5 Paragraph Essay on Technology
This past weekend, as I was writing a “1,500 words minimum” essay for one of my classes, my girlfriend introduced me to the “5 paragraph essay”, and it changed my life. I grew up and went to school Dominican Republic primarily, where I never learned this technique which is commonly taught in the U.S. according to a non-scientific and very short survey I did of my coworkers (7:1 did learn it in school). This is merely an attempt at documenting how to accomplish this, so that you too, can write — and write well.
Their responses aren’t unexpected. During our discussion, I admit to students that I’ve been guilty of (over)teaching the 5-paragraph essay. I also tell them, however, that the longer I teach, the more I realize that some of my former teaching practices weren’t always best practices, though I didn’t realize it at the time (former students: my apologies). But when you know better, you do better. Some students seem surprised to hear a teacher admit such a thing, but it’s all about having growth mindset, right?
Not necessarily. The word count of a five-paragraph essay can vary widely depending on the topic, level of detail in each paragraph, and specific instructions provided by the teacher or professor. While some five-paragraph essays might be around 500 words, others could be shorter or longer.
5 Paragraph Essay on What Makes A Good Friend
when I ask students to tell me what they know about writing, they almost always recite a list of rules. They tell me how they were taught to never start a sentence with because, how the thesis statement always goes at the end of the introduction, how thesis statements need three reasons, how first person isn’t allowed in formal essays, how paragraphs are 6-8 sentences long, and on and on. When students find out later that these rules aren’t really rules at all, they feel offended. As perhaps they should be.
A five-paragraph essay typically ranges from 500 to 1000 words in total length. The essay word count may vary based on the specific requirements provided by the assignment or academic standards set by the instructor.
Much has already been written about the limitations of the 5-paragraph essay form. In particular, I’d suggest looking up what college educators and have written on the topic. While I suspect that many readers of this blog have already moved beyond the 5-paragraph essay, I admit that I have only recently begun to break free of this form. As another school year gets underway, and before we settle back into tried-but-not-true practices, I thought I’d share how my own thinking about the 5-paragraph essay form has been challenged and how my practices have shifted, finally, to writing in the wild.
the 5-paragraph essay to my ninth-graders. And I was good at it. I think one reason I taught it for so long was because it was all I ever knew as a teacher. Let’s face it, teacher preparation programs don’t generally do a good job at teaching writing instruction. I went to the University of Pennsylvania for my graduate program, and while I learned a lot about education as a whole, two methods classes aren’t enough to teach anyone about what it really means to be a writer or to teach writing to others. As a young, new teacher, I welcomed the structure—yes, the rigidness—that the 5-paragraph essay offered. After all, I had other things to worry about, like reading all the books I had to teach and managing a classroom of skeptical teenagers.
5 Paragraph Essay on Climate Change
The 5-paragraph essay was also easier to grade. It’s much easier to check if a student’s essay fulfills a template than it is to approach each student essay as its own unique piece of writing, with its own form, structure, purpose, and voice. To approach writing instruction sans formula is messy. Really messy. Last year, when I decided to try a different approach with my ninth graders, there were many days I went home feeling like the worst teacher in the world. My own inexperience in teaching students to write sans formula was reflected in the writing they produced. Their writing was messy. I questioned myself. I wondered if I made a mistake.
Here are some common and trending topics for 5-paragraph essays:
And yes, when teaching students to move from sentence to paragraph to multi-paragraph writing, it seems to streamline the process of explaining essays and what they are meant to accomplish. Unfortunately, by simplifying essay-writing, we’re dumbing it down. As my 15-year-old puts it: They said we’d learn the rules so we could break them later. When do we get to start breaking them?
A Complete 500 Word Essay Writing Guide
This is just one way to write an essay, in this case one with 5 paragraphs, and there’s no rule set in stone for the correct amount of paragraphs to use in an essay. This newfound knowledge will help me as I move forward with my studies and I’m required to write better and clearer. I hope it helps you too.
Transition Words For Essays - The Ultimate List For 2025
As Nunnally put it so succinctly, “Students should be encouraged to see the FPT (five paragraph theme) for what it is: a helpful but contrived exercise.” Keep in mind that he wrote that sentence 25 years ago, when many of today’s English/Language Arts teachers were still in school. No wonder they don’t know how to teach outside this format. It’s what they learned as students.
1000 Word Essay - A Simple Guide With Examples
To write a five paragraph essay, start with an introductory paragraph that includes a hook to capture your audience’s attention, and a thesis that explains the main point you’re trying to make. Then, use the next 3 paragraphs to explain 3 separate points that support your thesis. As you explain each point, use evidence from your research or examples in the text you’re discussing. Finally, conclude your essay with a paragraph summing up the points you’ve made and telling the reader how those points support your thesis.