Unit 6: Writing Body Paragraphs

1. Unit 6: Writing Body Paragraphs REVIEW: INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH FROM UNIT 5 A nine-year old girl sat sleepy-eyed at her desk in the small rural classroom in the hills of the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Listening to the six-foot tall, red-headed teacher in a matching blue suit, the girl dreamed of far-away places. The teacher’s mouth, with lips creamed cherry red with lipstick, dripped words from a book called Little House on the Prairie, which exploited the adventures of Laura Ingalls as she and her pioneer family settled the plains of Kansas during the late 1800’s.  The girl listened carefully, enjoying every word.  She loved listening to the story and loved Mrs. Smith, who had a kind word for everyone.  Mrs. Smith was a pioneer in her own way, traveling to exotic locations and telling her own stories of adventure. Even after that school year ended, Mrs. Smith sent the girl a postcard from the Modern Museum of Art in Mexico City.  It read, “You have to put this museum on your must-see list.”  That little girl, now grown, has never made it to Mexico City and still wants to travel to far-away exotic locations; nonetheless, her journey has sent her here, to Kaplan University, where she is with us today partly because of the positive influence of one majestic teacher, Mrs. Smith.  Tammy Mata, a hysterically funny college instructor, has joined Kaplan University’s Department of Student Success to teach writing and brings with her a supportive family, an academic background in education and English, and ten years of college teaching experience. In my thesis, the plan for development is as follows: (1) a supportive family, (2) an academic background in education and English, and (3) ten years of college teaching experience.

2. THESIS: Tammy Mata, a hysterically funny college instructor, has joined Kaplan University’s Department of Student Success to teach writing and brings with her a supportive family, an academic background in education and English, and ten years of college teaching experience. • These three phrases for the plan of development within the thesis will be worked into the beginning of the body paragraphs and each body paragraph will be presented in the same order as the topics are presented in the thesis. Remember, the order of the topics has already been determined for us—personal, education, and experience. In my thesis, these are phrased like this: (1) a supportive family, (2) an academic background in education and English, and (3) ten years of college teaching experience. • Since this thesis is the last sentence in my introductory paragraph, the next paragraph (which is the first body paragraph) will reflect the topic that is identified first in the thesis: a supportive family. Complete the body paragraphs in the order 1, 2, 3 as indentified in the previous bullet. Just remember to write in same order as thesis. • The basic formula for writing a body paragraph is this: (1) transitional word/phrase or a bridging sentence, (2) the topic sentence, and (3) supporting details, maybe even examples, for that topic being discussed in the paragraph. • Based on the first topic in the thesis, a supportive family, and this formula, I wrote the following first body paragraph.

3. EXAMPLE OF THE FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH First, Tammy brings with her a supportive family, which includes her husband, Billy, and their six-year-old daughter, Liberty.  Before moving to Fort Worth, Texas, Tammy and her husband lived in Jacksonville, Florida, where they met.  They moved to Texas because Billy was active in the United States Marine Corps and transferred to this area.  He has since retired and now works for an organization in human resources.  In addition to Liberty, who is the joy of their lives, they have five dogs and two cats, all which have been rescues.  In her spare time, Tammy likes to work out and write her own essays and fiction.  Of course, play time with her daughter is her priority and provides her with a great deal of entertainment. What is important to notice about this example is this:  the beginning which has the key word "first" ("first" is a transitional word) and then notice how the topic sentence repeats key words for the thesis ("brings with her a supportive family") and then it adds specific details and examples, which fill out the remainder of the paragraph. Do NOT color or underline information in your body paragraphs. This is done only for emphasis during the presentation. Notice that the subject Tammy is stated immediately after the transitional word. Please state your subject at the beginning of the topic sentence for each body paragraph.

4. Remember that the order of the body paragraph flows according to this formula: (1) transitioning to the topic of the paragraph, (2) providing a statement of the topic by repeating key words, and (3) giving specific details and examples to explore and discuss that topic. (1) Transitional Phrases Transitional phrases can include the words first, second, third, finally, in conclusion, to begin, in addition, in conclusion, moreover, and so on. These transitional words and phrases are meant to link together ideas and to help organize the information within the paper to show how it is related. To see a list of transitional words and phrases go to the following website: http://www.virtualsalt.com/transits.htm . Also, visiting a tutor at The Writing Center can help with transitional words and phrases. (2) Statement of Topic by Repeating Key Words When providing a statement of the topic, repeating key words from the thesis statement usually works. Repeating key words from the thesis within the topic sentence of the paragraph connects the paragraph to the thesis and clearly shows the plan of development.  Repeating those key words does help the reader keep track of what is being discussed in the body paragraphs. (3) Specific Details and Examples Details and examples are included in the body paragraphs to support the topic. For example, a general topic is “a supportive family.” Then the details and examples for that supportive family are the family members, such as the family relationship (husband, wife, daughter, son, mother, father, and so on) as well as their names. It could also include any pets and/or describe what the family does in its free time or as a hobby.

5. EXAMPLE OF THE SECOND BODY PARAGRAPH Second, Tammy has an academic background in education and English. After earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, she entered the Master’s program at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. While working on her Master’s Degree in English, she enrolled in a course on Irish literature that included a two-week spree in Ireland. At this time, she became active in The Friends of Irish Studies, a volunteer organization which brought many Irish writers, musicians, and dancers to the university. In addition to volunteering with this organization, Tammy continued to be dedicated to her academic goals and graduated summa cum laude. Notice that the same formula is used for the second body paragraph:  (1) begin with transitional word/phrase (second), (2) repeat key words from thesis to state the topic (an academic background in education and English), and (3) provide supporting details/examples (the remainder of the paragraph). Do NOT color or underline information in your body paragraphs. This is done only for emphasis during the presentation. Notice that the subject Tammy is stated immediately after the transitional word. Please state your subject at the beginning of the topic sentence for each body paragraph.

6. EXAMPLE OF THE THIRD BODY PARAGRAPH Third, Tammy has ten years of college teaching experience that began at Florida Community College in Jacksonville (FCCJ) where she taught Composition I and Technical Report Writing. In addition, she became involved in the weekend-college program, which held classes on Saturdays and Sundays for non-traditional students who could not attend classes during the regular work-week. She also participated in others areas to support the college, such as instructing a Life Transitions course to female inmates at the county penitentiary, which was contracted through FCCJ by the County Sheriff’s Office, and administering the GED Exam at the Testing Center. After moving to Texas, Tammy worked with Tarrant County College (TCC) as an English instructor, teaching Composition I and Composition II, and as a teacher in a program developed specifically for special-needs young adults. Notice that the same formula is used for the third body paragraph:  (1) begin with transitional word/phrase (third), (2) repeat key words from thesis to state the topic (ten years of college teaching experience), and (3) provide supporting details/examples (the remainder of the paragraph). Do NOT color or underline information in your body paragraphs. This is done only for emphasis during the presentation. Notice that the subject Tammy is stated immediately after the transitional word. Please state your subject at the beginning of the topic sentence for each body paragraph.

7. Points to Remember • Make sure each paragraph contains at least five to seven well developed sentences. In some instances, a paragraph might have eight or nine sentences; however, if a paragraph has ten or more sentences, it is probably too long and needs to be divided. On the other hand, if a paragraph has four or fewer sentences, it is too short and needs to be expanded with additional supporting details. • The job itself should not be explained in the autobiography. The job is assumed by the reader since the readers are employees of the company or members of the community who are reading a “professional” introduction of you. • Do not write like you are telling a story. Remember, this autobiography has an organization as a requirement for this course--the autobiography is not your life story, but a glance into three areas of your life: (1) personal background that is appropriate for a professional environment, (2) educational background, and (3) work experience as it applies to your dream job. If you attempt to write this assignment like a life story, it might be real interesting but it won’t work for the requirements of the assignment. Make sure that the submission is geared to the specific requirements for this assignment so that you can earn maximum points. • It’s okay to make up education and experience as needed since we’re projecting five years into the future for writing this autobiography.

8. Points to Remember, continued • Do not include details in the thesis, which isn’t where the details go. The details go in the body paragraph while only a very general overview should be provided in the thesis. This means that you might want to tweak our thesis so that it omits specific details, which should be discussed in the appropriate body paragraphs. • Including the details in the thesis does tend to make the thesis a little longer and difficult to work into one concise sentence. Once you write the body paragraphs, you can even go back to the thesis and revise it so that it’s a little more general. • Because what you’re writing now is a draft, which means that it is a work in progress, it is NOT the final paper itself so there is time to rework areas that might need reworking. After this unit, we still have to work a draft of the concluding paragraph--but not now. Right now, just focus on writing those body paragraphs. • USE THE WRITING CENTER. I cannot emphasize this enough. • Try to avoid being too critical of your writing while you’re writing it. It can sometimes be easy to get so caught up in making a sentence or a paragraph "perfect" that we never get to that next sentence or paragraph. If you should get stuck, just move on and then come back to that particular area later. Even stop writing for a while, go do something else, and then come back to the writing later.

9. SPECIFIC INFORMATION FOR WRITING BODY PARAGRAPHS • Remember to write in third-person. Even though you’re writing about yourself, act like you’re writing about someone else. Do NOT use “I” or “me” or “us” or “our.” Use your real name and then pronouns like “she” and “her” and “they” and “them.” Use no words to suggest that you’re “in the writing.” NOTE: Writing as if you are “in” the writing is called “first-person point of view” while writing as if you are “NOT in” the writing is called “third-person point of view.” This assignment must be written in third-person point of view. • When writing the body paragraphs, use concrete nouns, so instead of saying "children" say "two sons and one daughter." • Remember to use adjectives, those descriptive words that show how something looks or feels or tastes and so on. • Use active verbs--say something like "Tammy earned her degree" (“earned” is an active verb) instead of "Tammy has a degree" (“has” is a passive verb). • Remember those transitions! • Most importantly, do your best to write relatively error-free. Granted, the draft may have some errors in punctuation, but those errors should be few and far between. At this point, real good writing with all the correct punctuation, spelling, grammar, and usage counts. It’s important. It’s one thing to say a whole lot of something good but it’s another thing to say it all with the correct writing requirements. Do both. • REMEMBER: USE SPELL CHECK!