Five Paragraph Essay
Notes
Eighth Grade English Language Arts
Five Paragraph Essay
 Five paragraphs in expository writing
1. 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
2. Body Paragraph 1- Topic Sentence, Developing Idea, Quotation,
Analysis of Quotation, Transition
3. Body Paragraph 2- Topic Sentence, Developing Idea, Quotation,
Analysis of Quotation, Transition
4. Body Paragraph 3-Topic Sentence, Developing Idea, Quotation,
Analysis of Quotation, conclusion
5. Conclusion
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.
DO NOT:
 Summarize.
 Introduce the next idea/point/paragraph in conclusion.
 Develop a completely new argument akin to a separate
thesis statement
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
Dialogue Tags
Acknowledges
Complains
Replies
Admits
Cries
Requests
Agrees
Demands
Screams
Answers
Mutters
Shouts
Argues
Nags
Sobs
Asks
Pleads
Whimpers
Barks
Promises
Whines
Begs
Remembers
Wonders
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!
 2-4 sentences
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.
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.

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.
More:
 Address the prompt immediately, 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.
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!