1. Writing the Body Paragraphs
Essay Two
Writing the Body Paragraphs

2. Organizational Advice in Essay Two
Because this is a longer essay than your first one, you can’t preview the body paragraphs in the thesis sentence
Instead, you’re organizing the essay into two sections
The advantages of the stereotype
And the disadvantages of the stereotype

3. As a result. . .
Each section of the essay needs to be organized like a little essay;
Therefore, you’ll use the preview sentence for the section to provide a signpost for the reader to navigate that section.

4. Here’s the thesis again
Having been stereotyped a smart girl had a number of disadvantages, but ultimately it was a good thing.

5. Here’s the preview sentence for the first section
The disadvantages of the “smart-girl” stereotype included the following:
my social life was impaired,
I didn’t develop decent social skills, ever,
and people took advantage of me.

6. Here’s the descriptive outline for the first body paragraph:
The first disadvantage of the stereotype is that my social life was impaired.
How or why?
Nobody talked to me
My friends were just as outcast as I was
Boys weren’t interested in me
Example?
my first date
My point?
The bad social life had more to do with other people’s perceptions of me than anything I did.

8. Writing the body paragraphs
Transform the outline into the paper

9. Start with the preview sentence for the first section
The disadvantages of the “smart-girl” stereotype included the following: my social life was impaired, I didn’t develop decent social skills, ever, and people took advantage of me.

10. Then add the topic sentence for the first body paragraph:
The disadvantages of the “smart-girl” stereotype included the following: my social life was impaired, I didn’t develop decent social skills, ever, and people took advantage of me. The first disadvantage of the stereotype was that my social life was impaired.

11. Next, add the points in your outline that explain the topic sentence. . .

12. The disadvantages of the “smart-girl” stereotype included the following: my social life was impaired, I didn’t develop decent social skills, ever, and people took advantage of me. The first disadvantage of the label is that it kept me from having any kind of a decent social life. Obviously, not too many people wanted to talk to me because they feared social contamination—nobody wanted to be thought as nerdy and bookish as I was. It’s not as though I were completely alone, but in the social order around me, I might have well have been because my friends were just as outcast as I was. The most damaging part of the label had to do with the opposite sex; boys weren’t all that interested in “smart” girls, so I never had that much masculine attention.

13. Now add the example mentioned in the outline. . .

14. The disadvantages of the “smart-girl” stereotype included the following: my social life was impaired, I didn’t develop decent social skills, ever,and people took advantage of me. The first disadvantage of the label is that it kept me from having any kind of a decent social life. Obviously, not too many people wanted to talk to me because they feared social contamination—nobody wanted to be thought as nerdy and bookish as I was. It’s not as though I were completely alone, but in the social order around me, I might have well have been because my friends were just as outcast as I was. The most damaging part of the label had to do with the opposite sex; boys weren’t all that interested in “smart” girls, so I never had that much masculine attention. My first date in high school just emphasized what a sad, damaged social life I had. The boy invited me to go to a football game with his best friend and the best friend’s girl friend. While the best friend and his girl snuggled and flirted with one another, I searched desperately for some way to keep the conversation going. I resorted to asking him questions about the game: “What’s that player’s job? What did that penalty mean? Why did they kick rather than run the ball on that play?” We both knew that I had no interest in his answers, but I think he felt grateful that I was trying and he tried too. Both of us were happy when the evening was over. Possibly we just weren’t a good match for one another, but even as socially backward as I was, I knew that I definitely had no idea what boys and girls said to each other outside the classroom.

15. Finally, warrant the example
Answer the question “What’s your point?”

16. The disadvantages of the “smart-girl” stereotype included the following: my social life was impaired, I didn’t develop decent social skills, ever,and people took advantage of me. The first disadvantage of the label is that it kept me from having any kind of a decent social life. Obviously, not too many people wanted to talk to me because they feared social contamination—nobody wanted to be thought as nerdy and bookish as I was. It’s not as though I were completely alone, but in the social order around me, I might have well have been because my friends were just as outcast as I was. The most damaging part of the label had to do with the opposite sex; boys weren’t all that interested in “smart” girls, so I never had that much masculine attention. My first date in high school just emphasized what a sad, damaged social life I had. The boy invited me to go to a football game with his best friend and the best friend’s girl friend. While the best friend and his girl snuggled and flirted with one another, I searched desperately for some way to keep the conversation going. I resorted to asking him questions about the game: “What’s that player’s job? What did that penalty mean? Why did they kick rather than run the ball on that play?” We both knew that I had no interest in his answers, but I think he felt grateful that I was trying and he tried too. Both of us were happy when the evening was over. Possibly we just weren’t a good match for one another, but even as socially backward as I was, I knew that I definitely had no idea what boys and girls said to each other outside the classroom. It was a dilemma. I didn’t have a social life because I was a nerdy, bookish smart-girl, but because I was labeled as such, I wasn’t going to get a chance to change the label by developing a social life.

17. Once you’ve finished the first body paragraph,
Just go on to the next topic on your outline and develop that paragraph;
The only difference is that with this paragraph, you’ll begin with the topic sentence (rather than a preview sentence).

18. So what’s due this week? A title for your essay
The introductory paragraph, and
The first body paragraph

19. Checklist Title Intro First Body Paragraph Lead-in Defining transition
Previewing thesis
First Body Paragraph
Preview sentence for first section
First topic sentence
Explanation of topic sentence
Example
Warrant