HPA and GSMS Grade Eight LA

Look at this widely distributed online explanation of the Five Paragraph Essay:

 

5 Paragraph Essay

     The five paragraph essay follows a defined format. The first paragraph introduces us to the thesis of the essay and directs us to the three main supporting subtopics. The second through fourth paragraphs are all similar in format. They individually restate the subtopics, and are developed by giving supporting information. The fifth and last paragraph restates the main thesis idea and reminds the reader of the three main supporting ideas that were developed. All of these paragraphs are important.

 

     The introductory paragraph is the place in which the writer introduces the reader to the topic. It is important to make this a clear and limited statement. This is where the writer grabs the reader's attention. Because of its purpose, it is often the first sentence of the paragraph. It is followed by three subtopics that develop the thesis. Between this paragraph and all paragraphs of the essay, there needs to be some kind of a transition word, phrase, or sentence.

 

     Next, the body of the essay contains paragraphs two through four. They are all similarly constructed. Their topic sentences are restatements, often in original form, of the three supporting ideas presented in the first paragraph. The subtopic of each of the body paragraphs is again supported by three or more supporting sentences. These cement, in the reader's mind, the relevancy and relationship of each of the subtopics to the thesis statement.

 

     Finally, the fifth paragraph is the summary paragraph. It is important to restate the thesis and three supporting ideas in an original and powerful manner as this is the last chance the writer has to convince the reader of the validity of the information presented. Because the purposes of the first and fifth paragraph are so similar that some writers construct them at the same time. They will edit them, as necessary, as they do with each and every part of the essay.

 

     It is important to reiterate that each of the paragraphs is joined together by a transition word, phrase or sentence. Transitions help the reader to follow the flow of the logic and sequencing. All of the essay types follow this basic transition format. However, there is more latitude with the narrative essay because of its nature.

 

To put it more visually, the structure model looks like this:

 

 

Introductory Paragraph

General Topic Sentence – (great place for a quote, impact statement, statistics, etc.)

1. Subtopic One – (link quote to debate topic)

2. Subtopic Two – (Set out purpose of essay)

3. Subtopic Three - (Link line to second paragraph/first reason)

Transition

 

First Supporting Paragraph

Restate Subtopic One – (The first reason why...)

1. First Supporting Detail or Example

2. Second Supporting Detail or Example

3. Third Supporting Detail or Example

Transition – (Lead into second reason)

 

Second Supporting Paragraph

Restate Subtopic Two – (The second reason why...)

1. First Supporting Detail or Example

2. Second Supporting Detail or Example

3. Third Supporting Detail or Example

Transition - (Lead into third reason)

 

Third Supporting Paragraph

Restate Subtopic Three – (The final reason why...)

1. First Supporting Detail or Example

2. Second Supporting Detail or Example

3. Third Supporting Detail or Example

Transition - (Lead into conclusion)

 

Closing or Summary Paragraph -

Synthesis of main topic

1. Synthesis of Subtopic One

2. Synthesis of Subtopic Two

3. Synthesis of Subtopic Three

4. Closing – (Quote)

 

Five Paragraph Essay Examples

 

 

For both of the included five paragraph essays, follow ALL the steps below.

Check them off when they’re complete.  When all steps are complete, continue on to the question below.

 

Essay #1	Essay #2
q	q	Carefully READ the essay for content and style.  Get a feel for the TONE used in the essay.
q	q	Highlight and label the MAIN ARGUMENT of the essay in both the introduction and conclusion.  (It may be phrased in a less direct way in the conclusion.)
q	q	Highlight and label the THREE KEY POINTS of the paper in both the introduction and conclusion.
q	q	Highlight and label the LEAD-IN of the introduction.  This is the part of the introduction that “warms up” the reader to the main argument.
q	q	Highlight and label the TOPIC SENTENCES in each of the three supporting paragraphs.
q	q	Highlight and label each EXAMPLE or piece of EVIDENCE in each of the three supporting paragraphs.

 

After you’ve carefully analyzed the two essays, take note of how much material is not highlighted and/or labeled.  What does this tell you about well-written five paragraph essays?  Explain in two or three COMPLETE SENTENCES how you could use these examples to improve your own writing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Essay #1

“My Job in an Apple Plant”

By John Langan

From English Skills with Readings

 

In the course of working my way through school, I have taken many jobs I would rather forget. I have spent nine hours a day lifting heavy automobile and truck batteries off the end of an assembly belt. I have risked the loss of eyes and fingers working a punch press in a textile factory. I have served as a ward aide in a mental hospital, helping care for brain-damaged men who would break into violent fits at unexpected moments. But none of these jobs was as dreadful as my job in an apple plant. The work was physically hard; the pay was poor; and, most of all, the working conditions were dismal.

 

First of all, the job made enormous demands on my strength and energy. For ten hours a night, I took cartons that rolled down a metal track and stacked them onto wooden skids in a tractor-trailer. Each carton contained twelve heavy cans or bottles of apple juice. A carton shot down the track about every fifteen seconds. I once figured out that I was lifting an average of twelve tons of apple juice every night. When a truck was almost filled, I or my partner had to drag fourteen bulky wooden skids into the empty trailer nearby and then set up added sections of the heavy metal track so that we could start routing cartons to the back of the empty van. While one of us did that, the other performed the stacking work of two men.

 

I would not have minded the difficulty of the work so much if the pay had not been so poor. I was paid the minimum wage of that time, two dollars an hour, plus the minimum of a nickel extra for working the night shift. Because of the low salary, I felt compelled to get as much overtime pay as possible. Everything over eight hours a night was time-and-a-half, so I typically worked twelve hours a night. On Friday I would sometimes work straight through until Saturday at noon -- eighteen hours. I averaged over sixty hours a week but did not take home much more than one hundred dollars.

 

But even more than the low pay, what upset me about my apple plant job was the working conditions. Our humorless supervisor cared only about his production record for each night and tried to keep the assembly line moving at a breakneck pace. During work I was limited to two ten-minute breaks and an unpaid half hour for lunch. Most of my time was spent outside on the truck loading dock in near-zero-degree temperatures. The steel floors of the trucks were like ice; the quickly penetrating cold made my feet feel like stone. I had no shared interests with the man I loaded cartons with, and so I had to work without job companionship. And after the production line shut down and most people left, I had to spend two hours alone scrubbing clean the apple vats, which were coated with a sticky residue.

 

I stayed on the job for five months, hating all the while the difficulty of the work, the poor money, and the conditions under which I worked. By the time I quit, I was determined never to do such degrading work again.

 

 

Essay #2

By Kathy Livingston

 

"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent housepets as they are good companions, they are civilized members of the household, and they are easy to care for.

 

In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are affectionate. They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Who can resist a purring cat? If they're not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. They love to chase balls and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when their owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. Cats will even fetch!

 

In the second place, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs, cats do not bark or make other loud noises. Most cats don't even meow very often. They generally lead a quiet existence. Cats also don't often have "accidents." Mother cats train their kittens to use the litter box, and most cats will use it without fail from that time on. Even stray cats usually understand the concept when shown the box and will use it regularly. Cats do have claws, and owners must make provision for this. A tall scratching post in a favorite cat area of the house will often keep the cat content to leave the furniture alone. As a last resort, of course, cats can be declawed.

 

Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as housepets is their ease of care. Cats do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play, and they do their business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a quick, painless procedure. Cats also take care of their own grooming. Bathing a cat is almost never necessary because under ordinary circumstances cats clean themselves. Cats are more particular about personal cleanliness than people are. In addition, cats can be left home alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike some pets, most cats will not destroy the furnishings when left alone. They are content to go about their usual activities until their owners return.

 

Cats are low maintenance, civilized companions. People who have small living quarters or less time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats. However, many people who have plenty of space and time still opt to have a cat because they love the cat personality. In many ways, cats are the ideal housepet.