1. P.E.A.S. paragraphs

2. what is it? Point Evidence Analysis Summary
PEAS is a simple paragraph structure that can be used for ANY type of writing. It is a format that will help you throughout high school and college! It consists of four parts:

3. A Point
Your Point should be a strong statement OR argument, something that needs to be supported or illustrated with specific evidence and/or details.
Your Point should be directly related to your documents’ overall thesis statement (main idea) or purpose.
Ex: Grocery stores need to start carrying more pie than cake.

4. Some Evidence
Following the point, there should be immediate Evidence to illustrate and support the point you just made.
In most cases, evidence is quoted or paraphrased material from your sources.
Ex: According to Marie Callender, the nations leader in frozen desert sales, “pies outsold cakes in by a count of nearly 3 to 1.”

5. The Analysis
Following your evidence, you need to provide Analysis, some sort of insight or further discussion of your ideas and how they support and defend your point/thesis statement.
Establish a direct connection between your evidence and your thesis statement.
Clearly, the numbers speak for themselves. Based on this evidence, we need to demand that our local grocery stores make a change.

6. The Summary
At the end of your paragraph, you need to conclude your ideas; essentially, a Summary of what you just wrote.
You need to clarify the main point again. No new information should be introduced here!
As we can see, both customers and grocers would be much happier with a larger selection of pie than cake.

7. Lets look at the following paragraph…
Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don’t matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence. James Gleick says in his book Faster, “We are consumers on the run…the very notion of the family meal as a sit down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat…on the way to their next activity” (148). Sit down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, these connections have become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity. It is time for Americans to value building connections and relationships.

8. Lets Identify the P-E-A-S
Use a highlighter or pen/pencil to highlight or underline/circle/box the Point, the Evidence, the Analysis and the Summary in this paragraph.

9. point
Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don’t matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence. James Gleick says in his book Faster, “We are consumers on the run…the very notion of the family meal as a sit down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat…on the way to their next activity” (148). Sit down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, these connections have become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity. It is time for Americans to value building connections and relationships.

10. evidence
Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don’t matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence. James Gleick says in his book Faster, “We are consumers on the run…the very notion of the family meal as a sit down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat…on the way to their next activity” (148). Sit down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, these connections have become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity. It is time for Americans to value building connections and relationships.

11. analysis
Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don’t matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence. James Gleick says in his book Faster, “We are consumers on the run…the very notion of the family meal as a sit down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat…on the way to their next activity” (148). Sit down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, these connections have become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity. It is time for Americans to value building connections and relationships.

12. Summary
Today, Americans are too self-centered. Even our families don’t matter as much anymore as they once did. Other people and activities take precedence. James Gleick says in his book Faster, “We are consumers on the run…the very notion of the family meal as a sit down occasion is vanishing. Adults and children alike eat…on the way to their next activity” (148). Sit down meals are a time to share and connect with others; however, these connections have become less valued, as families begin to prize individual activities over shared time, promoting self-centeredness over group identity. It is time for Americans to value building connections and relationships.

13. Lets Identify the P-E-A-S
Use a highlighter or pen/pencil to highlight or underline/circle/box the Point, the Evidence, the Analysis and the Summary in this paragraph.

14. Lets look at the following paragraph…
Environmentalists have over exaggerated global warming. With the drastic number of fires, floods, tornado, and droughts, they are quick to blame the rising temperatures on pollution. However, scientists have found that the earth has warmed only one degree over the past century (Caruba). A century ago there were not the automobiles and factories there are today, so perhaps pollution is not the cause. So if pollution is not contributing to global warming, then what is? Scientists have known about hole in the protective ozone layer for decades. Environmentalists blame the hole on pollution. The hole then admits harmful UV rays. This then causes global warming. Scientists argue that these holes may be a natural occurrence (Caruba). They are supposed to happen, just like leaves falling off the trees in autumn. In fact, pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer seem to have little effect on our air. The EPA reports that since 1970, air quality has steadily improved (“The Environment”). Obviously, the environmentalists are not looking at scientific fact when it comes to global warming. There is still a large need for environmentalists to research and draw factual conclusions to the mystery behind global warming.

15. Point
Environmentalists have over exaggerated global warming. With the drastic number of fires, floods, tornado, and droughts, they are quick to blame the rising temperatures on pollution. However, scientists have found that the earth has warmed only one degree over the past century (Caruba). A century ago there were not the automobiles and factories there are today, so perhaps pollution is not the cause. So if pollution is not contributing to global warming, then what is? Scientists have known about hole in the protective ozone layer for decades. Environmentalists blame the hole on pollution. The hole then admits harmful UV rays. This then causes global warming. Scientists argue that these holes may be a natural occurrence (Caruba). They are supposed to happen, just like leaves falling off the trees in autumn. In fact, pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer seem to have little effect on our air. The EPA reports that since 1970, air quality has steadily improved (“The Environment”). Obviously, the environmentalists are not looking at scientific fact when it comes to global warming. There is still a large need for environmentalists to research and draw factual conclusions to the mystery behind global warming.

16. Evidence
Environmentalists have over exaggerated global warming. With the drastic number of fires, floods, tornado, and droughts, they are quick to blame the rising temperatures on pollution. However, scientists have found that the earth has warmed only one degree over the past century (Caruba). A century ago there were not the automobiles and factories there are today, so perhaps pollution is not the cause. So if pollution is not contributing to global warming, then what is? Scientists have known about hole in the protective ozone layer for decades. Environmentalists blame the hole on pollution. The hole then admits harmful UV rays. This then causes global warming. Scientists argue that these holes may be a natural occurrence (Caruba). They are supposed to happen, just like leaves falling off the trees in autumn. In fact, pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer seem to have little effect on our air. The EPA reports that since 1970, air quality has steadily improved (“The Environment”). Obviously, the environmentalists are not looking at scientific fact when it comes to global warming. There is still a large need for environmentalists to research and draw factual conclusions to the mystery behind global warming.

17. Analysis
Environmentalists have over exaggerated global warming. With the drastic number of fires, floods, tornado, and droughts, they are quick to blame the rising temperatures on pollution. However, scientists have found that the earth has warmed only one degree over the past century (Caruba). A century ago there were not the automobiles and factories there are today, so perhaps pollution is not the cause. So if pollution is not contributing to global warming, then what is? Scientists have known about hole in the protective ozone layer for decades. Environmentalists blame the hole on pollution. The hole then admits harmful UV rays. This then causes global warming. Scientists argue that these holes may be a natural occurrence (Caruba). They are supposed to happen, just like leaves falling off the trees in autumn. In fact, pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer seem to have little effect on our air. The EPA reports that since 1970, air quality has steadily improved (“The Environment”). Obviously, the environmentalists are not looking at scientific fact when it comes to global warming. There is still a large need for environmentalists to research and draw factual conclusions to the mystery behind global warming.

18. Summary
Environmentalists have over exaggerated global warming. With the drastic number of fires, floods, tornado, and droughts, they are quick to blame the rising temperatures on pollution. However, scientists have found that the earth has warmed only one degree over the past century (Caruba). A century ago there were not the automobiles and factories there are today, so perhaps pollution is not the cause. So if pollution is not contributing to global warming, then what is? Scientists have known about hole in the protective ozone layer for decades. Environmentalists blame the hole on pollution. The hole then admits harmful UV rays. This then causes global warming. Scientists argue that these holes may be a natural occurrence (Caruba). They are supposed to happen, just like leaves falling off the trees in autumn. In fact, pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer seem to have little effect on our air. The EPA reports that since 1970, air quality has steadily improved (“The Environment”). Obviously, the environmentalists are not looking at scientific fact when it comes to global warming. There is still a large need for environmentalists to research and draw factual conclusions to the mystery behind global warming.

19. Write a PEAS paragraph telling me…
your Turn…
Write a PEAS paragraph telling me…
Prompt One: Explaining why you think the short story you read defines Ms. Swanson and how you know.
Prompt Two: Explaining why you think people are or aren’t what they read and why you think that.
Things to consider:
What you know about Ms. Swanson and her favorite author
What do you like to read and does it define you

20. your Turn…
Now…find a way to highlight the 4 parts of your PEAS paragraph. Doing this will allow you to see if your paragraph is focused and without extra filler or words/sentences that do not belong.
I have some highlighters in the bin you can use.
When you finish, you’re actually going to re-write your PEAS paragraph on a loose-leaf sheet of paper for homework.
In class you’ll exchange with a partner, and ask them to label it as well.
The idea is that your partner labels your PEAS the same way as you did. If they didn’t, a conversation needs to take place in order to see where the mistake occurred.