There is not a requirement for how many body paragraphs you include. However, I would encourage you to have three or four. One of those paragraphs might be a counterclaim, although it can be effective to embed throughout your piece. Choose between the two paragraph organizations below. You do not need to use the same organization for each paragraph.

Option #1

Topic Sentence (1 sentence): What are you arguing in this paragraph?
Introduce Evidence: When introducing research or a textual citation, introduce the author, title, and any relevant information. (i.e. According to Bob Hill, a molecular scientist at Stanford University,…) If you are using an anecdote or example, you might use a more generic introduction (i.e. An example the negative effects of global warming is…)
Evidence: This could be a textual citation, paraphrase, anecdote or an example.
Explanation (4-5 sentences): Analyze and connect your evidence to your reason. How does this prove that what you are arguing is correct? Explain your thinking in detail.
Concluding Sentence (1 sentence): Wrap up the idea of the paragraph and connect it back to your claim. How does this paragraph support the larger argument?

Option #2

Topic Sentence
Introduce Evidence (1 sentence)
Evidence
Explanation (2-3 sentences)
Transition
Introduce Evidence (1 sentence)
Evidence
Explanation (2-3 sentences)
Concluding Sentence (1 sentence)

Example Body Paragraph

One of the hurdles that low-income families face in providing healthy options to their children is access to grocery stores and other fresh food retailers. Sarah Treuhaft, in “The Grocery Gap,” a summary of current research about the impact of markets on healthy eating, found that in hundreds of communities across the country there is little to no access to healthy food. These communities, Treuhaft argues, are predominantly low-income, communities of color. Full-service grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and other vendors that sell fresh fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods are hard to find. What can be found, often in great abundance, are convenience stores and fast food restaurants that mainly sell cheap, high-fat, high-sugar, processed foods. This disparity had a damaging effect on the health of residents. A study, published in The American Journal of Preventative Medicine, examining neighborhood disparities in food access, found that neighborhoods with less access to grocery venders have significantly higher rates of childhood obesity and obesity-related health problems (Larson, 2012). High-fat, high-sugar diets are the leading cause of childhood obesity. We will have little impact on childhood obesity unless we begin to increase access to healthy foods for poor Americans. We can do this through funding the development of grocery stores and farmers’ markets in low-income neighborhoods throughout the United States, providing families healthy and affordable options.

Flipped Lesson