Paragraph as a Sandwich

Paragraph as a Sandwich. Mary Basson, Kate Gay, Elaine Griffin— Paragraph as a Sandwich ***Mary Basson, Kate Gay, Elaine Griffin— University School of Milwaukee Top Slice: Argumentative Claim—makes an interpretive statement; portion of essay’s argument Filling: Support/Evidence/Quote that supports the claim—provides concrete (textual) support for the claim Bottom Slice: Commentary about the quote—functions to provide further explanation

CLAIM Must be arguable! Answers the question or the addresses issue (mentions work title and author) Indicated in RED Practice: Is this a claim? Hitler was one of the top influential figures of the Twentieth Century. Heinz popularized ketchup in American cuisine.

In Nicholas D. Kristof’s column “Obama and the War on Brains,” he claims that Obama is ushering in a new age in American politics and education since he proudly displays his intellect. When asserting that recent presidents are not intellectuals, Kristof references that Kennedy, serving as president over 60 years ago, “was the last president who was unapologetic about his intellect” (1). Insinuating that America is in dire need for intelligent leadership, he hopes that during Obama’s presidency, the nation will turn in a more positive direction, and in a direction where people will value intellectualism—value more than knowledge, but ideas. Since our world is not full of black and white, but of complexity, Kristof hopes that with Obama as president, more people will strive for learnedness so that they may deal with the constantly changing nuances of our world.

FILLING References the text/specifics Specific evidence/quote Indicated in GREEN Supports Claim 1st line of defense against those who will disagree with you

Commentary Your thoughts!! FULL EXPLANATION What is the greater importance? Answers the question: “So What?” Indicated in BLUE Still arguable Vital to audience’s acceptance

SOLID PARAGRAPH + Filling/Support + Commentary AUDIENCE AGREEMENT Arguable Claim + Filling/Support + Commentary AUDIENCE AGREEMENT

3 Condiments to “serve up” quotations Three amounts (smallest to biggest introduction): Dab Dollop Lotsa Sauce Green and Underlined

Condiments for Serving Up Quotations DAB simplest form of serving up a quotation—smallest # of writer supplied words Provides just the bare minimum of words to announce the appearance of a quotation from a text Useful when the writer has already established the context of the quotation in previous sentences and needs only to supply the exact quotation to make the point of the claim

Example of a DAB Kristof writes, “Perhaps John Kennedy was the last president who was unapologetic about his intellect” (1).

DOLLOP Involves a bit more writing as it links the support/quote to the claim Provides significant detail from the reading so it is appropriate when the reader needs to be reminded of the context of the quotation

Example of a DOLLOP When asserting that recent presidents are not intellectuals, Kristof writes, “Perhaps John Kennedy was the last president who was unapologetic about his intellect” (1).

LOTSA SAUCE Requires extensive writing surrounding just a tiny quotation, phrase, or important word from the text Allows the writer both to maintain coherence with the claim and to maintain the writer’s own tone while still grounding the development of the argument in the text

Example of LOTSA SAUCE When asserting that recent presidents are not intellectuals, Kristof references that Kennedy, who served as president over 60 years ago, “was the last president who was unapologetic about his intellect” (1).

Don’t forget to cite the text Condiment, “text” (Author pg#). Citation for this article: (Kristof 1). PERIOD goes on the outside of the citation!

Add the Commentary = Done In Nicholas D. Kristof’s column “Obama and the War on Brains,” he claims that Obama is ushering in a new age in American politics and education since he proudly displays his intellect. When asserting that recent presidents are not intellectuals, Kristof references that Kennedy, who served as president over 60 years ago, “was the last president who was unapologetic about his intellect” (1). Insinuating that America is in dire need for intelligent leadership, he hopes that during Obama’s presidency, the nation will turn in a more positive direction, and in a direction where people will value intellectualism—value more than knowledge, but ideas. Since our world is not full of black and white, but of complexity, Kristof hopes that with Obama as president, more people will strive for learnedness so that they may deal with the constantly changing nuances of our world.

Now it is time to practice… You will be in charge of writing 1 paragraph in this format responding to the article, “Obama and the War on Brains.” You will need to develop an arguable claim Introduce your support using a dab, dollop, or lotsa sauce Include your “filling” or supporting quote with a (citation) Provide commentary that dominates your paragraph

REMINDERS!!! Claims, Quotes, and Commentary are “parts” not sentences! When using a quotation, you must introduce it with a dab, dollop, or lotsa sauce. No quote should ever exist on its own. All sentences must be complete—Even sentences with quotations! Commentary should dominate your paragraph! Check for absolute requirements and other errors! Elements must be color-coded to receive credit!

Absolute Requirements Text Specifics (author’s name, title of work in beginning) Quote from Text (supporting / on topic / no stand-alones) Quote Intro (your own words...dab, dollop, lotsa sauce) MLA Citation (Author #). NO fragments, NO run-ons, No tense shift, correct comma usage, capital letters NO 1st (I/me/myself) or 2nd (you/your/yourself) person NO contractions “Poems” and “Articles” in “quotes” Write out all words