There is quite an ongoing debate about the 5 paragraph essay. Is it a good thing to teach? Is it stifling young writers’ creativity? Does it teach real writing?
As for me, I started out by loving the 5 paragraph essay: It was predictable, easy to use and so formulaic that I could write a paper in no time at all. My first few years of teaching I taught it or some form similar to it depending on the grade level I was teaching: second graders with 5 sentence paragraphs (topic sentence, 3 supporting detail sentences, 1 closing), sixth graders with 3-5 paragraphs.
But then, I questioned my methods. Was I becoming a horrible writing teacher as I demanded a certain number of this and that in order for students to pass an assignment? So, for a while I decided to downplay my instruction on five paragraphs and give students a looser structure where, after planning with a web, they could group their ideas and begin writing. The problem was that some kids were just not getting it. It wasn’t making sense.
It was at that point that I reminded myself about music and jazz and how it isn’t until you really know the form of something that you can truly be creative. see When You Can Make it Jazz And I remembered how learning about the 5 paragraph essay not only helped me to form a good paper, but, in a sense, set me free to explore and expand a topic.
Now, as a fourth grade teacher, I do fully explain the 5 paragraph essay and the 5 sentence paragraph, but as my young writers start to come into their own, they find their own ways to be free in those structures.
“Can I add another paragraph? Or do I need to only write 5?”
“Of course you can!”
“I don’t have that many details for this. Can I only put in two supports?”
“If it works in your piece. Let’s look.”
“I have so many things to add. Can I add them all?”
“Well, let’s see, you need 5 paragraphs. What is necessary for your paper? Can you form a whole other paragraph with some of your ideas? Or do you need to generate more information?…”
This allowance for conversations is great. And many of them come about because students know the expectations – the structure. And from there, they are free to expand their ideas. Most of all, though, it is a frame of mind I have created for myself. I have created a structure for them, but am free to push them into better writing.
I, too, struggle with the 5 paragraph essay. I am currently in the middle of a writing project with my seventh graders, each of whom has a educational disability. All year we have worked on what goes into a “good” paragraph. Have they mastered this? Not all of them, yet I feel compelled to raise the bar and add intro and conclusion paragraphs.
Even with modeling and outlines they are still “not getting it”. We have been writing now for almost 2 weeks on the same topic. I want to scrap the whole project, but I do not want to “quit” on my students. Do I focus on quality, or do I just make sure that they follow the formula? I’m torn.
Interesting dilema… I have the same “continue or scrap it” one with some of my piano students when we hit a wall and things just aren’t getting better no matter what.
I guess there comes a time when you have to call it quits before you kill the desire to work (or play, or practice, or write) I have to wonder if, with a writing form, re-exposing students to the same structure with a variety of topics will somehow help them to get it someday… maybe the right topic will help them. And who knows the right topic until you try it, right? At some point it has to click, even if it’s not when you get to see it happen. 🙁 (The true essence of writing didn’t click for me until college.)
Please, would love to hear more about how your seventh graders do with this… Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. I look forward to hearing more from you in the future! I think nurses and teachers have a lot in common. Would love to share resources maybe… (nice website)
please help me i need to do a 5 paragraph essay on allownace why its good to have one ! pleaseee help !!!! its due by tomorow !