1. Topic Sentence States the argument and relates to the claim/thesis Clearly states the main idea of the paragraph Appears at the beginning of the paragraph so readers can easily see the relationship between the main idea and the supporting reasons and evidence that follow Use this sentence as a guide for all of the other sentences in the paragraph: if the sentence doesn’t connect to the topic sentence, it doesn’t belong in your paragraph

2. Concluding Sentence NO “In Conclusion” or “That is why” Use words like therefore, thus, resulting Sums up the paragraph, connecting back to the evidence included Should not be just another example Should not introduce another subject That will confuse the reader about the topic of the paragraph

3. All the sentences after the topic sentence in a body paragraph should support or explain the paragraph’s main idea, and use evidence to develop the main idea

4. Body Paragraph Should be 5-7 sentences. Do not write more than 10. Topic Sentence: Main idea of the paragraph 1-2 sentences Context: Background information 1-3 sentences Quote: Evidence to support main idea “quote” (#). If you include the author’s name, only write Park (not Linda Sue Park) 1-2 sentences Analysis: Explanation of quote/ Answer to focusing questions 1-2 sentences Concluding Sentence: Restates main idea 1 sentence