One way to think about structuring your paragraphs is to use the P.I.E. paragraph structure. Make sure each of your body paragraphs have the following parts: Show
PointMake sure your paragraph has a point. Often, the point is the topic sentence.
InformationAfter establishing your point, provide information in the form of evidence to support your topic sentence. Here are types of evidence you might include:
For more information on types of evidence, be sure to review our Choosing Sources & Evidence page. ExplanationThe explanation is the writer’s analysis, elaboration, evaluation, or interpretation of the point and information given, connecting the information with the point (topic sentence) and the thesis. Without this step, your paragraph may be made up solely of someone else's work. Providing an explanation ensures you integrate your research and include your own academic work as well.
Writing Body ParagraphsFollow these steps below to write good body paragraphs. Step 1: Develop a Topic Sentence Before writing a paragraph, it is important to think first about the topic and then what you want to say about the topic. Most often, the topic is easy, but the question then turns to what you want to say about the topic. This concept is sometimes called the controlling idea. Strong paragraphs are typically about one main idea or topic, which is often explicitly stated in a topic sentence. Good topic sentences should always contain both (1) a topic and (2) a controlling idea. Examples of topic sentences: These examples contain a topic and a controlling idea. When your paragraph contains a clearly stated topic sentence, your reader will know what to expect and, therefore, understand your ideas better. Step 2: Provide Evidence to Support your Topic Sentence and Overall Argument After stating your topic sentence, you need to provide evidence to support, demonstrate, clarify, and/or exemplify your point. Ask yourself: Sometimes, adding transitional or introductory phrases like: “For example”, “For instance”, “First”, “Second”, or “Lastly” can help guide the reader. Also, make sure you are citing your sources appropriately. Step 3: Add your Own Analysis and Interpretation After you have given the reader enough information to see and understand your point, you need to explain why this information is important, relevant, or meaningful. This is an important step to adding your own academic voice and integrating your research rather than letting it take ownership of your paper. Ask yourself: Step 4: Conclude After illustrating your point with relevant evidence and analysis, add a concluding sentence. Concluding sentences link one paragraph to the next and provide another way to ensure your paragraph is unified. While not all paragraphs need a concluding sentence, you should always consider whether one is appropriate. Concluding sentences have two crucial roles in paragraph writing: First, they draw together the information you have presented to elaborate your controlling idea by:
Second, they often link the current paragraph to the following paragraph. They may anticipate the topic sentence of the next paragraph by:
Step 5: Revise and Proofread The last step is to revise and proofread your paragraph. Before you submit your writing, look over your work at least one more time. Try reading your paragraph out loud to make sure it makes sense. Also, ask yourself these questions:
A P.I.E. Paragraph For Example Television, textbooks, and computer games are just a few technological mediums in which information is presented and widely accepted as a form of communication even for education. This must be taken into account when determining what literacy means and how students receive information as well as how they master the skill of developing their competencies. Where reading and writing skills in the medium of spoken word or paper and ink once strictly defined literacy, the definition is widely changing to include proficiency in modern technology such as computers and other digital sources of information. For example, students can access digital applications, and according to Kervin (2016), “Digital play with carefully selected apps can provide active, hands-on, engaging and empowering learning opportunities. Apps can facilitate versatility in children’s literacy experiences by providing opportunities for reading and writing, and to listen and communicate through a range of scenarios and activities” (p. 70). By this explanation, an app on a tablet can provide students an alternate medium for education while introducing them to technology literacy. Although not all available apps are created to enrich a child’s educational experiences, the guided use of carefully chosen apps for digital play can be a powerful learning tool when used in academic contexts. |