Writing Thematic Essay Body Paragraphs
The body paragraphs need to thoroughly address all elements of the task by: demonstrating an understanding of the theme; incorporating relevant facts, examples, and details; and presenting everything in an organized manner.
This is where the completion of a pre-writing table really pays off! If constructed and filled in properly, this table will form the basis of organizing the body paragraphs of the thematic essay response.
Body Paragraph's Example
Task:
- Choose two (2) philosophers or leaders and for each;
- Describe the society or culture that was affected and;
- Explain the change that occurred either positively or negatively
The table above formed the basis for the content included in these body paragraphs. It has allowed the writer to visualize the flow of the essay before committing to a single paragraph to paper. The facts in the table should be expanded with details designed to thoroughly address all aspects of the task.
You would repeat this process for each body paragraph
Adding Detail to Your Topic
Most students struggle with finding additional information to write about when exploring a topic. One strategy to use is P.E.R.S.I.A. P = Political aspects of the topic (government, laws, military, type of government) E = Economic aspects of the topic (trade, trade routes, economic system (capitalism, mercantilism, communism, etc), barter, etc) R = Religion also known as Belief Systems (Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Animism, Sikhism) S = Social aspects of history (social class, culture, traditions, etc.) I = Intellectual aspects of history (science, art, architecture, math, technology, philosophy, literature) A = Area/Geography (location,
3rd Body Paragraph
In order to receive full points, you must analyze the topics you selected.
The difference between a scoring a four (4) and scoring a five (5) is that the student must deeply analyze the theme. This is accomplished by using one of the following techniques: