P.I.E. Point: Your paragraph’s topic sentence. The Point should support your thesis and be the controlling idea for the paragraph. Illustration: Your support for your point. You have to supply sufficient evidence to convince your audience to believe your point and your thesis. Explanation: Your discussion of why and/or how your illustration supports your point. Explain your reasoning here.

Teaching P.I.E. – Day 1 - Homework For Homework: 1. In your own words (1-2 sentences), summarize Ricard and Thuan's main argument: ex. Ricard and Thuan argue that.... is because Provide one passage (1-2 sentence) from the text, which supports your summary. ex. Ricard states that, "put quote here," (#). 3. Explain what the passage/quote means in relation to your summary. ex. This quote implies that...because...

Day 1 - Student Example 1. Ricard and Thuan argue that both science and Buddhism have shown that phenomena are mutually dependent, because everything in the universe is connected to something else. Without the concepts of interdependence and nonseparability nothing in the world would occur. 2. "Let's think about an entity that exists indecently from all others. As an immutable and autonomous entity, it couldn't act on anything, or be acted on itself. For phenomena to happen interdependence is required," (438). 3. This quote shows that nothing can exist on its own. Everything requires something to react with or nothing would ever vary, grow, or evolve.

Day 2 – In-Class Discuss P.I.E. handout together Show and discuss different student examples of the homework on the projector. Focus primarily on how the topic sentence and explanation are working/not working in conjunction. Show both strong and weak examples and explain the difference.

Day – 3 Homework Students create a detailed outline (Body Section) Proofs (an outline). [Latin: proofs] Use complete sentences. A. Summarize your first main point/argument (1 sentence). This sentence will not only sum up what the entire paragraph is about, but will relate directly to your thesis (you can and should use similar wording as your thesis, though don’t repeat it verbatim). B. Provide a direct example (a quote, a paraphrase, a specific personal experience) that supports your summary (one to two sentences) C. Explain what the example means in relation to your summary, i.e. why you chose it and how does it support your argument, i.e., your thesis.

Day 3 Homework, cont. – My example for them to follow: Proof 1: A. If all phenomena are contingent upon one another for existence, than nothing can happen independently, without being caused by something else. B. Ricard argues this point when he states that the world is “a vast flow of events that are linked together,” in which “this arises because that is,” (437). C. This quote implies that all events are causally linked because something can only happen if an event preceded it.

Day – 4 In Class Students Peer Review Outline Proof #1: Summarize P#1 in your own words: Does the point connect to the thesis? Why/Why not? Does the point relate to the prompt? Why/Why not? Illustration: Does the illustration support the point? Is it clear and focused? Suggestions for strengthening it: Explanation: Does the explanation connect the illustration to the Point? Why is it important?