1. a mini lesson for research
body paragarphs
a mini lesson for research

2. the four essentials
Transition, Topic sentence, specific Evidence and analysis, and a Brief wrap-up sentence
Transition sentence: leads in from a previous paragraph to assure smooth reading; a hand-off from one idea to the next
Topic sentence: tells the reader what you will be discussing in the paragraph
Evidence and Explanation of analysis: support points & quotes/paraphrasing/etc. that develop one of your claims; provides a deeper level of detail than your topic sentence--think logos!!!!
Brief wrap-up/concluding sentence: tells the reader how and why this information supports the paper’s thesis.*
*The brief wrap-up is also known as the warrant. The warrant is important
to your argument because it connects your reasoning and support to your
thesis, and it shows that the information in the paragraph is related to your
thesis and helps defend it.

3. ideas to consider before writing. . .
As you write and edit your body paragraphs, keep these steps in mind.
Reread your point and evidence from the outline for the paragraph you’re about to write. Is the point really really reflective of all the evidence you plan to use? Does it make sense in what you're arguing? If it isn’t/doesn't, change the point, or consider adding/removing evidence if that will help.
Decide what should be paraphrased and what should be quoted. In general, paraphrase almost everything. Quote only small parts of the original that you think are especially "revealing".
Decide how to cite your source. If there is nothing particularly persuasive about the source, simply cite it in parenthesis at the end of the sentence. If you think it will help you persuade your reader of the point, introduce the source in the sentence before you give the evidence with an According to. . . or another introducing/embedding technique.
Decide what you want to say/add to the main point so you can insert your own original sentence before or after the evidence to explain to the reader how the evidence relates to the point and to the rest of the paragraph.

4. 10 criteria for writing. . .
The first sentence of paragraph is one of the supporting points from the outline.
The paragraph never strays from the point (topic sentence).
The sentences flow well using internal transitions.
The paragraph contains at least one story/fact/detail example that illustrates the point.
The paragraph contains at least two pieces of evidence.
The evidence comes from at least two different sources.
The sources are cited correctly.
The sources are cited in a way that helps convince the reader that the point is true—ex. According to Dr. Kong, Professor at Harvard University,
The evidence convinces the reader of the point.
The paragraph contains at least 150 words. (You'll need to average 200 over the body paragraphs--never, ever fill the paragraph with unnecessary words to get to Add details to the story/example to create a clearer argument or add more evidence.)

5. self-check with coding
Paragraph Coding Model
Use our paragraph coding model to double check that you have all of the essential elements--revise if necessary!
Topic sentence [ ] (a topic and a controlling idea)
Transitions
Main points 1, 2, 3
Evidence (How?) & Explanation (Why it’s important?)
Concluding/Wrap-up Sentence [ ] (recaps topic and gives meaning to controlling idea)

6. ima goodwriter's example. . .
Standards-based education (SBE), while well intentioned, has taken over education in the 21st century, and while the philosophy behind it is practical in theory, in reality, there are significant drawbacks. According to Herbert Kohl, there are two central ideas at the heart of SBE, “first that ‘all’ students can achieve these goals, and second that students must be given enough time to master these goals” (1). Giving students the support and time to reach their goals would not only give them the skills to succeed but also the confidence to do so. In essence, it is a noble and valid ideal to focus on “high expectations” and “rigor” (Eisner 1) when considering all students succeeding because the United States has historically decreased their international status in educational excellence (Kohl 2). Standards seem like the logical answer to reverse that decline. Without expectations for students it is difficult to outline objectives to actually measure if the students can do the skills or if they are deficient (Eisner 1) so by creating clear standards, lawmakers were quite sound in their thinking. Indeed, standards do create a solid foundation of expectations for students that can be followed and measured. However, when people move to use “units of measure that make it possible to quantify the performance of students, teachers, and schools” (Eisner 1)--in other words turn student success into a test score--they are taking the personalization in both learning and teaching.