Years of practice writing high school and college papers, and tutoring others on how to do it encouraged me to write this guide. Be sure to also check and see if your teacher wants something specific and different from this outline. Though this is pretty standard, each teacher can be a little different.
Introduction- The introduction should begin with an attention-getter. You want to say something that makes the reader want to read more. Shocking statistics or interesting questions work great. After initially gaining the reader’s interest you should explain what each of the 3 body paragraphs are about. Each body paragraph should have a 1-2 sentence description. Following this, you need a strong thesis. A good thesis describes what the other 3 paragraphs and the paper’s content in a way that is short and to the point. An example of a good thesis is: “I like living in McHenry because it is small, the people are friendly, and there are lots of places to shop.”
Body paragraph #1- The body paragraphs should start with a topic sentence. This first sentence tells your reader what you’re about to explain. After you’ve introduced your topic, you should give 3 specific supports in 3 sentences. You can conclude by restating your topic.
Body paragraph #2- This paragraph also begins with a topic sentence, but should also acknowledge body paragraph #1. For example, I could say “Not only do I enjoy McHenry because it is small, but I like it because the people are very friendly.” After this 3 support sentences should follow, as well as a sentence summarizing and concluding the paragraph.
Body paragraph #3- This paragraph is similar to the first two body paragraphs, but it should begin the topic sentence acknowledging the topics already covered. For example, I might say something like “In addition to liking McHenry because of its size and friendly population, I enjoy it because there are lots of places to shop.” Three support sentences and a conclusion should follow.
Final Conclusion- Here the thesis should be reworded to summarize what you just talked about. Each paragraph should be reviewed once more in one sentence per paragraph. The final sentence should be a clincher or closing thought. It should be thought-provoking and related to the subject of your paper. For example, my paper about McHenry might end: “Wouldn’t you like to live in McHenry?”