Put your paragraphs on the MEAL Plan!

The MEAL Plan is one very useful strategy for writing effective paragraphs.  Using it can affect positive changes in our writing as we strive to move forward beyond Composition classes. It was not until I began my doctoral studies that I was introduced to this strategy, and I cannot believe how amazingly simple and effective it is. The parts of The MEAL Plan are outlined for you below.

• Main idea:  this is also called the topic sentence.  In text-based writing, this sentence sets up your essay’s overall claim (thesis).  Each topic sentence in each paragraph you write connects back to the claim in some way.  (Since the topic sentence of any paragraph dictates the subject of the paragraph, making sure that this first sentence is argumentative gives you, the writer, permission to argue instead of summarize.)
• Evidence:  this documented sentence or series of sentences offers up specific evidence that supports the topic sentence.  Remember, evidence is always needed to support your ideas. 
• Analysis:  this is the largest portion of the paragraph, the part where you explain “how” and “why” the evidence supports the main point.  This is the “meat” of The MEAL, and it requires that you carefully consider your audience’s “appetite” and the stated goals of your essay. 
• Link:  also known as a transition, this last sentence concludes the paragraph and looks ahead to the next. It links what you have said to what you will say. 

The MEAL Plan is not the way to paragraph successfully; it is a way to paragraph successfully.