A Body Paragraph

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A Body Paragraph
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Where does a body paragraph fit into the research
paper process?
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Brainstorm the topic
Make it more specific
Write down your topic
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Research
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Source cards
Note cards
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MLA citations
Outline
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Works cited page
Thesis sentence
Body paragraphs
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Parenthetical citations
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Introductory concluding paragraphs
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Copy paste works cited page to back of
research paper
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• A body paragraph is the basic paragraph of a
  research paper or an essay.
• Body paragraphs are all the paragraphs between
  the introductory paragraph and the conclusion.
• Body paragraphs support and prove your thesis.
• You learned about them in middle school

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Introduction
Body paragraph 1
Body paragraph 2
Body paragraph 3
Conclusion
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Were going to learn how to write an effective
body paragraph for a research paper. The body
paragraphs structure may remind you of a certain
food. Which of these three is your favorite?
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Topic sentence
The McParagraph logic
Topic sentence
Support sentence 1
Support reason 1
Proof sentence 1
Support sentence 2
Support reason 2
Proof sentence 2
Support reason 3
Support sentence 3
Conclusion
Proof sentence 3
Concluding sentence
The McParagraph sentences
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Topic Sentences

• Topic sentences state the main idea of the
  paragraph.
• The rest of the paragraph must expand on,
  describe, or prove what the topic sentence states
  in some way.
• A good topic sentence make a point and suggests
  the logical structure of the rest of the
  paragraph.
• In handout 1, match each topic sentence with its
  logical structure.

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Which are good topic sentences?

• Texas has 267,000 square miles.
• Texas is so big that you can find many things to
  do.
• There are several ways of accurately telling how
  old fossils are.
• The animal dies and sinks to the sea floor.
• Do the exercises under Practice 2 on pages W-27
  and W-28 in your notebook.

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Topic sentence
Support sentence 1
Now well look at support and proof sentences
Proof sentence 1
Support sentence 2
Proof sentence 2
Support sentence 3
Proof sentence 3
Concluding sentence
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• A topic sentence is the first sentence in your
  body paragraph.
• A support sentence gives a reason in support of
  the paragraphs topic sentence.
• A proof sentence proves a support sentence by
  providing a detail or quotation from a source.
• A conclusion (one sentence) refers back to the
  topic, provides a logical closing, and may
  provide a transition to the next body paragraph.

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What makes each sentence in the following body
paragraph what it is a topic, support, proof, or
concluding sentence?
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The political success of Lincoln's speech - the
last speech in a series sponsored by the Young
Men's Central Republican Union of New York that
winter (Holtzer 13) - had something to do with
timing and luck. A sizable number of Republican
leaders were worried that the front-running
candidate, New York Senator William Henry Seward,
was perceived by the Northern electorate as too
close to the unpopular abolitionist movement
(Holtzer 32). Lincolns best ally in the winter
of 1860 was his lack of association with the
abolitionists in the mind of New Yorkers,
according to Holtzer (32). Republicans were
worried also that Seward has little appeal in the
West (Illinois, Ohio, etc.) (Burris 126). Burris
asserts that Indiana and Illinois Republicans
perceived Seward as an Eastern liberal (127).
Lincoln also benefited from the political
machinations of the speech seriess sponsors.
The Young Republicans planned the speech series
ostensibly to introduce alternative candidates to
Seward, but the real motivation of the group's
leader, James A. Briggs, was to damage Seward
enough to promote his favorite alternative, Ohio
governor Salmon P. Chase (Holtzer 34). The
Republican partys soul-searching and the secret
motivations of the series sponsors gave Lincoln
the opening he needed.
Topic
Support
Proof
Support
Proof
Support
Proof
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In handout 2, cut out the sentences. Then
arrange them correctly in the order they would
appear in a paragraph. Glue or tape them onto a
sheet of colored paper in that order. Finally,
label each sentence as being a topic sentence, a
support sentence, a proof sentence, or a
concluding sentence.
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Now practice on your body paragraph for your
research project!

• Eight sentences long!
• Dont forget this part of the rubric (W-57)

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The end!