ESSAY PARAGRAPHS

INTRO PARAGRAPHOpen with an attention grabber—Pizzazz!!

Include general details—NOTHING too specific. Absolutely no quotes unless you conference with me about it first. FORM: Upside down triangle… begins broadly, ends

specifically with the thesis as the LAST sentence (demo)FOCUS (intro and body): Briefly introduce characters/settings/events as neededOld Scratch, the devil, offers Tom Walker a

treasure.Daniel Webster, Jabez Stone’s lawyer, is known to

be great.

BODY PARAGRAPHSFollow a consistent framework. Whatever structure you

establish in the 1st body paragraph, use for 2nd and 3rd, too.Example—If you talk about “TD&TomW” after your “TD&DanielW”

quote in paragraph 1, do the same in paragraph 2 and 3.

FOCUS: Quote Frame!!!

In general, a paragraph is simply…Intro sentence/transition sentenceQuote framesParagraph is summed up with STEP 4—

Justification

CONCLUSION PARAGRAPHIt is a SUMMARY paragraph—therefore no new info!!FOCUS: Dissect your thesis

Each prong becomes it owns sentenceInclude the specific idea from the body

paragraphEXAMPLE

There are many reasons why winter is a great season. When it snows, the scene is magnificent and peaceful. Also, NJ schools have a long break from school for the holidays. Finally, there are many resorts in the Northeast open for skiing. Of all the seasons, winter is certainly the best.

Make sure that final sentence packs a punch! Restate your focus one last time

Random Notes Use the title as an opportunity to give a hint about the paper’s direction.

Take advantage of EVERY OPPORTUNITY to prove your original thesis.

Use present tense when discussing literature. It lives on, it endures

Quality paragraphs are 5-10 sentences.