Five Paragraph Essay Notes

1. Five Paragraph Essay Notes Eighth Grade English Language Arts

2. Five Paragraph Essay • Five paragraphs in expository writing • Introduction- Usually a paragraph with a Thesis Statement as the last sentence of the paragraph. In this essay it will just be a Thesis Statement • Body Paragraph 1- Topic Sentence, Developing Idea, Quotation, Analysis of Quotation, Transition • Body Paragraph 2- Topic Sentence, Developing Idea, Quotation, Analysis of Quotation, Transition • Body Paragraph 3-Topic Sentence, Developing Idea, Quotation, Analysis of Quotation, conclusion • Conclusion

3. Body Paragraphs (2-4) • Has a guiding topic sentence. • Connects a specific example/point back to the thesis statement. • Provides textual evidence in support of both the thesis statement/topic sentence. • Analyzes the text specifically and in detail. • Begins with a transition to the new idea explored in the body paragraph and • Concludes by tying the ideas in the paragraph back to the “so what” point.

4. DO NOT: • Summarize. • Introduce the next idea/point/paragraph in conclusion. • Develop a completely new argument akin to a separate thesis statement

5. Topic Sentence • TOPs (Topic Sentence) is the main idea of the paragraph (not a detail) • The TOPs is one sentence in length • It is the first sentence of a body paragraph • It is the interpretation or argument that the entire paragraph will focus on

6. Developing Idea • The TOPs is followed by a developing idea. • The developing idea develops the TOPs. It further expands on the idea in the TOPs • Answers how and why • The developing idea is 1-3 sentences immediately following the TOPs.

7. Example and Quotation • Example from story- The example illustrates the TOPs in 1-2 sentences. • Quotation- Quotations are taken from the text and cited properly. • They are integrated into the example. • Quotations provide PROOF of the argument or interpretation. • 1-3 sentences

8. Quotations • Quotations should not be any longer than three lines in your essay– more than that, and it is considered a block quote. • The quoted text can be but is not necessarily spoken. • Whatever appears between quotations marks should be exactly what the text/person wrote or said. • Quotations should be followed by a page number in parentheses. • Punctuation must appear within quotation marks, but outside of parentheses.

9. Ways to Integrate Quotations: • Introduce the quotation with a complete sentence and a colon. • Use an introductory or explanatory phrase, but not a complete sentence, separated from the quotation with a comma. • Make the quotation a part of your own sentence without any punctuation between your own words and the words you are quoting. • Use short quotations--only a few words--as part of your own sentence.

10. Dialogue Tags • When you introduce a quote, it is too easy to say: Odysseus thinks, ‘….’ or Penelope says, ‘…’ • Instead, use dialogue tags to make evident your understanding of the emotion being displayed by these characters.

11. Dialogue Tags

12. Inference or Analysis of Quotation • Inference or Analysis of the Quotation- An analysis of the quote in relation to the TOPs. • It is NOT a summary, it is an analysis. • How does this quotation prove your argument • DO NOT Start your analysis with “This quote says/shows/means/proves/etc.” • Show don’t tell! • 2-4sentences

13. Concluding Sentence • The conclusion is the final sentence of the body paragraph. • It is NOT a recap of the paragraph. • The conclusion interconnects the main idea of the paragraph with the “so what-ness”? • The conclusion illustrates the significance and consequences of your idea.

14. Concluding Paragraphs • A conclusion should • Restate the TAG • stress the importance of the thesis statement, • give the essay a sense of completeness, and • leave a final impression on the reader. • A conclusion is usually two to four sentences but in this case it can only be one, as long as it includes: • TAG + How we read the text (characterization) + Main Idea 1 + Main Idea 2 + Main Idea 3 + SW • Through the use of characterization in his epic, The Odyssey, Homer illustrates how only by virtue of (character’s name and character’s three traits) are the kingdom and justice restored in Ithaca.

15. Transition Sentences • Transition sentences are one sentence in length. • They connect to the topic sentence and show how that idea is also impacted by your next idea.

16. More: • Address the promptimmediately, do not take a circuitous route with generalizations. • Be thorough and specific. Do not simply “point out” strategies. Explain how they are used, give examples, and show how they establish what the question is asking. • Use clear transitions that help the reader follow the flow of your essay. Keep your paragraphs organized and do not digress.

17. And still more: • Write to express, not to impress. Keep vocabulary within your zone of competence. • Maintain an economy of language: saying much with few words. The best student writers see much, but say it quite succinctly. • Create a draft. There is a template for drafting a five paragraph essay in your writing packet. USE IT!