PowerEd Writing © 2007 The Basic 5-Paragraph Essay Organize your essay and make it easy for the reader to follow your thoughts. Logical & Effective

PowerEd Writing © 2007

The Basic 5-Paragraph Essay

Organize your essay and make it easy for the reader to follow your thoughts.

Logical & Effective


Paragraph 1 – Introduction

• Hook• Tie-in to prompt• Thesis statement with 3 clear

reasons, including one character trait


Example of Paragraph 1

As I sauntered through the local mall, I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear. I was bogged down with heavy, multi-colored shopping bags from all of my favorite stores. Rounding a corner, I spotted a few faculty members from my school seated on a wooden bench. I stopped abruptly and shifted the bags in my hand. Suddenly, I remembered about the upcoming School Advisory meeting and the proposed changes for our school. I figured they were meeting here to discuss it. The School Advisory Committee should institute group work in the classroom because it will help develop cooperation, encourage higher achievement, and improve social skills.

Intro

Tie-in toprompt

Thesis Statement

Sample Essay written by Lauren


Paragraph 2 – First PointBegin with a transition and your first reason from thesis statement

• Example Transitions:– To begin with,– In the first place,

• Follow up with a minimum of 3 solid sentences to support your reason– Use a quote, example, or statistic

• End with a justifier sentence (restate the main idea of the paragraph)

– Use a justifier transition such as: Obviously,

Write On!



To begin with, working with groups should be permitted because it teaches students to be cooperative. This is because kids will have to work together to complete the assignment. My science teacher always reminds us, “Two heads are better than one.” Therefore, two or more people helping each other on classwork can only be beneficial. Just think how students can work cooperatively to tackle an otherwise insufferable assignment. Clearly, changing all classwork to a group effort is an important and helpful idea.

Transition

Quote

Justifier Transition Justifier sentence - persuasive

Restate 1st reason from thesis



Paragraph 3 – Second PointBegin with a transition and your second reason from thesis statement

• Example Transitions:– Additionally,– Equally important,



– Use a justifier transition such as: Clearly,



Additionally, working with partners will almost always mean higher grades. Especially if a student is struggling in a class, his or her peers should be able to assist. A perfect example of this would be at my friend’s school. Most of her teachers allow group participation on assignments. A school wide study showed a 43% increase in class averages after the group work rule was initiated. Furthermore, students learn when they work together because in almost all cases, one person will be stronger than the other and able to help his or her partner. Obviously, completing work with multiple students will allow for improvement in all academic areas.

Transition

Statistic


Restate 2nd reason from thesis



Paragraph 4 – Third PointBegin with a transition and your third reason from thesis statement

• Example Transitions:– Of course,– Furthermore,



– Use a justifier transition such as: Thus,



Moreover, working in groups will help students socially. When a group assignment is issued, it forces kids to interact, discuss, and learn together with one another, which is of the utmost importance. For example, one of the school board’s missions is to help students develop life skills. This means allowing both academic and social skills to be taught in schools. Also, we don’t have enough free time as it is. Some children suffer and begin to dislike attending school because of the lack of interaction among their peers. Thus, partner work will initiate friendships, bonds, and social skills, which will all help a child’s future.

Transition

Example

Justifier Transition

Justifier sentence - persuasive

Restate 3rd reason from thesis



Paragraph 5 – Conclusion

• Re-state thesis in 2+ sentences• Tie-back to hook from intro• Complete introduction

Write On!



Overall, the School Advisory Committee should definitely consider changing the rules about allowing multiple students to work together because it teaches them to get along. Also, children will most likely score higher and develop socially from the experience. Interested, I began to inch closer to my school’s faculty members. I was hoping to overhear their discussion and add some ideas of my own. I decided I should give them my input to help improve my school!

ConcludeTie-back to intro

Restate Thesis Statement



Here’s another example!

This essay written by Lauren begins with a quote introduction.

Write On!



William James once said, “Act as though what you do makes a difference. It does.” Basically, people don’t realize that what they do effects everything. This is also true about watching Reality TV. It can effect your mood, which can effect the mood of someone else who is around you. Watching Reality TV is like throwing a rock into a pond. The ripples spread out to the edges of the pond, just like what people do effects everyone until it reaches the end of the Earth. Audiences prefer Reality TV as opposed to other types of programs because it is humorous, unique, and has a sense of adventure.

Significant Quote

Tie-in toprompt

Thesis Statement


Transition & Explanation



Initially, Reality TV is humorous. Who doesn’t like a good laugh once in a while? Everyone needs a stress reliever every few days so that they won’t end up like an old man yelling, “Hey, kids, get off my lawn!!” For instance, I once had a terrible day at school. I failed a test; I had a gigantic fight with my friend, and I tripped in front of a cute guy. When I got home, I turned on the T.V. My favorite show, “Survivor,” was on; they were eating bugs to survive. I laughed so hard that I nearly cried. I forgot about all my troubles and relaxed. Clearly, Reality TV makes your gut bust from laughing so much.

Transition

Example


Justifier sentence

Restate 1st reason from thesis




Additionally, Reality T.V. is one of a kind. What other type of T.V. would have the crazy situations and unpredictable events that Reality T.V. has? It is not “played out” like many shows, so it is always candid. Fights can break out and love can bloom on these types of shows. My mother always says, “Normal is overrated. Without unpredictability, life is too boring.” In other words, people want to see something that is unscripted. Thus, a one-in-a-million type of T.V. is Reality T.V.

Transition

Quote

Justifier TransitionJustifier sentence

Restate 2nd reason from thesis




Furthermore, Reality T.V. is adventurous. Who doesn’t like to watch other people do crazy and phenomenal stunts while sitting in the comfort of their own couch? It’s the adventure on the show that makes everyone keep watching. A recent survey in the Sun-Sentinel showed that four out of five people prefer action stories or shows, as opposed to comedy and drama. Obviously, the sense of adventure prominent in many Reality T.V. shows is enjoyed by viewers everywhere .

Transition

Statistic

Justifier Transition Justifier sentence

Restate 3rd reason from thesis




All in all, Reality T.V. is enjoyed by viewers because it is one of a kind television and completely hilarious to watch. Also, it is full of action. It is very tempting to watch other programs on television because some people do not like Reality T.V. Yet, we still watch the cast put their lives in danger anyway. And we love it!! William James hit the nail on the head with that quote. Everything you do, or watch, makes a difference!

ConcludeTie-back to intro

Restate Thesis Statement



Here’s another example!

This essay written by Christian uses a generalized statement in the introduction.

Write On!



Having a curfew for all children under the age of sixteen requiring them to be inside their homes before 8:00 p.m. is a great idea. First, the mayor should keep the 8:00 p.m. curfew because it keeps children safe. Next, it give parents the reassurance that their kids are where they are supposed to be. Finally, it will stop problems caused by young drivers who are out at night.

General StatementTime Order Transitions

3 Detail Statements

Sample Essay written by Christian



To begin with, the curfew should be kept because it keeps children safe. Studies show that 87% of fights and child abuse occurs past 8:00 p.m. Many terrible people are out at night in search of children to harm. If a curfew is set for kids not to be out alone without parents, then a majority of the child abuse will be obliterated. It also lets kids know that they will be okay at night and not have to worry. Obviously, an 8:00 p.m. curfew will keep children safer at night.

Transition

Statistic

Justifier TransitionJustifier sentence - persuasive

Restate 1st detail statement




Furthermore, the curfew would let parents know their children are going to be okay. For example, if a child is not at home by 8:00 p.m. after being out in the late afternoon, then parents would know that something is definitely wrong. Giving them a curfew would also mean that they will be home earlier. Then the parents won’t have to commiserate when something happens to their beloved children. Clearly, the curfew will help parents not stress out at night waiting for their children to come home after they’ve been waiting long hours.

TransitionExample


Justifier sentence - persuasive

Restate 2nd detail statement




Finally, having a curfew will stop accidents and problems caused by young drivers at night. As my grandma always said, “Young kids don’t have any business driving around late at night.” Giving young drivers a curfew will stop them from doing puerile or puckish acts that they will regret for the rest of their lives. Most of the drunk driving accidents are usually caused because young drivers feel like it’s cool to drink, and then, through an egregious idea, drive home like they didn’t do absolutely anything wrong. If a curfew like this is set, then young men who have just received their license will know that they have to get home soon and have less time to get into trouble. Thus, having an 8:00 p.m. curfew will stop most of the young driver accidents and keep the streets safer at night.

Transition

Quote


Restate 3rd detail statement




To conclude, the underage curfew should be enacted because it will keep children safe, let parents know where their children are, and will stop accidents caused by young drivers from occurring. I guess my grandma was right. Kids definitely should not be out too late. Having an 8:00 p.m. curfew is a great idea and should be used in every town in the world to keep kids safe!

ConcludeTie-back to supporting detail

Thesis Statement


Documents

PowerEd Writing © 2007 The Basic 5-Paragraph Essay Organize your essay and make it easy for the reader to follow your thoughts. Logical & Effective