Instructor: Emma Gaudet-Reichelson Collège Jean-

de-Brébeuf
Office: G4.20
Cours Collégial
emma.Gaudet-Reichelson@brebeuf.qc.ca
Fall 2023

*Adapted from the Odegaard Writing & Research Center http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc

NAME: Héroux, Gael

Paragraph Breakdown Assignment:

Read either the Sample 1 or Sample 4 Essay from the following document (only 1!) :
https://www.ccdmd.qc.ca/media/ss_sse_sample_student_essays.pdf

Paragraph Breakdown: Select one paragraph from your chosen essay and break it down into
the corresponding parts covered in the PowerPoint on paragraph structure:

Which essay did you select?_________

Which paragraph from that essay did you select?

1. TOPIC SENTENCE: Encapsulates and organizes an entire paragraph. Although topic

sentences may appear anywhere in a paragraph, in academic essays they often appear
at the beginning. Questions to ask yourself: what’s going on in your paragraph? Why is
the paragraph important in the context of your argument or thesis statement? It should
be noted that relating your topic sentences to your thesis can help strengthen the
coherence of your essay.

A) Topic sentence from the paragraph that you have selected:

The post-colonial world in which the action occurs gives rise to a series of conflictual situations

B) Does your chosen topic sentence meet the above-mentioned criteria? Why or why
not?
The sentence that I showed above, is in the beginning of the paragraph. It also says what the
paragraph is going to talk about. The sentence organizes the paragraph by it’s own.

2. EXPLAIN YOUR TOPIC SENTENCE: Does your topic sentence require further explanation?
If so, add another 1-2 sentences explaining your topic sentence here. This is optional
and not always necessary.
 A) Does your chosen paragraph elaborate on the topic sentence, if so, include that
section:

the main conflict opposes the water company and the Africans. Their interests are at
opposite ends of the spectrum: the latter need the water whereas the company owners
would rather sell it to make money

B) Does the explanatory section meet the above-mentioned criteria? Why or why not?

3) INTRODUCE YOUR EVIDENCE: Most academic papers require students to integrate evidence
(often quotes, but it can also include statistics, figures, common sense examples, etc.) to
support the claim(s) made in the paragraph and/or the paper as a whole. When including
evidence, make sure it is integrated smoothly into the text of the paper. Readers should be able
to move from your words to your evidence without feeling a logical or mechanical jolt.

A) Where does your selected paragraph introduction the evidence:

B) Does the introducing the evidence portion meet the above-mentioned criteria? Why or
why not?

4) INCLUDE YOUR EVIDENCE: Insert/drop-in your supporting evidence (often quotes or

paraphrase, but again, evidence can also be in the form of personal examples, facts,
statistics, etc.).

A) Evidence from your selected paragraph:

B) Does the evidence convincingly prove the author’s main argument?

5) UNPACK YOUR EVIDENCE: Explain what the quote means and why it’s important to your
argument. The author should agree with how you sum up the quotation—this will help
you establish credibility, by demonstrating that you do know what the author is saying
even if you don’t agree. Often 1-2 sentences tops (unless you evidence is particularly
long or complicated that is).

A) Does the author unpack the evidence? If so, write out the sentence where the author
unpacks the evidence.
B) Is the analysis of the evidence strong? Why or why not.

6) EXPLAIN YOUR EVIDENCE: No matter how good your evidence is, it won’t help your
argument much if your reader doesn’t know why it’s important. Ask yourself: how does
this evidence prove the point you are trying to make in this paragraph and/or your
 paper as a whole? This section is where you demonstrate your critical analysis skills and
contributes to both your STRUCTURE and CONTENT GRADE.

A) If the author explains the evidence in further detail,include the portion of the
paragraph where the author explains the evidence:
B) Is the evidence well-explained?

7) INSERT A CONCLUDING SENTENCE: End your paragraph with a concluding sentence or

sentences that reasserts how your paragraph contributes to the development of your
argument.

A) Include the Paragraph Wrap:

B) Is the paragraph wrap effective? Why or why not?

So, to recap:
1. Insert a Topic Sentence
2. Explain Your Topic Sentence
3. Introduce Your Evidence
4. Insert Your Evidence
5. Unpack Your Evidence
6. Explain Your Evidence
7. Insert a Concluding Sentence called the Paragraph Wrap

8) Give the paragraph and essay you read a grade on 100 and explain why you gave the
text the grade that you did: