Mel-CON Hey, I’m Mel!

What is Mel-CON? A logical, easy way to organize writing A format to follow when writing a paragraph A paragraph is a group of complete sentences that discuss one main topic or argument composed of a main idea/topic sentence, supporting details, and closing sentence

Mel-CON stands for… M =Main Idea (Topic Sentence) E =Evidence/Examples (Support/Proof) L =Link (Explains how evidence proves main idea) Con =Concluding sentence (Sums up paragraph)

M=Main Idea The first sentence of the paragraph Previews what the paragraph will be about Identifies the topic or argument

E=Evidence/Examples Information that directly proves the main idea or argument Can come from sources such as experience, books, articles, online databases, etc. Can be quotes, statistics, facts

L=Link Connects the evidence to the main idea Explains how the evidence supports your topic Also known as analysis The most important part of an argument

CON=Concluding sentence Summarizes the main points of the paragraph Wraps up/adds closure to the argument

Transitions Words or phrases used to separate each piece of evidence Used to add organization to your paragraph and to make it easy for the reader to follow Examples: first in addition furthermore finally in conclusion next