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Introduction (Claim)The introduction should include a sentence or paragraph that clearly states the claim. The claim is underlined in the sample introductory paragraph below.
Example:
The people of the United States were all watching to see if Apollo 11 would land safely on the moon. Everyone was extremely nervous, especially the crew. Even though the spaceship was unconventional and there were many challenges during the landing, the crew did land safely on the moon.
A claim should be supported with evidence and reasoning. The evidence and reasoning will make up the body of your explanation and should be organized logically. Examine the evidence in the example below.
Example:
The people of the United States were all watching to see if Apollo 11 would land safely on the moon. Everyone was extremely nervous, especially the crew. Even though the spaceship was unconventional and there were many challenges during the landing, the crew did land safely on the moon.
One astronaut aboard Apollo 11, Michael Collins, claimed that the Eagle was a "weird looking contraption." It must have been very alarming for the astronauts to fly in that spacecraft! Many things went wrong for the crew. First, alarms sounded simultaneously to alert the crew of issues upon the ship. Luckily, it was just the computer working in overtime. (Evidence #1 with reasoning) Another issue was that they almost ran out of gas. They had only 30 more seconds of fuel left when they landed! (Evidence #2 with reasoning) Lastly, Neil Armstrong had to steer the ship around space boulders. Fortunately, the crew handled this challenge as well and achieved the goal that had been set for them. (Evidence # 3 with reasoning)
Use transition words to connect ideas in your explanation. Note the bolded transition words below.
Example:
One astronaut aboard Apollo 11, Michael Collins, claimed that the Eagle was a "weird looking contraption." It must have been very alarming for the astronauts to fly in that spacecraft! Many things went wrong for the crew. First, alarms sounded simultaneously to alert the crew of issues upon the ship. Luckily, it was just the computer working in overtime. Another issue was that they almost ran out of gas. They had only 30 more seconds of fuel left when they landed! Lastly, Neil Armstrong had to steer the ship around space boulders. Fortunately, the crew handled this challenge as well and landed safely.
Include domain-specific vocabulary to make your explanation clearer and more precise. Domain-specific vocabulary terms are underlined below.
Example:
One astronaut aboard Apollo 11, Michael Collins, claimed that the Eagle was a "weird looking contraption." It must have been very alarming for the astronauts to fly in that spacecraft! Many things went wrong for the crew. First, alarms sounded simultaneously to alert the crew of issues upon the ship. Luckily, it was just the computer working in overtime. Another issue was that they almost ran out of gas. They had only 30 more seconds of fuel left when they landed! Lastly, Neil Armstrong had to steer the ship around space boulders. Fortunately, the crew handled this challenge as well and landed safely.
Using a formal writing style will help to ensure that your explanation is clear and accurate. Formal writing is objective and unbiased.
Notice how the style of writing in the sample explanation uses facts and examples, as opposed to opinions, to support the claim. Using an objective tone helps to validate the claim, allowing the reader to focus on understanding the topic.
Write a conclusion that restates or reinforces the importance of your claim.
Example:
In conclusion, despite multiple challenges at the time of landing, the crew was successful in navigating the unconventional spacecraft to a successful arrival on the moon.