Five Paragraph Essay:  Fantastic or Formulaic?

By Maria Mahaffey

I distinctly remember my 9th grade semester long composition course with Mrs. Russell.  I remember my frustration and disdain at having to spend the better part of four months learning how to write.  After all, had I not been writing since about the second grade?  If I had been taught properly all the preceding years, why would I suddenly need an entire semester long class to teach me what I was sure I already knew?  To make matters worse, as the child of two European educated parents, I was introduced to the Cartesian method of writing with a thesis, antithesis, and synthesis method with no specific, predetermined number of paragraphs.  

This did not synthesize well with American composition methods.  To this self-professed sophisticated writer, Cartesian logic seemed far superior to a stuffy and confining five paragraphs.  My burgeoning philosophical reasoning could not resolve itself—initially-- to the formulaic methodology of the five paragraph essay.  It took almost the entire semester of Mrs. Russell’s patience and perseverance, along with my numerous revisions and edits, for me to finally see the value of the five paragraph essay.  Even though I promptly dropped the five paragraph method upon entry into university, I did retain the skills that I gained from learning and practicing this method, such as, structure, development of arguments, and consistency of writing style.

Benefits for At-Promise Students

Use of the five paragraph method may seem very confining and formulaic for many, but for the emerging analytical or persuasive writer, it gives a template that is easy to follow.  For at-risk/at-promise students who may not have had much formal writing instruction prior to high school or who have struggled with writing, the five paragraph essay is reliable and stable.  It gives a structure to writing that may be overly predictable for some, but is excellent scaffolding for those who struggle with writing.  Even students who excel at prose can benefit from this structure; the premise of having a thesis statement, three supporting arguments, and then restating the thesis at the end is appropriate to high school students regardless of writing level.  This strategy makes it much easier for students to organize their ideas into logical progression and makes it possible for them to focus more on substance. 

Writing Resource

A terrific resource for students to create their own writing map or outline is www.readwritethink.org.  Students are able to insert their own ideas and thesis into these digital outlines that can be printed and revised.  This structure and organization enables students to focus on developing sophisticated arguments as their attention is not drawn away by trying to determine how to organize their thoughts.
   
Developing the Thesis Statement

The five paragraph method can be used for a number of styles of writing, whether it is persuasive, narrative, descriptive or analytical.  When students become familiar with the pattern and the process of writing, it allows them to concentrate more on the development of their arguments.  The first step is for students to develop a complex and compelling thesis statement.  Without a strong foundation, the student’s written work will not be as effective.  Initially, providing students with a template for writing thesis statements enables students to learn the format and procedure.  This then becomes a habitual process and students begin to think more critically automatically. With a standard three arguments that all support the thesis, students are able to offer enough documentation, analysis, or description to explore the thesis.  With each argument, designated in its own paragraph, the writer also offers at least three examples.  For example, in the case of a poetry or prose analysis, students easily embed three quotes and provide analysis for each to support the thesis.  When writing a persuasive essay, students may site three different sources and provide analysis for these references in each body paragraph.  Regardless of the essay style, using the formula of three arguments, with three examples each, helps students to develop their reasoning and to be sure that they properly supported their thesis.
   
Focus on Style

Many emergent writers have yet to be taught formal register and formal writing standards.  When the students become familiar with the pattern and procedures of writing a five paragraph essay, it becomes easier to focus on the more mechanical aspects of style.  Often students who have not been given formal writing instruction do not know how to organize and present their ideas. This means that not only are their initial attempts disorganized but also often very difficult to read due to lack of style. Once the five paragraph model becomes routine, teachers and students can work together to incorporate a more sophisticated vocabulary and writing style.  This model engages students without much difficulty and frees teachers to focus on the substance and style; moreover, resources such as Strunk & White’s Elements of Style reinforce the benefits of the five paragraph method by assisting students with writing conventions.  Using this paradigm eases confusion and anxiety that students often feel when they are tasked with an essay and facilitates opportunities for students to concentrate on the content of their writing.

Regardless of the student’s future career plans, being able to properly communicate through writing is essential for people, and this methodology teaches students how to organize their ideas into more highly developed and stylistic writing.  As mentioned before, even if students abandon this formulaic approach, the skills which they develop during its use will stay with them and serve them well even if the adopt their own more free style approach to organizing their writing.  Now as a teacher, I can appreciate what Mrs. Russell taught me so many years ago.  As I work with my students, I see the value of my 9th grade composition course because the majority of my students did not receive such, if any, rigorous training in writing.  The five paragraph essay gives them a tool to make it easier for them to approach what would otherwise be daunting assignments.  Almost fifteen years later, Mrs. Russell was kind enough to share my alma mater’s English department’s thesis outline, and it is the source of the outline that I use today.  Even if you believe that it is a formulaic and somewhat confining system of writing, it undoubtedly serves a purpose, especially for inexperienced writers.  As a parting note, have you noticed the method in which I presented my argument?  Did you, by any chance, count the number of paragraphs in this article?  Can you identify my thesis, and did I restate it in the conclusion?  The answers to these questions should be simple to determine thanks to the five paragraph essay.

View thesis statement template: http://rapsa.org/pdf/Thesis_Mahaffey.pdf

Maria Celeste Mahaffey holds a BA in International Affairs from the George Washington University and a Masters of Arts in Teaching Secondary Social Science from Western Governors University.  In addition, Maria is working towards a second masters in Political Management also from the George Washington University.  Maria currently has her single subject CA credential in Social Studies, is pursing an English credential, and works as an ITA at the San Diego SIATech campus.