Ladies & Gentlemen… It’s my pleasure to introduce to you... MEL-Con

MEL-Con Writing Strategy A guide to help teach students how to write better developed, clearer, more organized paragraphs in response to essay questions or any written assignment which requires explanation or persuasion.

What does MEL-Con mean? M = Main Idea E = Evidence or Examples L = Link Con = Concluding Statement

M = Main Idea "Answers" the question Sets up the paragraph The first sentence of the paragraph

So let’s practice…. If the question were: Should Marshall students be required to wear uniforms? What could the main idea be? Marshall students should be required to wear uniforms. Marshall students should not be required to wear uniforms.

How do I start a main idea? Do not start with "I think" or "I feel" or "I believe” Do not start with YES or NO Think about what is the key idea you are trying to prove

Now YOU try! You will be given a possible question you maybe asked to write about….you give me the main idea (the M of your MEL-Con paragraph) Should the driving age be raised to 18? Should LaJoe have received more welfare? Who is the best football team in the United States?

E = Evidence or Examples Information from sources such as books, lectures, readings, etc. that support your main idea The "stuff " you learned or found out about the topic Evidence can be quotes, statistics, facts Evidence is something that is common -- anyone can find it or use it You must start each piece of evidence with a transition

Let’s look at one of the questions we created a main idea for…. Should LaJoe have received more welfare (M) LaJoe should receive more welfare. Now…let’s come up with reasons why she should receive more welfare. Once you brainstorm ideas….you then need to pick the 3 best ideas for the evidence (E) to support your main idea (M)

So now that we have 3 strong pieces of evidence….. We start with our main idea… (M) LaJoe should receive more welfare. Then we need our evidence….but wait…we need transitions…you need a transition when you introduce EACH piece of evidence But…..what are transitions?

TRANSITIONS Without transitions, your writing does not flow smoothly. Transitions are words and phrases that serve as bridges from one idea to the next, one sentence to the next, or one paragraph to the next. They keep the reader from having to find his or her own way and possibly getting lost in the reading. Transitions can also be looked at as the glue that hold your ideas together.

Examples of Transitions A great example is The first good reason is Third but most important Even more importantly Moreover A final good example Furthermore

Pick 3 transitions you could use to introduce each piece of evidence. What did you pick?

L = Link Links the evidence you used to the key idea in your topic sentence Explains how the evidence supports your topic The link is what you think or how you relate the evidence to the topic Your link is unique --- it shows your thought process and why you chose the evidence you chose

The Link….more info You do not need to use a transition to start your link off. It goes right after each piece of evidence. It explains how the evidence proves/supports the main idea This is the HARDEST part of this paragraph to write

Let’s practice

So look at your main idea (M) and evidence (E) (M) LaJoe should receive more welfare. (E) The first reason why she should receive more welfare is because she has so many children. NOW….we need to explain why having so many children means LaJoe needs more welfare. I would say….The amount of welfare that LaJoe receives now is not enough to put food on the table for all of her children. If she received more welfare she could keep her children healthy.

Reminders 1. I had a transition before the piece of evidence 2. It is ok if you need more than one sentence to complete your link….you may need more to make a good connection to the main idea

Con = Concluding Statement The last sentence of your paragraph which summarizes your answer, your evidence Mentions your three pieces of evidence again in a new, short way So what could you say for your conclusion….don’t forget to start it with a transition

How does it all look? (M) Main idea (E) Transition & Evidence (L) Link (E) Transition & Evidence (L) Link (E) Transition & Evidence (L) Link (C) Transition & Conclusion