Body paragraph 3 (optional for 6-paragraph essays) + nonrestrictive elements with commas/parentheses/dashes

Read 3 versions of the same sentence: 'Maya, my neighbor, brought cookies.' 'Maya (my neighbor) brought cookies.' 'Maya — my neighbor — brought cookies.' Which is loudest? Quietest?

• Discuss: commas = mild aside; parentheses = quieter aside; dashes = loudest aside
• Press: when is loud right? when is quiet right?
• Connect to argument: the tool you choose changes the reader's attention

M-6-F-GR-12-C Chart

Print-ready 11x17 chart with 3 versions of the same nonrestrictive aside displayed in a vertical stack: top with commas (yellow background), middle with parens (light blue), bottom with dashes (red). Below each: 'How loud does this aside feel? What does the reader notice?' Discussion-prompt card.

L.6.2.a — nonrestrictive elements (extra info that COULD be removed without breaking the sentence). Three tools (MG-11): COMMAS (mild aside, most common): 'Maya, my neighbor, brought cookies.' PARENTHESES (greater aside, quieter): 'Maya (my neighbor of three years) brought cookies.' DASHES (emphasized aside, loudest): 'Maya — my neighbor — brought cookies.' All three are correct; the tool you choose changes the reader's experience. Today you'll add at least 2 nonrestrictive elements to your essay using at least 2 different tools. AND those drafting 6-paragraph essays add body paragraph 3 using CEW. Watch out for RESTRICTIVE elements — essential information that identifies WHICH noun. These take NO punctuation: 'The girl who brought cookies is my neighbor' (the who-clause identifies which girl; essential).

• Commas are the default. Reach for parens or dashes when emphasis differs.

  model Commas — mild aside. The who-clause adds info but isn't essential to identify Stevenson.

  prompt Choose tool for: 'Stevenson, who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, has argued capital cases for 30 years.'
• Parens are often used for source/citation info because they're quietest.

  model Parentheses — citation info that the reader can skip if not interested in source detail.

  prompt Choose tool for: 'The Hillsdale study (Education Quarterly 2019, pages 45-58) showed a 23% attention boost.'
• Dashes are loud. Use when you want the reader to pay attention to the aside.

  model Dashes — emphasized aside. The middle clause is meant to interrupt for emphasis.

  prompt Choose tool for: 'Recess matters — and the evidence is overwhelming — to middle-school cognition.'

• Show me with fingers: commas (1), parens (2), dashes (3). 'The author of this study (Dr. Lin, 2020) found a key correlation.' (2)
• Show me: 'The student WHO brought cookies is my neighbor.' Punctuation around 'who brought cookies'? (NONE — restrictive)

M-6-F-GR-12-A Chart

MG-11 enlarged to 18x24. 3-column comparison of the same nonrestrictive aside in commas / parens / dashes. Below each: WHEN TO CHOOSE — commas (mild, default), parens (quieter), dashes (emphasized). Side note: RESTRICTIVE — no punctuation. Worked examples include the Stevenson 30-years example, the Hillsdale source-citation, and the recess-evidence emphasized aside. Dyslexic-friendly font.

MG-11 Chart

Nonrestrictive elements three-tool palette anchor (L.6.2.a): 3-column card showing the same nonrestrictive aside punctuated three ways. COMMAS (mild aside — most common): 'Maya, my neighbor, brought cookies.' PARENTHESES (greater aside — quieter, more parenthetical): 'Maya (my neighbor of three years) brought cookies.' DASHES (emphasized aside — louder, more emphatic): 'Maya — my neighbor — brought cookies.' Below: WHEN TO CHOOSE — commas for ordinary aside; parentheses when the aside is incidental and could be skipped; dashes when the aside is emphatic or interrupts dramatically. Restrictive (essential) elements use NO punctuation: 'The girl who brought cookies is my neighbor.' Print-ready 11x17.

• Draft body paragraph 3 for 6-paragraph essays; for 5-paragraph essays, refine body 1 or 2.

  scaffold MG-3 CEW anchor at desk
• Add at least 2 nonrestrictive elements to your essay using at least 2 different tools. Audit existing paragraphs.

  scaffold MG-11 three-tool palette anchor; punctuation-decision flowchart

M-6-F-GR-12-B Diagram

Print-ready 8.5x11 flowchart. Start: 'Is the aside ESSENTIAL to identify the noun?' If YES → no punctuation (restrictive). If NO → 'How LOUD do you want the aside?' If MILD → commas. If QUIETER → parens. If EMPHASIZED → dashes. Each path has a worked example. Dyslexic-friendly font.

• Share one nonrestrictive element from your draft and the tool you chose.
• Justify the choice — why this tool here?

• Restate the 3 tools and when to use each
• Preview tomorrow's sentence-combining and roots part 2

• Read your full draft (intro + 2 or 3 bodies + counterclaim). Mark spots where a nonrestrictive element would clarify or add interest. Decide which tool.