5 paragragh essay
Many students find it challenging to write a good essay. Often the main challenge is to organize and develop the ideas and arguments in a clear and coherent way. Sometimes a step-by-step description can help students on the way and make essay writing a more manageable task. The five paragraph essay is often assigned to students to help them in this process.
Alternatives to the 5 Paragraph Essay
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Log in or Sign up. Let's see. There are five senses, five fingers, five great lakes, 5-star restaurants - heck, five golden rings! Ok, I'll never sing again. Take my word for it; the number five is really important. We associate five with prime numbers, major world religions and yes, even the standard for basic essay construction. The 5-paragraph essay is really a tried and true format that allows writers to adequately argue their thesis as well as provide readers a full circle experience by including an introduction and a conclusion.
Some may say so, but this writing format really is the perfect example of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Meet my friend Connie. Connie recently started a new semester at Five Rivers Academy. On the first day of class, and without much instruction, her new teacher assigns an essay on the most influential pop star of the last decade. While other students in her class panic, the calm and confident Connie knows exactly what to do.
Not only does she love any chance to sing the praises of her idol, the desire of her affection, the reason she gets up in the morning - Just'n Beeber - she also remembers that constructing an essay around the always-important 'five' provides the perfect balance of information. All she needs is one introduction paragraph to grab readers' attention and present her argument in a thesis; three body paragraphs to argue each point identified in her thesis; and one conclusion paragraph to reiterate the importance of her ideas and leave the reader with a sense of closure.
You can find additional information on the specifics of each type of essay paragraph in other videos for this course. Connie knows that the most important element of the introductory paragraph , perhaps even the whole paper, is the thesis statement. The thesis will identify the argument she'll make through her research and provide readers with a preview of the essay's main points. Without a properly formatted thesis statement, Connie's essay is doomed to failure. Since Connie has three body paragraphs to make her argument, she'll need to make sure she has - that's right - three main points or one for each paragraph.
Let's look at her thesis: 'Due to his supportive family, influential mentors and firm desire to succeed, Just'n Beeber is undoubtedly the most influential artist of the last decade. This one sentence provides readers with a wealth of information. What is Connie arguing? She'll use her research to make the case that Just'n Beeber is the most influential artist of the last decade.
Readers will most likely know that Just'n Beeber is successful, but an opponent could easily take issue with identifying 'the Beebs' as the most influential artist of the past ten years. We know her thesis is arguable and not simply setting up a report on the artist.
How is she going to prove her argument? Here is where the body paragraphs come into play. Connie will identify quality information to support each of her claims identified in the thesis.
In the order she laid out, Connie will devote one paragraph to the support Just'n receives from his family, one paragraph to the influence his mentors have in the industry and one paragraph on the importance of his desire to succeed. When considering the evidence to incorporate in her argument, it's important for Connie to stick with a variety of quality, up-to-date information from reliable sources. Databases, validated educational websites and official music industry publications are all examples of reliable sources.
Simply trolling the 'I Love Beeber' chat room for unconfirmed rumors posted by her BFF, Jane, doesn't give Connie's argument much authority and leads to an unreliable essay full of holes.
It's also important that as Connie drafts each of her body paragraphs, she stays focused on the topic of each particular paragraph and does not confuse her readers with unrelated information. For example, a personal opinion on how much Connie loves Just'n or his rumored break-up with Celina Gomez has nothing to do with the importance of his influential mentors and has no business winding up in that body paragraph. In fact, as a general rule of thumb, personal statements on the subject of her essay like 'I think' or 'I feel' really have no place in a formal essay anyway.
Connie needs to be sure each paragraph previews the specific argument in a topic sentence , and remains focused on the argument throughout.
While crafting each sentence of her essay, Connie should ask herself if the information she is about to provide helps prove the argument of the paragraph, and if it ultimately serves to support her thesis as a whole. As she completes one body paragraph and moves to the next, Connie also must keep in mind that readers want a transition from one idea to the next. While it is true that each paragraph should remain focused on a single idea, the paragraph is also one part of a whole argument.
As a writer, Connie needs to ease her audience through the ideas she presents. She can do this by alerting readers to a change of ideas and previewing the ideas to come.
After completing the body of her essay, Connie is ready to draft a conclusion. Conclusions, like introductions, are super important to the overall success of an essay. Just as the thesis lays the groundwork for the entire direction and argument of an essay, the conclusion provides the readers with their last impression of the writer and the strength of his or her argument.
Unfortunately, the introduction and conclusion paragraphs are the most often overlooked and are therefore the difference between an average argument and a well-planned and well-written argument. But no worries; Connie is calm and confident and still knows what to do. Having put in the necessary work, and double-checked her final essay for errors; Connie is ready to submit her 5-star essay. She remembered that one introduction paragraph plus three body paragraphs plus one conclusion paragraph equals five paragraphs and, ultimately, success.
As her peers continue to struggle with the assignment, Connie is confident that she made a logical and convincing argument. Now, I think Connie really appreciates the importance of the number five!
After watching this lesson, you should be able to construct a five-paragraph essay based on the do's and don'ts of basic essay structure.
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I am a student I am a teacher. Try Study. Cancel anytime. What teachers are saying about Study. Coming up next: How to Organize an Essay. Just checking in. Are you still watching? Keep playing. Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds. Save Save Save. Want to watch this again later? Create an account. How to Write a Thesis Statement. What is a Body Paragraph?
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The concluding paragraph must summarize the essay. This is often the most difficult paragraph to write. In your conclusion, you should restate the thesis and. The introductory paragraph should also include the thesis statement, a kind of mini-outline for the paper: it tells the reader what the essay is about. The last.
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That just about everyone reading this is well-familiar with the 5-paragraph essay is a testament to why it needs to be retired, and by retired, I mean killed dead, double-tap zombie-style, lest it rise again. The 5-paragraph essay is indeed a genre, but one that is entirely uncoupled from anything resembling meaningful work when it comes to developing a fully mature writing process. If writing is like exercise, the 5-paragraph essay is more Ab Belt than sit-up.
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The 5-paragraph essay is the most common academic task a student may face. Because the majority of these examinations restrict the student in time, you should be ready for the writing section. Try to memorize the structure of the 5-paragraph academic essay on any topic. It makes it possible to complete the assignments faster and efficiently. The best part of the five-paragraph essay is that it is rather flexible regarding the topic choice and various writing formats.
Kill the 5-Paragraph Essay
Introduction: Introductory Paragraph See, first, Writing Introductory Paragraphs for different ways of getting your reader involved in your essay. The introductory paragraph should also include the thesis statement, a kind of mini-outline for the paper: it tells the reader what the essay is about. The last sentence of this paragraph must also contain a transitional "hook" which moves the reader to the first paragraph of the body of the paper. The first paragraph of the body should contain the strongest argument, most significant example, cleverest illustration, or an obvious beginning point. The first sentence of this paragraph should include the "reverse hook" which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the introductory paragraph. The topic for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence. This topic should relate to the thesis statement in the introductory paragraph. The last sentence in this paragraph should include a transitional hook to tie into the second paragraph of the body. The second paragraph of the body should contain the second strongest argument, second most significant example, second cleverest illustration, or an obvious follow up the first paragraph in the body. The first sentence of this paragraph should include the reverse hook which ties in with the transitional hook at the end of the first paragraph of the body.
When it comes to writing essays in college, we all need a place to start. Think of the five-paragraph essay as just that.
Still, teaching students to organize essays into the five-paragraph format is an easy way to introduce them to writing literary criticism, which will be tested time and again throughout their primary, secondary, and further education. The introduction is the first paragraph in your essay, and it should accomplish a few specific goals: capture the reader's interest, introduce the topic, and make a claim or express an opinion in a thesis statement.
The Definition of 5-Paragraph Essay
The five-paragraph essay is a format of essay having five paragraphs : one introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs with support and development, and one concluding paragraph. Because of this structure, it is also known as a hamburger essay , one three one , or a three-tier essay. The five-paragraph essay is a form of essay having five paragraphs :. The introduction serves to inform the reader of the basic premises, and then to state the author's thesis , or central idea. A thesis can also be used to point out the subject of each body paragraph. When a thesis essay is applied to this format, the first paragraph typically consists of a narrative hook , followed by a sentence that introduces the general theme, then another sentence narrowing the focus of the one previous. If the author is using this format for a text-based thesis, then a sentence quoting the text, supporting the essay-writer's claim, would typically go here, along with the name of the text and the name of the author. Example: "In the book Night , Elie Wiesel says After this, the author narrows the discussion of the topic by stating or identifying a problem. Often, an organizational sentence is used here to describe the layout of the paper. Finally, the last sentence of the first paragraph of such an essay would state the thesis the author is trying to prove. The thesis is often linked to a "road map" for the essay, which is basically an embedded outline stating precisely what the three body paragraphs will address and giving the items in the order of the presentation. Not to be confused with an organizational sentence, a thesis merely states "The book Night follows Elie Wiesel's journey from innocence to experience," while an organizational sentence directly states the structure and order of the essay. Basically, the thesis statement should be proven throughout the essay.
Structuring the Five-Paragraph Essay: Examples of Five-Paragraph Essays
Its sturdy structure provides students with a safe and organized way to express their thoughts. The introduction enables them to stake a claim with the thesis. The body paragraphs are where they can make assertions and provide the supporting details to prove their argument. The conclusion wraps it all up, reinforcing the main ideas. Many students need that predictability. They need that familiar structure to develop a thoughtful progression of ideas. Teachers know what to expect from five-paragraph essays, too.
