5 paragraph essay
Five Paragraph Essay Format:
I- Introduction
A- Subject sentence
B- General statements about subject
C- Thesis Statement
II- Topic Sentence
A- Support Sentence (II, III, and IV make up the Body of the Essay)
B- Support Sentence
C- Support Sentence
III- Topic Sentence
A- Support Sentence
B- Support Sentence
C- Support Sentence
IV- Topic Sentence
A- Support Sentence
B- Support Sentence
C- Support Sentence
V- Conclusion
Restatement of summary of main ideas presented in the paper.
Final comments.
Conclusion Paragraph: Should leave readers with a clear understanding of your research, summarize the main points, and possibly discuss what has been strengthened or changed in your thinking about the subject.
Example:
Today, two decades after the first publication of Bless Me, Ultima, a new generation of Chicano writers is passing on “the whispers of the blood.” “There seems to be a new wave in Chicano literature and visual art-- it’s booming,” affirms Anaya. Bless Me, Ultima, and Anaya’s other works are now studied in high school and college literature classes around the country. “It’s our turn to influence the American language, and American literature,” the author says. “The next step is to influence the American consciousness.”
8 sentence Paragraph and 3 paragraph essay
8 sentence paragraph format:
1-Topic
2- Concrete detail #1 about topic
3- Commentary about Concrete detail #1
4- Another comment about the detail #1
5- Concrete detail #2 about topic
6- Commentary about detail #2
7- Another comment about detail #2
8- Conclusion Sentence that is all commentary
EXAMPLE:
1- Many people the world over love to play guitar.
2- Guitars are one of the most popular of all instruments.
3- I think people like guitars because they sound great.
4- I also think that guitars are so popular because they are easy to play.
5- There are also more manufacturers of guitars than there are of pianos or flutes.
6- Many guitar manufacturers may mean that there are a lot of guitars available.
7- Many guitars available might mean lower prices for guitars as compared to pianos.
8- With so many guitars available, is it any wonder lots of people like to play such an easy and great sounding instrument?
Three Paragraph Essay Format:
I- Introduction
A- Subject sentence
B- General statements about subject
C- Thesis Statement
II- Topic Sentence
A- Support Sentence (II makes up the Body of the Essay)
B- Support Sentence
C- Support Sentence
III- Conclusion
Restatement of summary of main ideas presented in the paper.
Final comments.
Constructing a Body Paragraph
& Creating a 5 Paragraph Essay
Paragraph format:
Topic Sentence
a- Support sentence
b-Support sentence
c-Support sentence
Concluding sentence
Composing An Essay
Pre-Writing:
Brainstorming - Free association, simply list thoughts in any order without taking time to edit or criticize your ideas. Then, organize in a logical pattern.
Clustering - Place the main idea in a circle in the middle of a piece of paper. Make lines that radiate out from the main idea to more circles that contain relevant ideas. This process is repeated with more ideas until all relevant ideas are exhausted. Following the pattern of ideas contains the skeleton of your essay, the outline.
Free writing - Writing a series of quickly written pieces. This should enable you to put in writing the main ideas of your paper.
Journal writing - Similar to quick writing exercises, except your writings are kept in a journal where others can’t see.
Outline - Can be completed after or instead of the above exercises. Organizes material into a logical sequence. Should include: title, introduction, body, conclusion, and a rough bibliography if you use any sources or quotes outside yourself. Informal Outline - similar, except that categories are established and divided into sub- categories. The familiar and traditional pattern: I, A.1.2., B.1.2., etc.
Essay Organization:
* The Introduction - one or two paragraphs that introduce your topic. The introduction includes a thesis statement, a single sentence that states a topic or an opinion.
* The Body - Several paragraphs that present your thoughts or evidence in an original manner. Each paragraph should be organized around a topic sentence that relates to your thesis statement.
* The Conclusion - Usually no more than one paragraph that brings closure to your paper. It should include a restatement and an abbreviated review of your ideas presented in the main body of your essay.
Developing a Thesis
* An effective thesis statement presents a topic of discussion and an opinion about that topic. e.g. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Harper Lee’s Too Kill a Mockingbird question social justice in rural Depression era America.
The First Draft
* Experienced writers begin their first draft after completing pre-writing exercises.
* When you write your first draft, do not edit extensively. You want to work on flow - putting words down on paper.
* Write more than you will need. You can and should edit later.
* Good writers allow enough time to work on several drafts. It is usually a good idea to put your paper aside for several days and then return to it to edit and revise. It is usually a bad idea to wait until the night before your paper is due to write it. It is always a bad idea to try to write your paper the day it is due.
Revision
During the revision process, you need to become critical of your paper. You will need to edit, change and add more information to make your paper more effective. Keep the following questions in mind while revising your paper:
* Is the thesis statement clear?
* Are there adequate examples and ideas and are they clear?
* Are the paragraphs effective? Should one be divided into two, or two combined into one and rewritten?
* Are there excess words or redundant ideas that can be edited?
* Is the purpose of the essay accomplished?
* Did you cite your sources if you used any quotes?
* Did you develop a complete Bibliography if you used any sources outside of yourself?
Proof Reading
Always proof read your essay before submitting it.
* Use a spell-check, or read both forewords and backwards to spot spelling errors and incorrect word sequences. Remember, spell-checks will not find correctly spelled words that are in the wrong place.
* Have a friend, relative or another teacher read your paper.
* Check for grammatical errors, especially commas that might be in the wrong place.
+++ ALWAYS KEEP A COPY OF YOUR ESSAY OR SAVE IT TO DISK/CD. PAPERS HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN LOST OR DISAPPEAR WITHOUT A TRACE!!!
Good Luck!
