Mr. Gonzalez, Carlos

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WRITING 5-PARAGRAPH ESSAYS

• By
• Mr. Gonzalez, Carlos
• ESOL and Language Arts Teacher
• DORAL MIDDLE SCHOOL

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What is an Essay?

• An essay is a composition that discusses,
  describes or explains one topic. It can be
  serious or funny. It can describe personal
  feelings or state your opinion, or it can just
  explain facts.

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TYPES OF ESSAYS

• An Expository Essay is one that explains,
  analyzes, or shares information.
• ? How-to essay
• ? Informative essay
• A Persuasive Essay is one where the writer
  presents his or her opinion and tries to convince
  the reader to agree.
• ? Opinion essay
• ? Problem-solution essay

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EXPOSITORY VS PERSUASIVE

Explains something, or Convinces the reader to accept Provides information, or a particular point of view, or Clarifies a process, or Convinces the reader to take a Defines a concept a particular action Usually begins with a Often about a controversial issue statement of purpose Usually begins by stating the Develops with facts, reasons, believe or the action the reader incidents, examples, or is to accept statistics (FRIES) Supports the argument with FRIES Enhances the readers States logical reasons to support understanding the writers point of view Objective, not dependent on Recognizes/refutes an opposing emotion argument Usually concludes with the strongest argument Often plays on the emotion of the reader
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The BASIC Structure of an Essay

• Paragraph 1 Introduction
• - General Statement (Attention Getter)
• - Thesis or topic sentence
• - 3 Reasons
• - Concluding sentence
• Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4 Body
• - Reason 1(topic sentence) at least 3
  supporting details)
• - Reason 2(topic sentence) at least 3
  supporting details)
• - Reason 3(topic sentence at least 3
  supporting details)
• Paragraph 5 Conclusion
• - Statement reflecting back on thesis
• - Restatement of key points
• - Concluding Statements

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MAKE YOUR ESSAY LIKE A HAMBURGER WITH LARGE FRIES
S T A T I S T I C S
E X A M P L E S
I N C I D E N T S
R E A S O N S
F A C T S
(The Top Bun)
Topic Sentence (meat), Detail 1 (lettuce),
Detail 2 (tomato), Detail 3 (cheese)
FRIES
Topic Sentence (meat), Detail 1 (lettuce), Detail
2 (tomato), Detail 3 (cheese)
Topic Sentence (meat), Detail 1 (lettuce), Detail
2 (tomato), Detail 3 (cheese)
(The Bottom Bun)
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The Introduction (The Top Bun)

• I.  Introduction
• Introductory statement (Attention Getter)
• -Question, Quotation, Anecdote, Interesting Fact
• Thesis statement
• Three Reasons
• Concluding Sentence

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The Body

• First Reason Paragraph
• Transition
• topic sentence (MEAT)
• Three Supporting Details (Lettuce, tomato,
  cheese)
• Remember to add FRIES
• -Facts, Reasons, Incidents, Examples, and/or
  Statistics
• Second Reason Paragraph
• Transition
• topic sentence (MEAT)
• Three Supporting Details (Lettuce, tomato,
  cheese)
• Remember to add FRIES
• -Facts, Reasons, Incidents, Examples, Statistics
•                    
• Third Reason Paragraph
• Transition
• topic sentence (MEAT)
• Three Supporting Details (Lettuce, tomato,
  cheese)
• Remember to add FRIES

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The Conclusion (The Bottom Bun)

• III. Conclusion
• Transition
• Statement reflecting back on thesis
• Restatement of key points
• Concluding Statements

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Sample Essay The Hazards of Moviegoing

• Introduction
• I am a movie fanatic. When friends
  want to know what picture won the Oscar in 1980
  or who played the police chief in Jaws, they ask
  me. My friends, though, have stopped asking me if
  I want to go out to the movies. Going to the
  movies has become a hazardous activity for me.
  The problems in getting to the theater, the
  theater itself, and the behavior of some patrons
  are all reasons why I often wait for a movie to
  show up on TV. I think it is better to stay home.
• ? General Statements
• ? Thesis Statement
• ? Reasons
• ? Concluding Sentence

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Sample Essay The Hazards of MoviegoingCont.

• Body Supporting Paragraph 1
• First of all, just getting to the
  theater presents difficulties. Leaving a home
  equipped with a TV and a video recorder isn't an
  attractive idea on a humid, cold, or rainy night.
  Even if the weather cooperates, there is still a
  thirty-minute drive to the theater down a
  congested highway, followed by the hassle of
  looking for a parking space. And then there are
  the lines. After hooking yourself to the end of a
  human chain, you worry about whether there will
  be enough tickets, whether you will get seats
  together, and whether many people will sneak into
  the line ahead of you.
• ? Transitional Words
• ? Topic Sentence (Reason 1)
• ? Supporting Detail 1
• ? Supporting Detail 2
• ? Supporting Detail 3

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Sample Essay The Hazards of MoviegoingCont.

• Body Supporting Paragraph 2
• Furthermore, once you have made it to
  the box office and gotten your tickets, you are
  confronted with the problems of the theater
  itself. If you are in one of the run-down older
  theaters, you must adjust to the musty smell of
  seldom-cleaned carpets. Escaped springs lurk in
  the faded plush or cracked leather seats, and
  half the seats you sit in seem loose or tilted so
  that you sit at a strange angle. Even, the newer
  twin and quad theaters offer their own problems.
  Sitting in an area only one-quarter the size of a
  regular theater, moviegoers often have to put up
  with the sound of the movie next door. This is
  especially jarring when the other movie involves
  racing cars or a karate war and you are trying to
  enjoy a quiet love story. But, whether the
  theater is old or new, it will have floors that
  seem to be coated with rubber cement. By the end
  of a movie, shoes almost have to be pried off the
  floor because they have become sealed to a deadly
  compound of spilled soda, hardening bubble gum,
  and crushed Jujubes.
• ? Transitions ?Topic Sentence ?Supporting
  Detail 1
• ? Supporting Detail 2 ?Supporting Detail 3

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Sample Essay The Hazards of MoviegoingCont.

• Body Supporting Paragraph 3
• Finally, some of the patrons are
  even more of a problem than the theater itself.
  Little kids race up and down the aisles, usually
  in giggling packs. Teenagers try to impress their
  friends by talking back to the screen, whistling,
  and making what they consider to be hilarious
  noises. Adults act as if they were at home in
  their own living rooms and comment loudly on the
  ages of the stars or why movies aren't as good
  anymore. And people of all ages crinkle candy
  wrappers, stick gum on their seats, and drop
  popcorn tubs or cups of crushed ice and soda on
  the floor. Also, they cough and burp, squirm
  endlessly in their seats, file out for repeated
  trips to the rest rooms or concession stand, and
  elbow you out of the armrest on either side of
  your seat.
• ?Transitions ?Topic Sentence ?Supporting
  Detail 1
• ?Supporting Detail 2 ?Supporting Detail 3

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Sample Essay The Hazards of MoviegoingCont.

• Conclusion
• All in all, after arriving home from
  the movies one night, I decided that I was not
  going to be a moviegoer anymore. I was tired of
  the problems involved in getting to the movies ,
  dealing with the theater itself, and some of the
  patrons. Because of that, I arranged to have
  cable TV service installed in my home. I may now
  see movies a bit later than other people, but
  I'll be more relaxed watching box office hits in
  the comfort of my own living room.
• ?Transitions
• ?Statement reflecting back on thesis
• ?Restatement of key point 1
• ?Restatement of key point 2
• ?Restatement of key point 3
• ?Concluding statements

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ARE YOU READY TO WRITE YOUR OWN ESSAY?BEFORE
YOU WRITE YOUR ESSAY, YOU NEED TO READ AND
UNDERSTAND THE PROMPT YOU ARE GIVEN.

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THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OFPROMPTS, BUT WE WILL
ONLY DISCUSS TWO OF THEM.

• EXPOSITORY PROMPTS
• AND
• PERSUASIVE PROMPTS

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A PROMPT HAS TWO PARTS

• The Writing Situation Introduces the topic
• The Directions For Writing Helps you to think of
  a main idea for your essay and directs you to
  write about it.

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SAMPLE PROMPT

• Writing Situation
• The principal at your school wants to plan an
  activity to welcome students back to school at
  the beginning of next school year.
• Directions For Writing
• Think about a welcoming activity that would
  be fun for the students.
• Now write to convince your principal to
  choose your idea for a welcoming activity.
• WHAT IS THE GENERAL TOPIC OF THE ESSAY?
• - A welcoming activity that would be
• fun for the students.
• WHAT TYPE OF ESSAY WILL YOU WRITE?
• - Persuasive
• REMEMBER
• IN A PERSUASIVE PROMPT, YOU WILL FIND THE
  WORDS PERSUADE, CONVINCE OR TELL WHY SOMEONE
  SHOULD DO SOMETHING.

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SAMPLE PROMPT
Writing Situation Everyone has something
valuable that he or she would like to put in a
trunk for the future.
Directions for Writing Think about something
valuable that you would like to put in a trunk
for the future. Now write to explain to your
readers why you would like to put that in a
trunk for the future.
WHAT IS THE GENERAL TOPIC OF THE ESSAY?
-Something valuable that you would like to put in
a trunk for the future.
WHAT TYPE OF ESSAY WILL YOU WRITE?
-Expository.
REMEMBER
IN AN EXPOSITORY PROMPT, YOU WILL FIND THE WORDS
EXPLAIN, TELL HOW, OR TELL WHY.
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A GOOD ESSAY SHOULD HAVE

• FOCUS An essay is focused if the writer
  maintains the main idea throughout the writing
  piece.
• HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE FOCUS?
• Write a topic sentence that is about the prompt.
• Repeat key words and phrases related to the topic
  sentence.
• Do not include information that does not belong.
• ORGANIZATION An essay is organized if it has the
  appropriate structure-beginning, middle, and end.
• HOW DO YOU ACHIEVE ORGANIZATION?
• Write an introduction (beginning), a body
  (middle), and a
• conclusion (end).
• Use transitional words to show a flow of ideas
  between sentences
• and paragraphs.

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A GOOD ESSAY SHOULD HAVECont.

• SUPPORT An essay has support if the writer uses
  different
• details to explain, expand, or develop the main
  idea.
• HOW CAN YOU ACHIEVE THIS?
• Use FRIES (Facts, Reasons, Incidents, Examples,
  Statistics).
• Use vivid verbs and adjectives.
• Use dialogue.
• Use comparisons.
• CONVENTIONS An essay that has good conventions
  is one that
• demonstrates correct use of grammar and spelling.
• Use varied sentences.
• Use standard Written English.
• Pay attention to your spelling.
• Pay attention to punctuation and capitalization.
• Pay attention to usage.

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SAMPLE EXPOSITORY ESSAY

• TITLE The 1950s
• If I were given the privilege to travel
  through time, I would choose to go back to the
  1950s. This was a relatively peaceful time in
  American history. The quality of entertainment 43
  years ago was immensely higher than it is now.
  Living costs during the 1950s were considerably
  lower than they currently are. America and the
  rest of the world were much safer and better
  places to live. It is for these reasons why I
  would return to this point in history.
• During the 1950s, many wonderful movies and
  music were introduced to the public.
  Entertainment back then was pure and fun, and did
  not have the violence or vulgar language that
  rules television, movies, and songs today. In the
  1950s, I would have liked watching the I Love
  Lucy show every week, and to see the emerging
  popularity of rock and roll music. At the movie
  theaters, I would have liked to see well made
  movies like A Streetcar Named Desire, Ben
  Hur, and There s No Business Like Show
  Business. In the 1950s, every movie was good
  enough for parents to take their children to see.
• The cost of living in the 1950s was very
  reasonable. A person could purchase a Buick for
  under 7, 000 dollars. Large homes would only cost
  30, 000 dollars, and a bottle of coca-cola was
  only a dime. During that era, a family did not
  have to be rich in order to give their children
  the necessities of life. Good clothing cost a few
  dollars, and healthy food, like vegetables was
  under a dollar!
• The most important reason why I would enjoy
  returning to the 1950s is because the world was
  not riddled with crime and violence like it is in
  1998. I have to lock and bolt my doors every time
  I leave the house, but if I lived 40 years ago
  that would not be the case. Children that were
  only six or seven years old could go to the woods
  and build a tree house without fear of somebody
  murdering or kidnapping them. If I lived during
  the 1950s, I would be allowed to go into town by
  myself, or sleepover at a friends house without
  my mother asking a dozen questions.
• In conclusion, I would greatly appreciate
  having the opportunity to travel back to the
  1950s. There, I could enjoy exciting, wholesome
  entertainment from television, movies, and music.
  Living costs would be low enough that I could
  enjoy being in a country with less homeless and
  starving people. The world would be a much safer
  place and my life would not be endangered if I
  walked my dog alone at night. The 1950s was a
  special time in American history, and I would
  have liked to be a part of it.

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SAMPLE EXPOSITORY ESSAY

• Title Growing Up With rules.
• It is said that for every action, there is a
  reaction. That saying is perfectly illustrated by
  the way that my parents disciplined my brothers
  and sisters and me. To me, it was an ordinary
  family, but I later learned that having ten
  children was anything but ordinary. It required a
  certain number of rules, and my parents were not
  shy about making those rules. The rules in our
  house were strict and had both short-term and
  long-term effects. My siblings and I were
  responsible for keeping our rooms neat and clean,
  doing well in school, and maintaining good
  relationships to each other. These are some of
  the rules we had to face at home.
• First of all, from the time we were very young,
  we were responsible for keeping our rooms neat
  and clean. Our parents did a daily inspection
  of our rooms that could occur at any time. If our
  beds were not made, our clothes were not hung up,
  or our toys were left out, we were immediately
  taken to our rooms when we got home from school
  and told to correct the situation. When we did
  not keep our rooms clean, we had to help my mom
  for the rest of the afternoon instead of going
  out and playing with friends. Therefore, we kept
  our rooms fairly tidy, and we got to like them
  like that. As adults, I think we all can now
  appreciate this discipline of tidying up before
  leaving our rooms, apartments, or houses.

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SAMPLE EXPOSITORY ESSAY-CONT.

• Title Growing Up With Rules
• In addition, doing as well as
  possible in school was also very important in our
  family. Homework time began right after dinner,
  and each child was required to explain to one or
  both parents what she or he was doing. Asking for
  help was permitted, but being lazy was not. When
  we were caught daydreaming instead of doing our
  homework, the punishment was quick and certain
  no TV for a week. Good grades were not
  necessarily expected, but making a good effort
  was. If one of our teachers contacted my parents
  with a discipline problem or with a simple
  comment that one of us was not working up to our
  abilities, we all got a lecture from my parents
  about what our responsibilities as children were.
  Today, my parents can boast that all ten of their
  children are college graduates and that among
  them are two doctors and college professors.
• Finally, our parents always made sure that we
  understood how important our relationships to
  each other were. We were taught to love and
  respect our siblings because they were the only
  people that we would always be able to count on.
  From a very early age, we learned to share what
  we had with each other. Later, we learned to
  support each other through hard times at school
  or around the neighborhood. We would stick
  together like glue if one of us were in trouble
  or threatened. In my family, the result of our
  not caring for each other was the look of such
  profound disappointment in my parents eyes that
  would break our hearts. Our parents always
  forgave us in the end nevertheless, it was a
  terrible feeling. The long-term result of this is
  that we are all very close today.

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SAMPLE EXPOSITORY ESSAY-CONT.

• Title Growing Up With Rules
• All in all, some people think that my
  upbringing was rather strict and even cruel, but
  I do not. As an adult now, I am aware of the
  benefits all that discipline brought about.
  Because of that, I live in an orderly home, am
  very happy working in my chosen profession as a
  college professor, and I have no better friends
  than my brothers and sisters. I believe that I
  owe my parents and their rules for the stability
  and contentment I have in my life.