The Five Paragraph Essay also known as The Three Point Essay

The Five Paragraph Essay also known as

The Three Point Essay

Does your mind go blank when you have to write an essay for a

PSSA test or an English assignment?

Do you stare at your notebook, chew your pen, and ask yourself

helplessly, "What can I write about?" or "What can I say?"

If so, there is an easy solution to your problem - a solution that follows a

simple format that is easy to do once you know how. Plus your essay will look as if you really know what

you are talking about.

All you have to do is pick a topic - any topic - and say three things

about it.

Add an introduction and a conclusion and you are

done.

Give three qualities of good students,

three things you wish you could change about school,

three qualities that make a perfect football player,

three results of poor study habits,

three things you hate.

In the study of composition, such an

essay is called a three-point enumeration or a five paragraph essay.

The five paragraph essay is:

• short, • easy to organize, • easy to prepare, and • easy for a reader or

listener to remember.

For a student, the best way to organize a three-point essay is

to plan five paragraphs.

In the first paragraph, you should introduce your subject and indicate what your approach will be, perhaps even listing your three points. This is you introduction.

Avoid boring introductions such as "in this paper I will try to explain three results of poor study habits." You can use an introduction like this or you may make it more exciting. Instead, you might begin like this:

Brrrrrrring! The alarm clock sounds in my ear. I grab the clock and throw it against the wall, and let out a loud groan. Another Monday morning has arrived, and I never opened a book all weekend. What if Mr. Jones gives another one of his psycho pop quizzes today? Suddenly I feel too sick to eat breakfast. My poor study habits are giving me nervous indigestion, ruining my self-confidence, and destroying my hopes for a college scholarship.

Brrrrrrring! The alarm clock sounds in my ear. I grab the clock and throw it against the wall, and let out a loud groan. Another Monday morning has arrived, and I never opened a book all weekend. What if Mr. Jones gives another one of his psycho pop tests today? Suddenly I feel too sick to eat breakfast. My poor study habits are (1) giving me nervous indigestion, (2)ruining my self-confidence, and (3) destroying my hopes for a college scholarship.

The next three paragraphs should cover the three main points: - a paragraph about indigestion, - a paragraph about self-confidence, - and a final, perhaps longer, paragraph about college and scholarships. * Be sure to save your most important and interesting point until this fourth paragraph. Save the best for last.

Your fifth paragraph should be a conclusion in which you summarize or perhaps suggest some kind of action.

But I refuse to give up. I'm tired of being sick at my stomach, tired of feeling guilty, tired of worrying about college. Starting today, I'm going to use the study hall and the library for studying instead of daydreaming. Starting tonight, I'll finish my homework before I watch television. University of Chicago, Here I come!

You may be wondering whether it is necessary to limit yourself to three points. Why not four or seven or nineteen? There's no magic in the number three, but a good writer or speaker will be wary of boring or confusing his readers or audience.

For example..

I want to say three things about freedom…

…the Mayor of Springfield begins his speech at the annual Fourth of July picnic.

He might also say four or five things about freedom and still keep everyone's attention.

But if he says seven things about freedom, he's flirting with trouble,

And if he says 29 things about freedom, his speech will be a disaster, even if he somehow manages to keep it down to fifteen minutes.

Half of the audience will be snickering, the other half will be grinding their teeth, and no one will remember any of the 29 points.

NOWA Little Refresher On how to write a

cohesive paragraph

Paragraphs – The Basic Building Block

Topic Sentence First Sentence of proof Second sentence of proof Third Sentence of proof Concluding Sentence

Now, if you can string five of these paragraphs together….

Paragraph Multi-Paragraph

Topic Sentence First Sentence of proof

Second sentence of proof Third Sentence of proof

Concluding Sentence

Introductory Paragraph First paragraph of proof Second paragraph of proof Third paragraph of proof Concluding Paragraph

Review: Three Points, Five Paragraphs

IntroductionThesis Statement: My poor study habits aregiving me nervous indigestion, ruining my self-confidence, and destroying my hopes for a college scholarship.

¶ 1

A paragraph about

indigestion

A paragraph about self-confidence

A paragraph about college

and scholarships

Conclusion & Call to ActionMay restate thesis in different words

Sick at my stomach Feeling guilty Worrying about college

¶ 2 ¶ 3 ¶ 4

¶ 5

Review: Three Points, Five Paragraphs

IntroductionThesis Statement:

May list the three points¶ 1

A paragraph about point

oneA paragraph

about point two

A paragraph about point

three

Conclusion & Call to ActionMay restate thesis in different words

¶ 2 ¶ 3 ¶ 4

¶ 5

DOING THE MATH

IntroductionThesis Statement:

May list the three points¶ 1

A paragraph about point

oneA paragraph

about point two

A paragraph about point

three

Conclusion & Call to ActionMay restate thesis in different words

¶ 2 ¶ 3 ¶ 4

¶ 5

5 sentences or more

5 sentences or more

5 sentences or more

5 sentences or more

5 sentences or more

TOTAL:25 sentences

or more

Tomorrow, you will write a five paragraph essay on … what three

things would you change about school?

Today you will start your outline and finish it for homework.

So begin thinking. You will have all class period tomorrow to work on your

essay (silently and by yourself).

Your essay tomorrow will be graded on how well you followed

the outline of a five paragraph essay (50 points).

The End