Preparation for the Multi-Paragraph Portion of the Exam

What Does Multi-Paragraph Mean? Multi means MORE THAN ONE! For your purposes on the exam, you should write at least THREE paragraphs. Be sure to INDENT and start each paragraph on a new line.

The Essay Bug

The Essay Bug Explained Paragraph 1= the Introductory Paragraph Start “broad” and end “specific.” An example of an essay prompt is: “Self sacrifice leads to great rewards.” How can we start off in a “broad” way?

Ways to start off “broad.” Life is full of competition, and we are constantly battling against others to get what we want, but defeating the opposition is not the only way to feel good about yourself. Our society’s values can be summed up with phrases like “it’s a dog eat dog world,” and “only the strong survive.” But is living with this attitude the best way to feel satisfied as a member of a community?

Getting Specific: The THESIS STATEMENT Your final sentence of the intro paragraph should tell the reader exactly what you plan to discuss in the essay. After reading your thesis statement, your reader will not only know the topic of the essay, but also the main point(s) you will present.

Example #1: A 5 paragraph essay Thesis Statement. “In the movie Shrek, the title character goes through a heroic journey complete with a separation, a transformation, and a return.” General Topic= A Heroic Journey Separation= Body paragraph #1 Transformation= Body paragraph #2 Return= Body paragraph #3

Example #2: A 4 paragraph essay Thesis Statement. “The Olympic Games are an opportunity for dedicated competitors to display their athletic prowess, and their respect for fair play.” The Olympic Games= General Topic Athletic prowess= Body paragraph #1 Fair play= Body paragraph #2

Example #3: A 3 paragraph essay Thesis Statement. Looking out for yourself is important, but helping others by sacrificing your time is a great way to feel like a contributing member of society. Helping others= General Topic Sacrificing your time= The Body Paragraph.

“Self sacrifice leads to great rewards.” What could we talk about in an essay on this topic? Some ideas: Giving time to help a cause Giving money to help a cause Talk about occupations that help others Talk about volunteer organizations that help others

Creating a thesis statement. Using the ideas we came up with, create a thesis statement for a 3 or 4 paragraph essay on the topic: “Self sacrifice leads to great rewards.” Ex. “Helping others by sacrificing your time and money is a great way to feel like a contributing member of society.” (This would be a 4 paragraph essay.)

The body of the Essay Bug. A 4 paragraph Essay Bug’s body will look like this: A 5 paragraph Essay Bug’s body will look like this:

Here’s a 3 paragraph essay bug’s body. What a Cute little guy!

Body Paragraphs For each body paragraph be sure to include: A topic sentence. Your main points that relate to the topic sentence…INCLUDING QUOTES from the text! A concluding sentence (this may be a transition to the next paragraph).

Example of a body paragraph: My thesis statement said that “Helping others by sacrificing your time and money is a great way to feel like a contributing member of society.” THEREFORE MY FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH WILL TALK ABOUT SACRIFICING TIME. Sacrificing your time is a great way to help others and feel good about yourself. (intro) There are many worthwhile projects that require people to help out by showing up and lending a hand. At Reynolds school this last weekend there was a car wash and a recycle depot that would not have been possible without the help of all the amazing students who decided to give time from their weekend to help out. After taking part in these events, the volunteers felt like they made a difference and this was a rewarding feeling. (main points) But volunteering your time is not the only way to make yourself feel helpful. (conclusion/transition)

Concluding paragraph The last paragraph= The Concluding Paragraph Start “specific” and end “broad.” The “specific” part is a restatement of the thesis statement. Then go “broad” again. Talk about the topic in a general way.

Example of a concluding paragraph. “There are many ways to make a difference in your community, and when you sacrifice your time and money to help out, it is very rewarding. (Restatement of thesis statement) Looking out for yourself in life is important because you cannot help out others unless you have what you need to survive. But once you have the necessities, give what you can to help out others because that is the most rewarding feeling of all.” (broad statement relating to main topic)

Here’s my 3 paragraph essay: Our society’s values can be summed up with phrases like “it’s a dog eat dog world,” and “only the strong survive.” But is living with this attitude the best way to feel satisfied as a member of a community? No. Looking out for yourself is important, but helping others by sacrificing your time is a great way to feel like a contributing member of society. Sacrificing your time is the best way to help others and feel good about yourself. There are many worthwhile projects that require people to help out by showing up and lending a hand. At Reynolds school this last weekend there was a car wash and a recycle depot that would not have been possible without the help of all the amazing staff and students who decided to give time from their weekend to help out. After taking part in these events the volunteers felt like they made a difference, and this was a rewarding feeling. There are many ways to make a difference in your community, and when you sacrifice your time to help out, it is a gratifying experience. Making sure you take care of yourself is important because you cannot help out others unless you have what you need to survive. But once you have the necessities, give what you can to help out others because that is the most rewarding feeling of all.

Your task to review for the final: Create a 4 or 5 paragraph essay outline on ONE of the following topics: You never know what life will throw at you. Growth as a person can only happen if you get out of your comfort zone. One person can make a difference. *Your outline must include a thesis statement, a topic sentence for each body paragraph, and your main points for each paragraph in point form.