How to Write a 5 Paragraph Essay

One of our big goals is that "we can read a historical source, form our own opinions, and express them in a 5 paragraph essay." Writing a 5 paragraph essay is important, because people who do not know us will judge us by our writing! In the future, when we go to 7th grade, when we take the SAT tests, when we apply to college, and when we apply for jobs, we can use the 5 paragraph essay format to impress others with our wonderful writing!

The 5 paragraph essay consists of 5 paragraphs:

• Paragraph 1: Introduction
• Paragraph 2: First body paragraph, about your first reason given in your introduction.
• Paragraph 3: Second body paragraph, about your second reason given in your introduction.
• Paragraph 4: Third body paragraph, about your third reason given in your introduction.
• Paragraph 5: Conclusion

Introduction

Below is a graphic organizer to help you write an introduction to a 5 paragraph essay.

Sentence 1: Don’t mention the topic. Be creative, and come up with a sentence that is going to make me want to keep reading. Remember…I’m picky!

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Sentence 2: Introduce the topic, but don’t tell me your opinion yet.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Sentence 3: Answer the question. Remember…don’t use “I”!!!! State it like it’s a fact straight from the textbook.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Sentence 4: Give me 3 reasons that prove your opinion is correct.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Body Paragraphs

Click on this link for a graphic organizer to help you write your body paragraphs. For each body paragraph, include 3 details that prove your reason is correct. Below are some transitions to help you with your writing:

• To begin with
• Also
• Next
• First
• Second
• Third
• For example
• Furthermore
• Lastly

Conclusion

Below is a graphic organizer to help you write a conclusion to a 5 paragraph essay.

Sentence 1: Restate your 3 reasons, a little bit differently than you did in the introduction.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Sentence 2: Restate your answer to the question, which is your third sentence in the introduction. Restate it a little bit differently than you did in the introduction.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Sentence 3: Branch out. Tell us the next step. What happened next, as a result? Where do things go after what you are writing about?

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

Sentence 4: Leave us with a moral, or a “universal” statement, or some wise words of wisdom that we can take away to make ourselves better people—you know, a moral that we learn after reading your essay and opinions about the topic.

________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________

back