The Traditional Five – Paragraph Essay

1. The Traditional Five – Paragraph Essay The Three Main Parts: Introduction, Body, and Conclusion

2. OVERALL STRUCTURE OF THE FIVE-PARAGRAPH ESSAY Introduction: Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Body: Tell them. Conclusion: Tell them what you’ve told them.

3. I. Introduction:The First Paragraph of the Essay • The first paragraph of the five – paragraph is called the introduction. In a non – persuasive essay, it about three to five sentences long. • These three to five sentences make up the three main parts of the introduction. • The three main parts of the introductory paragraph are named as follows: the Lead-In, the Transition, and the Thesis Statement/Essay Map. They may be explained as follows:

4. The Lead-In: a very general sentence or sentences that simply introduce(s) the subject (topic) of the essay.1. Example: I do not remember when and why my father disappeared from our life, but I do remember that we have never felt his absence because my mother was always there for us through good times and bad times.

5. Transition: A Slightly more specific sentence or sentences that identify/ies the particular aspect of the topic that will be discussed in the essay. In other words, the transition narrows the topic.1. Example: My mother Enriqueta F. Garcia has three children, all girls.Throughout the years of raising us, she has been the source of love and strength for us girls.2. The particular aspect identified is that her mother has been a source of love and strength for her daughters.

6. Thesis Statement-Essay Map. The Thesis Statement is the main idea of the entire essay. In this case, the Thesis Statement is that the author’s mother is an amazing woman. The Essay Map is the list of the three main ideas that will be developed in the Body Paragraphs: in this essay, they are: performs the double role of a mother and a father, holds a full-time job, and still manages to tend to all her daughters’ needs. 3. Example: She is an amazing woman who performs the double role of a mother and a father, holds a full-time job, and still manages to tend to all our needs.

7. II. The Body Paragraph: Three Main ComponentsA. Topic Sentence1. The topic sentence is the sentence that expresses the main idea of the body paragraph, which is one of the three main supporting ideas presented in the Essay Map. a. Example: First, my mother hasalways been both a Mom and a Dad to us since we were little.

8. Supporting Details1. The supporting details are the specific pieces of information that clarify, explain, illustrate and develop the main idea expressed in the Topic Sentence. A. Example: 1. Like a father, she 1brings in the money, 2pays the bills, 3sets the rules, and 4disciplines us whenever it is needed. But even though she is 5rough and tough, she 6has a loving and tender heart.

9. Like all mothers, she 7bandages our wounds, 8gives us kisses,9talks “girl talk” to us, or 10simply holds us when we want to be held. C. Concluding Sentence1. The concluding sentence gives closure to the paragraph by paraphrasing the Topic Sentence. a. Example:In short, despite the absence of my father, we have never felt that emotional void because my mother has been doing an outstanding job of filling both a mother’s and a father’s role.

10. III. The Concluding Paragraph: Four Main Components A. Paraphrase of the Lead-In 1. Example: In conclusion, as one can see, thanks to our mother, our father’s absence from our world was never a painful issue for my sisters and me. B. Paraphrase of the Transition 2. Example: My mother is a strong, loving woman

11. Paraphrase of Thesis Statement and Essay Map • 1. Example: who, amazingly, has been both a Mom and a Dad to us as well as being a competent accountant and compassionate caregiver.

12. Statement emphasizing and expanding the importance of the topic • 1. Example: Her giving spirit and dedication to her work and family have been an inspiration to us, and we will try our very best to be just like her so that we can instill those values in our own children.