DID YOU TURN IN? Synthesis Essay Sources pdf with your

annotations? Thesis Statement you wrote from last

class?

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WRITING THE WELL-ORGANIZED PARAGRAPH Today, we will be writing two body

paragraphs for your paper. You may only choose to use one of them in your final draft, but you must write both of these today.

Please open Pages or Keynote for today's assignment.

First, copy or revise your thesis at the top of the page. This should be separate from the rest of today's writing.

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BEFORE WE START WRITING... Identify two logical reasons that support

your thesis. Write these underneath your thesis

statement or incorporate them into your thesis with a because clause.

Find two pieces of evidence from the Synthesis Essay Sources pdf we read last class. Look for quotes or ideas you could

summarize that would prove each of the two reasons you identified above and write them down beneath the reason you think they prove.

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THE WELL-ORGANIZED PARAGRAPH You MUST take notes on today's

powerpoint presentation about the Well-Organized Paragraph.

You may also open the Presentation (from iTeach) into Notability and take notes on that.

I also want you to write a body paragraph as we walk through the different steps. Do your best!

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THE SIX STEPS OF THE WELL-ORGANIZED PARAGRAPH

Introduce Locate Present Explain Interpret Transition

TEXTUAL EVIDENCE

What do you do with it after you’ve

found it?

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…

say “Gun,” and then stand there silently.

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,

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!

EVIDENCE & EXPLANATION

This simple six-step approach helps manage evidence in a paragraph.

1. INTRODUCE the overall topic2. LOCATE the specific location or

occurrence of the evidence.3. PRESENT the evidence4. EXPLAIN the evidence, specifically the

language of it and how it works5. INTERPRET the evidence in terms of how

it relates to and supports your overall argument (topic sentence and thesis)

6. TRANSITION to the next piece of evidence

INTRODUCE the overall topicThe very first thing you will do is give the main

point of your paragraph. This is called the topic sentence.

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

Thesis: War will never be erased from the world, as long as there are leaders who think their nation has the right to interfere with other nations.

Example Topic Sentence: War will always be present in the world, as long as their are savage leaders who believe they have a right to go and take over other nations.

INTRODUCE

LOCATE the specific location or occurrence of the evidence. When you LOCATE your textual evidence, you just

tell your reader who is speaking (if it’s dialogue) and what is generally happening in the text at this time.

PRESENT the evidence – Just give the quote. When you PRESENT you just insert the quote after

the introductory statement in the LOCATE step.

Example: (L) General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote to the D-Day troops about bad leaders when he urged them to (P)“eliminat[e]...Nazi tyranny over the oppressed people of Europe."

LOCATE AND PRESENT

EXPLAIN the evidence, specifically the language of it and how it works Just tell your reader what the quote is saying. Put it in

your own, everyday language.

Example: Here Eisenhower is encouraging the American troops to fight well so that bad leaders, like Hitler, will no longer oppress the "people of Europe" who should never have been under his control.

NOW YOU’VE GOT SOME EXPLAINING TO DO

INTERPRET the evidence in terms of how it relates to and supports your overall argument (topic sentence and thesis) Now you tell your reader how this textual

evidence proves your point in the topic sentence/thesis.

Example: Eisenhower's letter proves that war exists because there are tyrannical leaders in the world who think they have the right to take over other nations.

INTERPRET

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: As long as there are leaders of other nations who believe in liberty for all, there will always be wars to free those who have become oppressed under savage leadership.

TRANSITION

Introduce: War will always be present in the world, as long as their are savage leaders who believe they have a right to go and take over other nations.

Locate and Present: (L) General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote to the D-Day troops about bad leaders when he urged them to (P)“eliminat[e]...Nazi tyranny over the oppressed people of Europe."

Explain: Here Eisenhower is encouraging the American troops to fight well so that bad leaders, like Hitler, will no longer oppress the "people of Europe" who should never have been under his control.

Interpret: Eisenhower's letter proves that war exists because there are tyrannical leaders in the world who think they have the right to take over other nations.

Transition: As long as there are leaders of other nations who believe in liberty for all, there will always be wars to free those who have become oppressed under savage leadership.

SIX PARTS ALL TOGETHER:

Introduce Locate Present Explain Interpret Transition

ORDER IN THE COURT!

Evidence-based paragraphs

NOW ON YOUR OWN We have written one body paragraph

together. Now, I want you to write another one entirely on your own!

If you need help, I am here for you!

Just include the new body paragraph beneath your first one.

Do not submit it yet!

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IN-TEXT CITATIONS After any summaries or quotes from your

sources, you should include a parenthetical citation.

(L) General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote to the D-Day troops about bad leaders when he urged them to (P)“eliminat[e]...Nazi tyranny over the oppressed people of Europe" (ln 7).

*If you have already named the author in your Locate statement, then you only need to put the line number after your evidence.

*If you have not named the author in your Locate statement, then you should put author and ln # in your parenthetical citation.

Ex. (Eisenhower, ln. 7)20