A TAKS-Style Paragraph is a college- or buisiness-style paragraph. It is the minimum standard of communication necessary in the real world.

#1 - A TAKS-Style Paragraph contains one clear, realistic idea based on the text...

• The idea must begin in the text, not your imagination. It can be hard to separate the two.
  • Look at the text as a set of facts. Limit yourself to ideas that can be proved by what the text says.
    • If the text contains images (pictures), limit your ideas to those that describe the picture.
  • Don't imagine yourself into the text and say what you would do or be thinking in that situation. Stick to the facts of the text!
• It must be worth arguing about. If your idea isn't worth an argument, you've wasted your time writing it and mine reading it.
  • Think of a trial. The prosecutor says "The defendent is guilty!" The Defense Lawyer says "No, the defendent is innocent!" This is worth an argument.
  • If it's not worth arguing about, it's a bad idea.
    • Example of a bad idea: Romeo and Juliet fell in love and killed themselves.
    • Example of a good idea: If Friar Lawrence (the guy who married R&J and gave Juliet the poison) had minded his own business, this whole tragedy could have been avoided.

#2 - ...and proves that idea with evidence from the text!

• Imagine a trial in which the Prosecutor says "He's guilty," the Defense Lawyer replies "No, he's innocent," the Prosecutor says "No, he's guilty," the Defense Lawyer says "No, he's innocent" and that's as far as the argument goes. Ridiculous waste of time! That's an idea without evidence.
• There are three (3) types of Evidence -
  • Quotations are the strongest form of evidence.
    • You must copy the author's words exactly as they are written, word for word, including punctuation but not including font, size, or graphics.
    • Each quotation must include a citation: It must indicate who you are copying from and where those words may be found.
      • ex: According to Shakespeare's Romeo, "Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, / Having some business, do entreat [Juliet's] eyes / To twinkle in their spheres till they return" (2.2.15-17).
      • ex: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
      • ex: Our textbook's author says "blah, blah, blah" (#).
      • ex: "...The serious time planner will take many and frequent shots at his plans. What begins as a fuzzy, ill-defined jungle of conflicts gradually comes into focus" (Alan Lakein, How to Get Control of Your time and Your Life, 26).
    • The parenthesis goes outside the quotation marks, inside the period.
  • Next are Paraphrases. Paraphrasing is understanding so completely that the author's idea comes out entirely in your own voice.
    • Changing some of an author's words is NOT a paraphrase. It is a sloppy quotation and subject to the plagiarism rule.
  • Last are Succinct Summaries. Succinct means "using few but effective words." A succinct summary contains only the information needed to prove your point.
    • Providing more information than necessary is a "plot summary" and results in no credit for your evidence!

Grading TAKS-Style Paragraphs

TAKS-Style Paragraphs are graded on a scale of 0 - 3, based on the quality of the idea and evidence.

• Three (3) is, by definition, above and beyond the ordinary paragraph.
  • In Ms. Mac's class, a 3-Level paragraph is worth an A, from 90 - 100 points. It contains
  • an AWESOME idea
  • AWESOMELY explained by
  • AWESOME evidence
• Two (2) is passing. It is the least we expect.
  • In Ms. Mac's class, a 2-Level paragraph is worth a B, from 80 - 89 points. It contains
  • a clear, realistic idea based on the text. The idea should be worth an argument.
  • evidence from the text that proves your idea
  • the evidence must match the idea
• One (1) means you got half of it right. You get credit for the half you got right.
  • In Ms. Mac's class, a 1-level paragraph is worth a C, from 70 - 79 points. It has
  • good idea with bad evidence
    • bad evidence could be wrong, from someplace besides the text, or just not match the idea
    • if Ms. Mac can't figure out the relationship between idea and evidence, it's a 1. So make it easy for her! Explain the relationship between the idea and evidence! Don't make her guess. And always explain the obvious!
  • good evidence with a bad idea
    • a bad idea could be wrong, from someplace besides the text, or so vague that Ms. Mac can't figure it out.
      • "vague" means that when Ms. Mac reads it, she says "What does that mean?"
• Zero (0) means that you don't get credit for either your idea or your evidence.
  • In Ms. Mac's class, a 0-level paragraph is worth an F, from 50 - 65 points.
  • It has a bad or missing idea with bad or missing evidence