent games."

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3. Reason: This is an explanation of how your data supports your claim. It should be about 1-2 sentences. This is the jelly: it holds everything together and it is sweet. Its where you share your opinion in depth.

Example: "My first piece of data demonstrates that kids that play violent videogames become more aggressive. This can lead to more hostility directed toward their peers, such as bullying, verbal abuse, and even physical abuse. My second piece of data supports this, showing that school shootings may have been averted if only we did not allow teenagers to play violent video games."

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4. Restate claim: the bottom piece of bread.

Example: "It is for these reasons I believe video games contribute to youth violence."

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5. Sandwich

In the end, you should have a nice sandwich:

Claim - Bread

Evidence - Peanut Butter

Reason - Jelly

Restate Claim - Bread