How do you write a successful essay body paragraph?

I always tell my students that there are two things that
they need to do in each body paragraph of an essay.  First, they have to make sure that
they are providing evidence that supports their thesis.  Second, they have to write the
paragraph as if it were a mini-essay on its own.

Taking the
second point first, each body paragraph needs to be like a short essay.  It needs to
have a thesis/topic sentence that tells what it is about.  This is like the introduction
to an essay, only shorter.  A really good thesis/topic would include a transition that
links it to the last paragraph as well.  The paragraph then needs to have a "body" of
its own in which you provide evidence to add detail to your topic sentence.  Each of the
sentences in the "body" must support the topic.  Do not put in sentences that are not on
that particular subject. Finally, the paragraph should have a brief conclusion.  It
needs a sentence that wraps it up and connects it explicitly to the thesis of the
overall paper.

This brings us to the other thing I always
tell students: your body paragraph must support the overall thesis of your paper.  The
previous paragraph tells you how to write the body
paragraph, but it does not talk about what to write.  A
good body paragraph must always refer to the overall thesis of the essay.  Its point is
to prove the thesis.  You must be sure as you write that the points you are making truly
do support your overall thesis.

So, there are two aspects
to a good body paragraph.  It must be structured logically, like a mini-essay.  In
addition, it must have the right content, content that supports the theme of the essay
as a whole.