Paragraphs Two - Four: Explaining Your Points
Once you've stated your thesis, you have to explain yourself! The thesis in the example introduction was "I definitely believe that teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job teaches discipline, earns them cash for school, and keeps them out of trouble".
The job of the next three paragraphs is to explain the points of your thesis using statistics, examples from your life, literature, the news or other places, facts, examples, and anecdotes.
- Paragraph Two: Explains the first point from your thesis: Teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job teaches discipline.
- Paragraph Three: Explains the second point from your thesis: Teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job earns them cash for school.
- Paragraph Four: Explains the third point from your thesis: Teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job keeps them out of trouble.
In each of the three paragraphs, your first sentence, called the topic sentence, will be the point you're explaining from your thesis. After the topic sentence, you'll write 3-4 more sentences explaining why this fact is true. The last sentence should transition you to the next topic. Here's an example of what paragraph two would look like:
First, teenagers should have jobs while they are still students because a job teaches discipline. When I was working at the ice cream store, I had to show up every day on time or I would have gotten fired. That taught me how to keep a schedule, which is a big part of learning discipline. As I cleaned the floors and washed the windows of my family members' homes, I knew they would be checking up on me, so I worked hard to do my best, which taught me an important facet of discipline, which is thoroughness. But being disciplined isn't the only reason it's a good idea for teenagers to work during school; it can also bring in the money!
