Write a topic sentence. The opening sentence of a paragraph should contain the controlling idea that directs the development of the whole paragraph. In an essay about the effects of globalization, for example, the controlling idea could concern distribution of wealth.
Explain the controlling idea. Use the paragraph's second sentence to give the rationale behind your choice of the controlling idea. In other words, explain your thinking behind that choice of idea. For instance, clarify why globalization has affected distribution of wealth.
Write an example or several examples. Provide evidence to support the controlling idea and the explanation of the topic. The examples should enable the reader to have a clearer picture as to why the idea is relevant to the essay. Examples that support the idea of distribution of wealth might give information about average income per capita from countries affected by globalization.
Explain each example. Tell the reader why each example was chosen, and link each example specifically to the controlling idea.
Complete the paragraph with a concluding sentence. One way to do that is to summarize why all of the information you presented is related to the essay's subject. An alternative is to transition into the next paragraph. A paragraph about distribution of wealth might conclude with a mention of the next effect you wish to discuss, such as loss of cultural identity.
Verify that you explained all the examples in the paragraph. Lack of explanation may confuse the reader and decrease the paragraph's effectiveness.
Check that all examples are relevant to the controlling idea. Remove examples that are not directly related to the paragraph's topic. Irrelevant ideas will cause the reader to have to reread the paragraph or may make him stop reading.
Decide whether or not the paragraph is coherent. The sentences in the paragraph should appear in a logical order. If one example supports the controlling idea better than another example, then it should appear first.