1-2-3-1 Body Paragraph
Writing
1. Opening Claim
2. Spec
3. Quote
1. End Claim
Each of these 3 types can be more
than one sentence
1. Opening Claim: Your opinions, analysis,
or ideas about your topic.
Example:
Scout matures from a naïve child into
someone with a more sophisticated view
of the world. She begins as someone
who sees the world as black and white,
but she develops a more nuanced view
of people.
1-2-3-1 Paragraph Writing
2. Spec: summarize in your own words the Specific Scene
that you will use as evidence to support your Opening
Claim. Give enough description of this scene so a reader
will understand the scene and the quote that will follow,
but don’t include unnecessary details.
Example:
After the trial, Scout’s view that there is only one type of
person is changed during a conversation with Aunt
Alexandra. Scout is asking Atticus if she can have
Walter Cunningham over to her house, and Aunt
Alexandra tells her that she cannot have anything to do
with Walter Cunningham. This upsets Scout and
teaches her a lesson about the world,
1-2-3-1 Paragraph Writing
3. Quote: the quote is taken from the Spec. It provides
strong evidence to back up the Opening Claim and is not
longer than necessary. Quotes must be exact wording
and can be any part of the text, not just what is in
quotations. Take note of MLA format.
Example:
This upsets Scout and teaches her a lesson about the
world, “I don’t know what I would have done, but Jem
stopped me. He [. . .] led me sobbing in fury to his
bedroom” (282).
• If quoting dialogue, use single quotation marks inside
regular quotations marks.
1-2-3-1 Paragraph Writing
1. End Claim: This claim is an explanation of your
quote. You are explaining exactly what it is
your quote shows, and how it connects to your
Opening Claim.
Example:
Scout is learning from Aunt Alexandra that
society is made up of people from different
social classes. Aunt Alexandra reinforces the
prevailing notion that people from different
classes should not mix, and that it is beneath
the Finch family to associate with the lowerclass Cunninghams. Scout is not happy that
society is like this and is angered by
Alexandra’s prejudice.
Finished Paragraph
Scout matured from a naïve child, to someone with a
sophisticated view of the world. She begins as someone who sees
the world as black and white, but she develops a more nuanced
view of people. After the trial, Scout’s view that there is only one
type of folks is changed during a conversation with Aunt Alexandra.
Scout is asking Atticus if she can have Walter Cunningham over to
her house, and Aunt Alexandra tells her that she cannot have
anything to do with Walter Cunningham. This upsets Scout, and
teaches her a lesson about the world, “I don’t know what I would
have done, but Jem stopped me. He [. . .] led me sobbing in fury to
his bedroom” (282). Scout is learning from Aunt Alexandra that
society is made up of people from different social classes. Aunt
Alexandra reinforces the prevailing notion that people from different
classes should not mix, and that it is beneath the Finch family to
associate with the lower-class Cunninghams. Scout is not happy
that society is like this and is angered by Alexandra’s prejudice.
1-2-3-1 Paragraph Writing
• Switch to block quotes when:
– Your quotation is 5 lines or more in YOUR paper
– You are quoting more than one paragraph
• For Block Quotes:
– Indented 2 tabs or 10 spaces
– A third indent is necessary to show paragraphs, if
quoting more than one paragraph.
– You don’t need quotations marks, unless you are
quoting dialogue. Use regular quotations marks for
dialogue.
– Block quotes are double-spaced, just like the rest of
your paper.
Example of a Block Quote
Just copy the red text into your notes
Scout matured from a naïve child, to someone with a sophisticated view of the
world. She begins as someone who sees the world as black and white, but develops
a more nuanced view of people. After the trial, Scout’s view that there is only one
type of folks is changed during a conversation with Aunt Alexandra. Scout is asking
Atticus if she can have Walter Cunningham over to her house, and Aunt Alexandra
tells her that she cannot have anything to do with Walter Cunningham. This upsets
Scout, and teaches her a lesson about the world:
Perhaps this was why she had come to live with us—to help
us choose our friends. I would hold her off as long as I could:
“If they’re good folks, then why can’t I be nice to Walter?”
“I didn’t say not to be nice to him. You should be
friendly and polite to him, you should be gracious to
everybody, dear. But you don’t have to invite him home.” (281)
Scout is learning from Aunt Alexandra that society is made up of people from different
social classes. Aunt Alexandra reinforces the prevailing notion that people from
different classes should not mix, and that it is beneath the Finch family to associate
with the lower-class Cunninghams. Scout is not happy that society is like this and is
angered by Alexandra’s prejudice.
Work Cited Page
• When you are using quotes in an essay,
your essay must have a Work Cited page.
• This page is the last page of your essay.
It is double-space, just like the rest of your
essay.
• The format varies, but for novels it is this:
Author Last Name, First Name. Title of
Book. City of Publication: Publisher,
Year of Publication. Print.
Work Cited
Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New
York: The McGraw-Hill Companies,
Inc., 2000. Print.