What Is a Body Paragraph and How Do I Write One?

What is a body paragraph and how do I write one?

BODY PARAGRAPH: For the purposes of this assignment, we are focusing on how to construct a body paragraph because we are practicing the skill of identifying central idea and accurately explainingsupporting details to support your thesis statement. Paragraphs should follow this color-coded model.

This is your topic sentence where you introduce the text and one of the reasons from your thesis (do not forget to indent). You then provide your FIRST citation where you introduce and quote the text using quotation marks. You then proceed to explain the FIRST piece of evidence in your own words and state why it supports the thesis.You then provide your SECOND citation where you quote the text using quotation marks. You then proceed to explain the SECOND piece of evidence in your own words and state why it supports the central idea.You then provide your THIRD citation where you quote the text using quotation marks. You then proceed to explain the THIRD piece of evidence in your own words and state why it supports the central idea.In your last sentence you repeat the central idea and connect it to your thesis statement to prove you are supporting your main argument.

MODEL: Here is an example of a strong body paragraph, using a text from class:

Spotted cats live in different parts of the world. According to the article “Spotted Cats,” true leopard lives in much of Asia and Africa.Leopards mostly live in the countries of China, India, and Egypt. According to the same article, “The jaguar is native to the Americas.”As a result, jaguars are very important to the Native American identity and many Americans worship the jaguar. The Jaguar resembles a sense of belonging to the people of the Americas, such as the Mayas and Aztecs. Furthermore, the article continues, by stating that the cheetahs live in the wild parts of Africa but some can also be found in parts of Afghanistan and Iran. Cheetahs are very important in these countries because they help sustain the ecosystems of Africa and the Middle East.Therefore, spotted cats all vary, especially in terms of where they are from and in their importance based on the region of origin.