Crafting a Paragraph

World Literature
Mrs. Howard
What are the essential elements of a
body paragraph?
Topic sentence
Transition to first idea
Evidence showing idea (Quotation from book)
Analysis of evidence- what does it show?
Extension of evidence- why is this worth
considering/remarking upon/what does this mean for us?
Repeat (include more evidence and analysis if needed)
Concluding/transition sentence
Model Paragraph
Gilgamesh seems to be undisturbed about losing his own life
while Enkidu fears it so deeply. When Gilgamesh brings up
his idea about going to kill Humbaba he sounds very
confident. He says to Enkidu, We are together. There is
nothing we should fear(28).Gilgamesh is confident that
together he and Enkidu can defeat Humbaba. This shows
Gilgameshs faith in the power of their friendship and shows
that Gilgamesh is somewhat naive. Enkidu on the other
hand, disagrees with Gilgamesh. He is afraid of going into
the forest to fight Humbaba. He tells Gilgamesh that, it is
the journey that will take away our life, and that, there is
death in Humbaba(28). Enkidu is afraid of going there and
risking his life. This shows that Enkidu is wise and practical.
It is very different the way Gilgamesh and Enkidu feel.
What this student does well:
Begins with her own inference about the text
Supports inference with a specific quote
Weaves quote into her own sentence
Follows quote with a generalizing explanation of what it
means and why its significant
Uses strong transitional language
Has a clear topic sentence that focuses the paragraph
Paragraph is written as though the audience is not
necessarily familiar with the story