How to Write a Body Paragraph AKA The Where’s the Beef Method

A Quick Note on Argumentative Essays Argumentative Essays prove a point-for or against It is based on fact and is persuasive because of proof/merit using texts/ideas NOT EMOTION Identifies and counters opposite arguments

Essential Questions What is a body paragraph? What is the purpose of a body paragraph? What is the TIED/BURGER method and how do I use it to write a body paragraph?

Body Paragraphs Body paragraphs are the paragraphs with your proof You outline them in your road map/reasons at the end of your introduction paragraph They contain the ideas, reasons, or proof you need to convince the audience that your thesis is right. You are showing your reader how and proving you are right.

The TIED Method Body paragraphs are made of four parts T-Topic Sentence I-Introduce context E-Evidence/Examples D-Discussion-how your examples/evidence proves your point (thesis)

Like a Burger The Topic sentence at the beginning and a restatement of your topic sentence are the bun The Evidence-the toppings-they are important and they taste good but are no good with out the… Discussion-the beef-how the evidence you gave proves your point-tell us what we should see

Example Paragraphs The paragraph below shows a sample TIED body paragraph for an essay about how the regions in which Native Americans lived affected their way of life.  The body paragraph is color-coded to show the different parts of TIED.  Red shows the "topic sentence," black shows the "introduce evidence/examples," and purple shows the "discussion."  

Thesis: The region in which a Native American lived greatly affected their way of life. Body Paragraph 1: The types of shelters that Native Americans built were based on a region’s climate and resources.  The Inuits in the Artic region, for example, built igloos as their home.  Igloos are made of blocks of ice and are very insulated and warm inside.  The Inuit chose this as their home because, in the Arctic region, there is an abundance of snow.  There are also very harsh winters, so they needed a place that would keep them warm.  The Native Americans who lived in the Great Plains, however, built tipis as their homes, which are made from sticks and buffalo skin.  This is because buffalo were plentiful in that region.  They also chose tipis as their homes because tipis are easy to put up and take down, which fits with their nomadic lifestyle. 

Thesis: Ebenezer Scrooge changes from a grumpy and greedy old man to a kind and generous soul with the help of the spirits of Christmas. Body Paragraph 1: At the beginning of A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is a greedy man who is only interested in his money. He refuses to give money to the poor, saying thy belong in jail, and also will not allow Bob Cratchet to add coal to his small fire or come in late Christmas morning. In both of these instances, Mr. Scrooge is more concerned about his money than he is about his fellow man. He would rather see men in jail than give money to feed them and Bob would freeze to death before Mr. Scrooge would place a second piece of coal on his fire. This defines Ebenezer Scrooge’s behavior in the beginning of the play-greedy and only caring about saving his money. However, he learns his lesson when Marley and the sprits begin to arrive. FIND THE TIED

Thesis: Ebenezer Scrooge changes from a grumpy and greedy old man to a kind and generous soul with the help of the spirits of Christmas. Body Paragraph 1: At the beginning of A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is a greedy man who is only interested in his money. He refuses to give money to the poor, saying thy belong in jail, and also will not allow Bob Cratchet to add coal to his small fire or come in late Christmas morning. These examples show that Mr. Scrooge is more concerned about his money than he is about his fellow man. He would rather see men in jail than give money to feed them and Bob would freeze to death before Mr. Scrooge would place a second piece of coal on his fire. This defines Ebenezer Scrooge’s behavior in the beginning of the play-greedy and only caring about saving his money. However, he learns his lesson when Marley and the sprits begin to arrive.

Transitions When introducing evidence, try some of these sentence starters For example,... For instance,... When discussing, try some of these sentence starters: This proves... This illustrates... This highlights the fact that... This demonstrates... This means... This is important because... This shows

MLA Citations When you quote something, the author and page number go before the punctuation in parenthesis. “To be or not to be, that is the question”(Shakespeare, 21). If you have more than one work by the same author, you will need to have the title (Shakespeare, Hamlet, 21). At the end of your paper you need a works cited page that lists the works you used alphabetically by author’s last name.

Works Cited Page Books Websites Last name, First name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Pages. If you have 2 works by the same author, arrange alphabetically by title and have--- instead of author’s name again. Websites Author. “Title” Publisher, Date. Web. Date you accessed it. Url (www.)

PLAGIARISM As outlined in your syllabus, plagiarism will NOT BE TOLERATED. All quotes and information MUST BE CITED. IF it didn’t come from you, it needs to be cited. Plagiarism will result in the following: Draft Stage-warning Final paper-parent contact, possible 0 on assignment, SCM

For examples of other sources: Cornell University Library https://www.library.cornell.edu/research/citation/mla