conclusion and suport paragraphs

Directions: Using your knowledge of supporting paragraphs, create a supporting paragraph for your essay.  This paragraph must include a quote or a paraphrase with proper MLA citation. (Be sure to include a works cited page and write your thesis atop the paragraph. Last, don’t forget headings and headers).

Example Supporting Paragraph 

It is important to mention that the extinction of the red-tailed swallow would not stop at the elimination of only one species. Since the red-tailed swallow is a vital part of the Ungolu rainforest's ecosystem, its absence would affect the entire forest. For instance, this bird is the only insectivorous predator in the region that has a beak suitable for digging corkscrew beetles out of the bark of a tree, hence it is the only major predator that controls the insect's population (Andrews 112). However, its numbers have already begun to grow dramatically in Ungolu (Steeves 223), and numerous studies point to the correlation between the rise in the corkscrew beetle population and the drop in the red-tailed swallow population. We can therefore assume that, without the red-tailed swallow, the corkscrew beetle will reproduce unchecked and destroy the Ungolu rainforest, along with the ecology that it supports. Indeed, the corkscrew beetle "is strictly herbivorous—it bores into trees and consumes them from the inside out. Multiple beetles can live in and feed off the same tree, killing it in less than three weeks before moving to the next." (Smith 43) The short timeframe of this damage would not allow the dead trees to be replaced in time to save the rainforest and the wildlife that depends on it. Therefore, the presence of the red-tailed swallow is invaluable.

Academic Paragraph Rubric

Academic Paragraph Rubric

Criteria	Ratings	Pts
Unity Unified—All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea [often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph].		2 pts
Relevant Clearly related to the research problem—The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or the thesis, of the paper.		2 pts
Coherent Coherent—The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development.		2 pts
Development Well-developed—Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph's controlling idea.		2 pts
Style and Grammar MLA citation style adhered to. Few to no grammar and spelling mistakes.		2 pts
Total Points: 10