CL-EV-R BODY PARAGRAPHS CL = CLAIM – What claim are you presenting in this body paragraph? EV = EVIDENCE – What evidence supports the claim you are making? R = REASONING – Most importantly, what reasoning can you provide that PROVES the evidence supports the claim?

Example Body Paragraph: Ace There are many different pieces of evidence that support the idea that Jeff “Ace” Johnson acted in self-defense, but the strongest involves the appearance of the deceased, John Tyler. According to the testimony of Donna James, the x-ray technician and only neutral party in this confrontation, not only were the Badgers and Cobras “screaming things like ‘Hit him! Kill him!’,” the gangs “had formed a kind of circle around the guys who were fighting.” (“What Is Justice: Mock Murder Trial”). If a circle had formed around both Ace and Jerry Knight as they were fighting, then neither participant had reasonable means to escape a further escalation of danger other than by the use of deadly force. Anyone in Ace’s situation would reasonably believe that they were in imminent danger of at least great bodily harm if a massive, angry-looking stranger holding a pool cue who had seemingly been drinking with the enemy gang made bodily contact with themselves. We cannot penalize Ace due to the fact that we as jurors have the knowledge that John was not involved in gang activity and was by all accounts a “sweet guy.” In a instant, an imposing threat made contact with Ace while wielding a lethal weapon, and, with no other means of escaping the situation, he quickly defended himself by shooting John. Only Six Sentences!

CLAIM/TOPIC SENTENCE: There are many different pieces of evidence that support the idea that Jeff “Ace” Johnson acted in self-defense, but the strongest involves the appearance of the deceased, John Tyler. EVIDENCE: According to the testimony of Donna James, the x-ray technician and only neutral party in this confrontation, not only were the Badgers and Cobras “screaming things like ‘Hit him! Kill him!’,” the gangs “had formed a kind of circle around the guys who were fighting.” (“What Is Justice: Mock Murder Trial”). REASONING: If a circle had formed around both Ace and Jerry Knight as they were fighting, then neither participant had reasonable means to escape a further escalation of danger other than by the use of deadly force. Anyone in Ace’s situation would reasonably believe that they were in imminent danger of at least great bodily harm if a massive, angry-looking stranger holding a pool cue who had seemingly been drinking with the enemy gang made bodily contact with themselves. We cannot penalize Ace due to the fact that we as jurors have the knowledge that John was not involved in gang activity and was by all accounts a “sweet guy.” CLAIM/CLOSING SENTENCE: In a instant, an imposing threat made contact with Ace while wielding a lethal weapon, and, with no other means of escaping the situation, he quickly defended himself by shooting John.

Writing a Body Paragraph