Paragraph+Structure

=Paragraph structure=

**Paragraph Organization and Development** **THE P.I.E. PARAGRAPH** Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow. **Body Paragraph, Example 1** Some sexist commercials include those for Giggle Wiggle, Shark Attack, and Frog Soccer. For instance, in the Giggle Wiggle commercial, four people play the game—two boys and two girls. During the game, only the boys move the game pieces, shouting enthusiastically when they’ve made the right moves, while the girls, basically motionless, smile vacantly and watch the boys. At the end of the game, one of the boys wins and gleefully shouts, “I win! I win!” while clapping his hands. Only then does a girl jump up and speak her one line, “Oh wow!” What is the writer’s argument (in the paragraph and in the essay to which this paragraph belongs)? What is the writer trying to prove (in the paragraph and in the essay to which this paragraph belongs)? Is there anything to contextualize this information? For example, is there a main point holding the information together? What did the writer learn from this information? What does the writer think about these findings? What is the writer’s reaction to this data? How did the writer react to this experience? **The P.I.E. Paragraph:** P = Point What is the point of this paragraph? What claim is being made? Often, the point is the TOPIC SENTENCE. I = Information How is the point supported with specific data, experiences, or other factual material? The information is the evidence used to support/develop the point. E = Explanation What does the provided information mean? The explanation is the writer’s analysis, elaboration, evaluation of the point and information given, connecting the information with the point (topic sentence) and the thesis.

Body Paragraph, Example 1, Revised
**Many sexist children’s television commercials lead me to believe that girls rarely see images of themselves in active or winning situations. Often, the boy wins the game being advertised while the girls, pretty little objects, serve as his mindless cheerleaders.** In “What are TV Ads Selling to Children” John J. O’Connor claims that in these ads girls are portrayed as inferior to boys. According to O’Connor, “They live in a society in which they can never be considered the best.” Some of these commercials include those for Giggle Wiggle, Shark Attack, and Frog Soccer. For instance, in the Giggle Wiggle commercial, four people play the game—two boys and two girls. During the game, only the boys move the game pieces, shouting enthusiastically when they’ve made the right moves, while the girls, basically motionless, smile vacantly and watch the boys. At the end of the game, one of the boys wins and gleefully shouts, “I win! I win!” while clapping his hands. Only then does a girl jump up and speak her one line, “Oh wow!” **My mouth fell open when I saw this commercial. The winning kid was not only rude, but annoying. In this commercial, as in others, the girls were not the central characters but part of the support network for the winners, the boys. In fact, I never saw a girl win a game in any of the children’s commercials I viewed. These subtle statements in commercials can make a person think that it is okay to be sexist when in fact it is absolutely not.** (the bold at the top is the P (point) of the PIE, the middle portion is the I (information) of the PIE and the last bolded section is the E (explanation) of the PIE paragraph.) **P.I.E. Strategies:** __ **Ideas for making a POINT:** __ Decide what you want to say to support your thesis based on your reaction to the text Try categorizing your ideas and make a comment on a recurring theme you’ve found __ **Ideas for INFORMATION/support:** __ Information from the readings or class discussions (paraphrases or, occasionally, short quotes) Personal experience (stories, anecdotes, examples from your life) Representations in mass media (newspapers, magazines, television) Elements from popular culture (song lyrics, movie lines, TV characters, celebrities) Definitions (from the dictionary, the readings, or another source) Statistics (polls, percentages, data from research studies) __ **Ideas for EXPLANATION:** __ Interpret, analyze, explain the information, opinion or quote you’ve included Comment on the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of the quote, fact, data, information, etc. Decipher the meaning or try to better your understanding of your observation, findings or experience **Suggest to your reader how the information you’ve included relates to your THESIS.**