First body paragraph: 5-10 sentences expanding on your first pointFirst sentence: topic sentence (introduce your first point; its best to use similar [NOT THE SAME] wording as your intro paragraph.)
1-2 sentences giving detail and/or background on the point.
1-2 sentences establishing credibility (this is where you might use a quote if the language is memorable)1-2 sentences analyzing the point and possibly tying it back to your thesis.1 sentence transition to new idea/pointOnce you have finished your five-paragraph, hand-written essay, type it up into your word processor. This is your first edit. While you are typing, you are correcting grammar and punctuation, rewriting sentences so they make sense, etc.Now, open a second document in your word processor and copy-and-paste the first 2-3 sentences of your body paragraph into the new doc.First sentence: topic sentence (introduce your first point; its best to use similar [NOT THE SAME] wording as your intro paragraph.)
1-2 sentences giving detail and/or background on the point.This becomes the first 2-3 sentences of your new body paragraph. You will expand this to a full paragraph that will introduce your first point completely._______________________Then, copy-and-paste the next 1-2 sentences into that new document. This becomes the topic of your second paragraph.1-2 sentences establishing credibility (this is where you might use a quote if the language is memorable).This paragraph will be about the support or credibility for this point. Here you will give more information about a quote (who said it, why we should listen to that person, what was its context, etc).______________________________Now you copy-and-paste the next 1-2 sentences into the document, and they become the topic for the third paragraph, which is your analysis or explanation for how this point with its evidence support your thesis.Now you copy and paste the new, mini three-paragraph essay into the original document, and then run the second and third points through the same filter.