The 3.8 Paragraph

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The 3.8 Paragraph

• OR
• Writing the No-Hassle Way

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Introduction
The 3.8 Paragraph is made up of

• 1 topic
• 3 points
• 8 sentences

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Sentence 1The topic sentence

• The first sentence states the three points you
  are going to make about the topic.
• Example West Virginias well-known Civil War
  battle sites include Phillipi, Droop Mountain,
  and Romney.

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Sentences 2 and 3Discuss point 1

• Sentences 2 and 3 develop the first point you
  wish to make with details, reasons, or examples.
• Example The battle of Phillipi, which occurred
  in May 1860 is considered the first land battle
  of the Civil War. The Confederate Army retreated
  so rapidly that this battle is often referred to
  as the Phillipi Races.

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Sentences 4 and 5Discuss point 2

• Sentences 4 and 5 develop the second point with
  details, reasons, or examples.
• Example Droop Mountain was the site of West
  Virginias largest Civil War battle. The
  Confederates captured 580 prisoners there.

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Sentences 6 and 7Discuss point 3

• Sentences 6 and 7 develop the third point with
  details, reasons, or examples.
• Example The little town of Romney was an
  important hub for the east-west railroad lines.
  The area changed hands 56 times during the course
  of the war because each side wanted control of
  the BO Railroad.

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Sentence 8The conclusion (or clincher)

• Sentence 8 concludes the paragraph by restating
  or summarizing the topic sentence.
• Example Phillpi, Droop Mountain, and Romney are
  only three of West Virginias many Civil War
  battle sites.

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Now, lets put it all together
West Virginias well-known Civil War battle
sites include Phillipi, Droop Mountain, and
Romney. The battle of Phillipi, which occurred in
May 1860, is considered the first land battle of
the Civil War. The Confederate Army retreated so
rapidly that this battle is often referred to as
the Phillipi Races. Droop Mountain was the site
of West Virginias largest Civil War battle.
The Confederates captured 580 prisoners there.
The little town of Romney was an important hub
for the east-west railroad lines. The area
changed hands 56 times during the course of the
war because each side wanted control of the BO
Railroad. Phillpi, Droop Mountain, and Romney are
only three of West Virginias many Civil War
battle sites.

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Now, lets recap the 3.8 formula

• Sentence 1--the topic sentence introduces the
  topic that contains three points
• Sentences 2 3--develop point one
• Sentences 4 5--develop point two
• Sentences 6 7--develop point three
• Sentence 8--the clincher--restates the topic
  sentence.

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Its quiz time...

• Its time to get pencil and paper.
• Put your name and todays date on your paper and
  number from 1 to 6.
• You will choose the best answer for each item.

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What do you remember about 3.8?

• 1. The 3.8 paragraph is one paragraph with
• a. 3 sentences b. 8
  sentences
• c. 11 sentences
• 2. The 3.8 paragraph makes
• a. 1 point b. 2 points c. 3 points
• 3. The first sentence
• a. develops one point b. is the topic
  sentence
• c. is the concluding sentence
• continued--gt

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Quiz continued

• 4. The sentenced developing point one are
• a. 2 and 3 b. 4 and 5 c. 6 and 7
• 5. The sentences 6 and 7 develop
• a. Point 1 b. Point 2 c. Point 3
• 6. The eighth sentence
• a. develops point 2 b. five examples or
  details
• c. Rewords or summarizes the topic sentence

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Time to write!

• Choose one writing prompt and create a
  thesis statement for the entire essay. Then
  create a topic sentence or mini-thesis statement
  for each of the 3 points stated in your thesis.
  You will then develop 3-3.8 paragraphs analyzing
  fiction for its literary elements.
• Use what you have learned about the 3.8 paragraph
  structure to write about them.

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Getting Started
Instructions 1 Write a topic sentence for the
first sentence of your paragraph. Introduce the
subject or theme of the paragraph. 2 Write a
concrete detail for the second sentence of your
paragraph, or use a quote to illustrate the point
of your topic sentence. Sponsored Links Instant
Grammar Checker Correct All Grammar Errors And
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Comment on your opinion about the information
you gave in the second sentence for the third
sentence of your paragraph. Begin the third
sentence with a phrase like "This shows..." 4
Comment on this information further for the
fourth sentence of your paragraph. Add something
more about your view of the topic. 5 Write
another concrete detail for the fifth sentence of
your paragraph. Begin the fifth sentence with a
phrase like "In addition..." Save the more
important detail for this position in the
paragraph. 6 Comment on your opinion about the
information you gave in the fifth sentence for
the sixth sentence of your paragraph. 7 Comment
on this information further for the seventh
sentence of your paragraph. Save your most
insightful comment on the topic for this position
in the paragraph. 8 Summarize the information
from the paragraph for the eighth and final
sentence of your paragraph. Restate your view on
the subject. Draw a conclusion about the topic.
Instructions 1 Write a topic sentence for the
first sentence of your paragraph. Introduce the
subject or theme of the paragraph. 2 Write a
concrete detail for the second sentence of your
paragraph, or use a quote to illustrate the point
of your topic sentence. Sponsored Links Instant
Grammar Checker Correct All Grammar Errors And
Enhance Your Writing. Try Now! www.Grammarly.com 3
Comment on your opinion about the information
you gave in the second sentence for the third
sentence of your paragraph. Begin the third
sentence with a phrase like "This shows..." 4
Comment on this information further for the
fourth sentence of your paragraph. Add something
more about your view of the topic. 5 Write
another concrete detail for the fifth sentence of
your paragraph. Begin the fifth sentence with a
phrase like "In addition..." Save the more
important detail for this position in the
paragraph. 6 Comment on your opinion about the
information you gave in the fifth sentence for
the sixth sentence of your paragraph. 7 Comment
on this information further for the seventh
sentence of your paragraph. Save your most
insightful comment on the topic for this position
in the paragraph. 8 Summarize the information
from the paragraph for the eighth and final
sentence of your paragraph. Restate your view on
the subject. Draw a conclusion about the topic.
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MLA Format
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What is MLA?

• MLA stands for Modern Language Association
• Most common style for writing papers within the
  liberal arts humanities (i.e., English) with
  respect to
• Formatting page layout
• Stylistic technicalities (quotations,
  abbreviations)
• Citing secondary sources
• Creating the Works Cited page

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MLAWhy do we need it?

• MLA makes it easy for your reader to navigate
  your paper/essay because a universal format is
  used. MLA standards allows YOU to
• Give readers structure so they can follow your
  ideas and topics
• Keep your readers attention by not distracting
  them with unfamiliar formatting
• Maintain neatness in your paper
• Organize secondary sources prevent plagiarism
• Present sources for follow-up

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Basic Guidelines

• Font Times New Roman (preferred), Arial, Calibri
• Font Size 12 point (always)
• Margins 1 on all four sides
• Title center of paper
• Spacing Double space throughout body of paper
• Page number beginning on page 1, upper right
  hand corner followed by last name
• Title of books italicized always
• Paragraph press TAB button to indent first line
  of each paragraph by .5
• Title pages are forbidden

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Formatting/Setting up first page

• On the upper left hand corner of the page type
• Students name
• Teachers name
• Course name (Eng 9)
• Date
• One space between each line
• Do not stray from this order.

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Title of Document

• After setting up the first four lines on the
  upper left hand side of your paper, press enter
  twice and press the center align button
• Type the title of your paper
• No bold
• No underline
• No larger fonts
• Press enter twice and tab once to begin typing
  first paragraph

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Works Cited Page

• Anderson, J. "Keats in Harlem." New
  Republic 204.14 (8 Apr. 1991) n. pag. Online.
  EBSCO. 29 Dec. 1996.
• Angier, Natalie. "Chemists Learn Why Vegetables
  are Good for You." New York Times 13 Apr. 1993,
  late ed. C1. New York Times Ondisc. CD-ROM.
  UMI-Proquest. Oct. 1993.
• Burka, Lauren P. "A Hypertext History of
  Multi-User Dimensions." MUD History. URL
  http//www.ccs.neu.edu/home/lpb/mud-history.html
  (5 Dec. 1994).
• Creation vs. Evolution "Battle of the
  Classroom." Videocassette. Dir. Ryall Wilson, PBS
  Video, 1982. (MLA) 58 min.
• Darling, Charles. "The Decadence The 1890s."
  Humanities Division Lecture Series. Capital
  Community College, Hartford. 12 Sept. 1996.
• Feinberg, Joe. "Freedom and Behavior
  Control." Encyclopedia of Bio-ethics, I, 93-101.
  (MLA) New York Free Press, 1992.
• Hennessy, Margot C. "Listening to the Secret
  Mother Reading J.E. Wideman's Brothers and
  Keepers." American Women's Autobiography
  Fea(s)ts of Memory. Ed. Margo Culley. Madison,
  WI U. Wisconsin P, 1992. 302-314.

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Plagiarism

• Defining Plagiarism
• Plagiarism is the deliberate or negligent,
  copying of words, ideas and/or thoughts in whole,
  or in part, of another and then passing them off
  as original thought.

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Plagiarism

• Here are three reasons not to do it
• By far the deepest consequence to plagiarizing is
  the detriment to your intellectual and moral
  development you wont learn anything, and your
  ethics will be corrupted.

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Plagiarism

• Giving credit where its due but adding your own
  reflection will get you higher grades than
  putting your name on someone elses work. In an
  academic context, it counts more to show your
  ideas in conversation than to try to copy
  anothers ideas.