Body Paragraphs: STATE, SUPPORT, and EXPLAIN

STATE your main point At the end of your INTRO you need a THESIS which answers the prompt: In your THESIS, you include three main points or reasons for your answer. Each of these main points becomes a STATE sentence that you will explain in a body paragraph. Each STATE sentence should have a main point that you need to PROVE in your body paragraphs. Every sentence in your body paragraph needs to relate back to your STATE sentence, because that is the sentence you are trying to prove.

Sample Statements Thesis fill-in-the-blank examples: Option 1: The major conflict Kek faces is _________________________________________. He overcomes this conflict by _______________________, ____________________________________, and ______________________________. Option 2: The theme of the novel is ____________________________________________. The author reveals this theme through ______________________________, ____________________________, and _____________________. Option 3: The characters Kek and Ganwar are alike because ______________________, but they are different because ____________________. Their relationship changes by starting out _________________, then later _______________.

SUPPORT your main point Decide which QUOTATIONS from the story best support your THESIS. Choose quotations that reveal something important about the events of the story or about the characters. Ask yourself: Does this quote prove my main point? If not, find a better quote. Don’t choose quotes that only restate or reword your main point… instead it needs to PROVE your main point. Introduce the quotes as needed. Give some context (AKA “Signal Phrase”), or else it might sound confusing.

STATE sentence: Kek’s friendship with Hannah helps him adjust to life in America. Which quote best SUPPORTS, or proves this? “Ketchup, she says. You dip your fries in it” (80). “Happy birthday and Happy Valentine’s Day, I say, to my good friend, Hannah” (171). “Hannah tries to take my mind off the farm. She knows all the secret summer things” (190).

STATE sentence: Kek’s ESL class helps him adjust to life in America. Which quote best SUPPORTS, or proves this? “This is called an ESL class. You and your classmates will be learning English together” (70). “There are so many books. And where I come from, there are hardly any. Mrs. Hernandez nods. I felt that way a lot when I first came here” (161). “I look at our faces and see all the colors of the earth… and yet we are all sitting at the same desks, wanting to learn the same things” (73).

STATE sentence: The author reveals the theme of not losing hope through Kek’s optimistic attitude. Which quote best SUPPORTS, or proves this? “Remember how your aunt told me you’re an optimist, Kek? Dave asks. I need you to stay strong. In my pocket I feel the soft blue and yellow fabric I have carried for so long” (197). “She’ll come, I say. I’ll wait here for her” (84). “My hope flutters high like a bird I cannot catch” (56).

EXPLAIN using Commentary You must use the quotes as evidence to PROVE your opinions. Remember, the quotes alone do not prove anything. YOU prove your opinions by EXPLAINING the quote. BE SPECIFIC about WHAT IN THE QUOTE is important. Tell us WHY and HOW these things mean what you say they mean. WARNING: DON'T THINK IT'S OBVIOUS! Thinking that something is obvious will keep you from proving what you need to prove. If it really is obvious, you shouldn't be writing a paper about it--choose a less obvious thesis.

EXPLAIN using Commentary Use the sentence starters: “One example is…” “The story proves this when…” “One fact that supports this is…” “______ is important because…” “This quote shows…” “This means…”

“I like formatting quotes correctly” (57). The page number belongs in parenthesis after the closing quotation mark. Format your quotes like this: “I like formatting quotes correctly” (57). The quotation marks belong around the quoted words. (You’re not quoting the page number, just the words from the story!) The period belongs OUTSIDE the parenthesis at the very end of the sentence.

Concluding Sentence Wrap up what you’ve said in the paragraph without repeating anything. Concluding Sentence Starters: “As can be seen…” “It is clear that…” “Clearly it is true that…”