INTRODUCTION (Paragraph 1) • General Comments Provide general observations about the subject • State the importance of the subject • State why analyzing the issue is important • State why not understanding the issue can create problems • Transition Question: Turn the assignment into a question beginning with the word “how.” • Thesis Statement: Subject + Principle of Classification _______ can be classified according to _____________________________ (Subject) (Principle of Classification) ▪ Who characters are ▪ Age ▪ Characters’ strengths ▪ Characters’ weaknesses ▪ What characters do ▪ Reasons (for something) ▪ Reasons why (something occurs) ▪ Genre • Three Subtopics: 3 categories based on the principle of classification
BODY (Paragraphs 2-4) • TS: Topic Sentence: States the category • CD: Category Description: Common characteristics of members of the category • SS: Secondary Support: Details from 2 stories which are examples of the category description
CONCLUSION (Paragraph 5) • Restate the thesis and three major categories • Return to issues addressed in the general comments
SAMPLE CLASSIFICATION ESSAY PARAGRAPHS
Essay Question
Classify female characters in Tales of Wonder from Many Lands.
Notation Explanation
The thesis is in bold face.
The three subtopics and topic sentences are in italics.
Category descriptions are underlined.
The Introduction Violence against women is a prevalent problem in