1. WRITING STRONG BODY PARAGRAPHS TO SUPPORT YOUR THESIS
ACE Method:
WRITING STRONG BODY PARAGRAPHS TO SUPPORT YOUR THESIS

2. Remember Answer Cite Explain
When supporting your thesis in the body of your essay, a good strategy is to use the A.C.E. method to arrange your body paragraphs.
Answer
Cite
Explain

3. Begin by:
Answering part of your thesis that you will specifically address in this paragraph. This is your topic sentence for the paragraph.
Then Cite textual evidence (return to the reading and find at lease one quotation, either direct or indirect), which supports your answer.
Finally, Explain how your evidence supports your answer. This is where you include your explanation, interpretation, opinion, analysis, etc. Make your viewpoint clear to your reader.

4. Direct Quotation – uses an author's words directly - word for word
Direct Quotation – uses an author's words directly - word for word. Direct quotes will be surrounded by quotation marks.
For Example: "I couldn't laugh; I couldn't applaud; it filled me with bitterness to have others do it and to have people make a hero of Hicks and the people around him" (659). 

5. Indirect Quote - you paraphrase the author’s words (put into your own words).
For Example: Twain was unable to laugh or applaud, because he was so angry that Hicks could be mesmerized and he could not (659).

6. So, let’s say that we read The Wizard of Oz for our summer reading and I came up with the theme:
Oftentimes, ignorance and insecurity make a person think she is lacking characteristics or feelings that she, in fact, already possesses within herself even if she doesn’t feel confident or comfortable about them.

7. Theme: Oftentimes, ignorance and insecurity make a person think she is lacking characteristics or feelings that she, in fact, already possesses within herself even if she doesn’t feel confident or comfortable about them.
So my three body paragraphs will probably address the various characters:
Dorothy thought that she didn’t belong on the farm in Kansas, but she realized while in Oz that she really did consider that her home.
The Scarecrow thought he lacked a brain, but clearly, as seen through the ways he helped the group defeat the Wicked Witch, he’s very intelligent.
The Tin Man thought he couldn’t feel emotion, but the empathy and care he showed for his friends proved that he had a huge heart.
The Cowardly Lion was embarrassed of his constant fear, but when his friends were in danger, he stepped up and tried to protect them.
Each of these will be a separate topic sentence for a different body paragraph. They will also serve as the A (Answer) in the ACE strategy for each paragraph.

8. So, let’s take one of those topic sentences and look at what the entire paragraph might look like
(A) Dorothy thought that she didn’t belong on the farm in Kansas, but she realized while in Oz that she really did consider that her home. (C) Dorothy began the movie dreaming about “somewhere over the rainbow,” but by the time her adventure was over, she realized that “there’s no place like home.” (E) Even though she thought that life away from rural Kansas would be more exciting, after Dorothy spent some time away from home in Oz, she quickly changed her mind. The experience of being in a strange land gave her the opportunity to learn that she really loved her family, friends, and farm back in Kansas. However, it took the incident of being away from home for the first time for Dorothy to see where she belonged. Sometimes it takes a significant change for a person to realize they actually preferred the things the way they were before.

9. So what will my essay look like? Introductory Paragraph
Lead-in/Attention Grabber
Title and author of your book included at some point
Thesis Statement (This is your theme!)
2-4 Body Paragraphs
Each one should use the ACE strategy
Conclusion Paragraph

10. Assignment:
Write an essay that identifies one of the themes of your summer reading book. Be sure to support your theme with specific examples (Answer) from the book. Each of those examples should be strengthened by direct quotation (Cite) and convincing analysis (Explain).
Time: 60 minutes