ELABORATION

The body of your essay is composed of paragraphs that support the thesis statement.

Reminders: Elements of a paragraph Main idea = topic or subject + the point (claim) cited and well-incorporated evidence from the text interpretation or explanation of how the evidence supports the point internal and external transition as necessary wrap-up sentence

The body paragraphs should successfully persuade your reader that the opinion expressed in your thesis is valid. Thesis: The library reserve facility is difficult for students to use. 1. Unpredictable hours 2. Poor staffing 3. Inadequate space

The library reserve facility’s unpredictable hours frustrate even the most dedicated students. When you have an assignment you go to the library to finish it, but this week the library is closed on Tuesday, and now you can’t get your work done. This happens a lot causing a great amount of frustration. Most common problem among novice writers is the lack of effectively developed body paragraphs. Each paragraph should be adequately developed with clear supporting detail.

The library reserve facility’s unpredictable hours frustrate even the most dedicated students. Instructors who place articles or book on reserve usually ask students to read them by a certain date. Too often, however, students arrive at the reserve desk only to find it closed. The facility's open hours change from week to week: students who used the room last Tuesday morning may discover that this Tuesday morning the desk is closed, which means another trip. Perhaps even more frustrating are the facility’s sudden unannounced closures. Some of these closures allow staff members to have lunch or go on breaks, but again they occur without notice on no regular schedule. A student arrives, and sees a “Be Back Soon” sign, waits an hour, and still no one returns. Overall, the reserve facility would be much easier for students to use if it adopted a set schedule of operating hours, announced these times each semester, and then maintained them. Each paragraph should be adequately developed with clear supporting detail.

Every sentence in the paragraph should support the topic sentence. The library reserve facility’s unpredictable hours frustrate even the most dedicated students. Instructors who place articles or book on reserve usually ask students to read them by a certain date. Too often, however, students arrive at the reserve desk only to find it closed. The facility's open hours change from week to week: students who used the room last Tuesday morning may discover that this Tuesday morning the desk is closed, which means another trip. Perhaps even more frustrating are the facility’s sudden unannounced closures. Some of these closures allow staff members to have lunch or go on breaks, but again they occur without notice on no regular schedule. A student arrives, and sees a “Be Back Soon” sign, waits an hour, and still no one returns. Overall, the reserve facility would be much easier for students to use if it adopted a set schedule of operating hours, announced these times each semester, and then maintained them. Every sentence in the paragraph should support the topic sentence.

Elaboration Techniques Compare/contrast Cause and/or effect (consequence or significance) Real world examples, facts Definition (denotation)/connotation Description, illustration Logic, reasoning, evaluation

Elaborative Technique Example Compare/contrast Instead of ____, _____   Rather than ____, ____ Cause and/or Effect Consequence or Significance If ____, then ____ Real world examples, facts, allusions, references For example, Similarly (so and so) mention ____, just like ____ Definition (Denotation)/Connotation ____ can be defined as ____ ____ often refers to ____, but can be interpreted as _____ Description, illustration Imagine if _____ Could you imagine if ____? Logic, reasoning So according to ____, then ____ Elaborative Technique Examples   Compare/contrast Cause and/or Effect Consequence or Significance Real world examples, facts Definition (Denotation)/Connotation Description, illustration Logic, reasoning

Claim #1: Students should start school later because they’re too sleepy. Cause and Effect: Because students are struggling to get enough sleep grades in the early morning classes are suffering. Real world/Illustration For example, when you walk in to 1st period at 7am, before the sun is even awake the only alert and functioning human being is the teacher. As you look around all other teenagers have that glazed look in their eyes struggling to just keep their heads up with no further energy to even attempt to master the lesson.