1. The Meaty Paragraph How to write an organized and well-developed paragraph.

2. Start with a TOPIC SENTENCE. • States the purpose of your paragraph • All sentences in the paragraph will connect to, explain, illustrate, or support this statement.

3. Explain the topic sentence. • Give a little more detail. OPTIONAL!

4. Introduce your first support.

5. Give support/example. • Quotes from the text. • Evidence

6. Explain why this is support. A. Helps make your point—what it means and why it’s an effective illustration of your points.

7. Introduce your second support.

8. Give support/example. • Quotes from the text. • Evidence

9. Explain why this is support. A. Helps make your point—what it means and why it’s an effective illustration of your points.

10. Wrap it up! A. Write a conclusion statement that wraps up the paragraph.

11. EXAMPLE Another person Ponyboy misjudges in The Outsiders is his brother, Darry.At the beginning of the novel, Ponyboy characterizes his brother as someone who is “hard and firm and rarely grins at all” (Hinton 2). Not much later, Ponyboy convinces himself that “Darry doesn’t love anyone or anything, except maybe Soda” (Hinton 18). So when Darry hits Ponyboy, it is no wonder that Pony misreads Darry’s reaction. Darry reacts out of fear instead of hate, but Ponyboy again convinces himself that Darry is mean and brutal. Unfortunately, it is not until Pony nearly diesthat he realizes Darry’s “silent fear…of losing another person he loved” (Hinton 98). After Ponyboy comprehends Darry’s true feelings, he recognizes how incorrect his perception of his brother was.Thereafter, instead of blaming Darry for his anger, Ponyboy cherishes his brother and understands that Darry’s fear and worry is a sign of love.