The Well-Organized Paragraph

What do you do with it after you’ve found it?

TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

TRY THIS: IMAGINE YOU ARE A LAWYER IN A COURTROOM…

Writing a good paragraph is just like a lawyer presenting evidence in court.

…just like the way a lawyer presents a piece of evidence to a judge and jury and then explains how that evidence proves that a defendant is innocent or guilty.

A good paragraph presents a quote (aka textual evidence) and then explains how it supports your overall thesis…

IF YOU WERE A LAWYER, YOU WOULD NOT, FOR EXAMPLE, WALK UP TO A JUDGE AND JURY, HOLD UP

THE FOLLOWING IN A ZIP-LOCK BAG,

say “Gun,” and then stand there silently.

EVIDENCE & EXPLANATION

If you do not Explain:1.) What the evidence is/says and 2.) How It Proves Your Point,

then it really can’t say anything.

Evidence is only as helpful as the explanations you provide!

THE SIX STEPS OF THE WELL-ORGANIZED PARAGRAPH

• Introduce• Locate• Present• Explain• Interpret• Transition

INTRODUCE

• INTRODUCE the overall topic with the topic sentence.

The topic sentence links back to your thesis, but concentrates on one aspect of that major argument.

Thesis: Genetic engineering is a bad idea for humanity, because it gives people and governments more power than God intended.

Example Topic Sentence: Genetic engineering gives parents power to choose what their child should be like, despite what the child might want.

LOCATE AND PRESENT

• LOCATE who is speaking/writing and the context of the author’s writing.

• PRESENT the evidence –just insert the quote after the introductory statement in the LOCATE step.

Example: (L) In her commentary on the Duchesneau and McCullough situation, Wendy McElroy is shocked by the partners’ choice to (P) “deliberately engineer a genetic defect into their offspring” (ln.12-13).

NOW YOU’VE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO

• EXPLAIN the evidence in your own, everyday language.

• Example: Here McElroy is drawing attention to the fact that these two women chose to genetically engineer a disability into their son.

INTERPRET

• INTERPRET the evidence in terms of how this textual evidence proves your point in the topic sentence/thesis.

• Example: McElroy’s horror points out the strangeness of parents choosing what is “good” for their children before they are born, rather than letting children decide their own future as God intended.

TRANSITION

• Wrap it Up Nice and TRANSITION to the next piece of evidence– Summarize what you just argued and then you can

prepare your reader for the next point.

• Example: Unfortunately, if parents have the opportunity to “create” the perfect child, they will probably take advantage of that possibility regardless of ways the government tries to stop them.

SIX PARTS ALL TOGETHER:

Introduce: Genetic engineering gives parents power to choose what their child should be like, despite what the child might want or what God intended.

Locate and Present: (L) In her commentary on the Duchesneau and McCullough situation, Wendy McElroy is shocked by the partners’ choice to (P) “deliberately engineer a genetic defect into their offspring” (ln.12-13).

Explain: Here McElroy is drawing attention to the fact that these two women chose to genetically engineer a disability into their future son, Gauvin.

Interpret: McElroy’s horror points out the strangeness of parents choosing what is “good” for their children before they are born, rather than letting children decide their own future as God intended.

Transition: Unfortunately, if parents have the opportunity to “create” the perfect child, they will probably take advantage of that possibility regardless of ways the government tries to stop them.

ORDER IN THE COURT!

• Introduce• Locate• Present• Explain• Interpret• Transition

Evidence-based paragraphs