How many topic sentences are in a 5 paragraph essay?
Finally, there’s the much bigger problem with the 5-paragraph essay, one that I only really appreciated when I started teaching AP Lang a few years ago. It’s a problem of authenticity. As my 11th and 12th graders and I read examples of professional writing, as we read examples of argument in the real world, it became clear that 5-paragraph essays don’t exist out there in the wild. Instead, 5-paragraph essays flourish almost exclusively in middle and high school academic settings (and no, students do not need to know the 5-paragraph essay for college. and ). And while it may be true that standardized tests favor the 5-paragraph essay, I would argue that teaching to the test—while sometimes necessary—shouldn’t be the driving force of our pedagogy.
BUT STUDENTS STILL NEED A TOOL, don’t they? For years, I taught the 5-paragraph essay because it was the only tool I knew. But why not give students a better one? Or many better ones? Requiring students to master the 5-paragraph essay structure before moving on to other forms of writing is like asking a carpenter to master the hammer before moving on to a wrench, screwdriver, or level. If a carpenter wants to build a house, we don’t tell her that she can only use a hammer. A carpenter doesn’t waste time and energy building a house with only a hammer when there are better tools available.
Our district has the goal of moving away from formulaic writing, so I love the content of this article. I’m thinking about how to weave this into instruction with my first graders. We’ve never asked them to write 5 paragraph essay, but we seem to be giving them writing instruction that sets them up for that. The hamburger graphic organizer sounds so familiar! We want to support kids in their understanding of how to organize their writing and what makes a paragraph. Our kids are so busy making their ideas fit into our pre-made graphic organizers, that I’m afraid they’re losing the voice and genuineness in their writing.
Hi wondering how many words are in a paragraph with a 8 sentences
A standard double-spaced page contains 250 words. 5 pages handwritten and single-spaced produces 1250 words. Handwriting is about twice as large as words typed in 12 point Arial or Times New Roman font which makes single-spaced handwritten pages equivalent to double-spaced pages. 5 words is about 12.5-25 paragraphs for essays or 25-50 for easier reading (to allow skimming). A paragraph length typically has and 5-6 sentences. 5 pages is about 125-167 sentences. A sentence typically has 15–20 words. Of the standard fonts used in essays and other documents, Verdana will create the most pages.
Really like the “Reasons to Start a New Paragraph” chart. I’m in the middle of the Research Based Argument Essay Unit of Study, which somewhat implies the 5 paragraph essay structure. However, I always tell my writers that they are in charge of their writing and need to determine how many paragraphs they need to completely share their argument. I think this new chart will help immensely. Thank you!
Focus Lesson is amazing!! Would love to add Craft & Process Studies to my teacher library. We’ve spent the first half of the school year deconstructing and dismantling the idea of the 5-paragraph essay. Students are all too eager to let go of that worn & tired structure too. Thank you for this post…so many writing gems to use!
Thank you!! As a mentor teacher for first year colleagues, I too have seen many hamburger anchor charts, stop lights, structured outline scaffolds, and more. I appreciate the idea of learning about traditional five paragraph essays while giving students the “permission” to explore writing as a means of sharing thought. The chart showing reasons to change paragraphs is brilliantly compiled.
I will be sharing your terrific insights!
How Many Words Are in an Essay? The Length Guide
How to start a 5-paragraph essay? The first sentence is often used to hook the reader. It could be a rhetorical question, a shocking statistic, or a real-life incident. To stimulate the reader's interest and make them curious about what happens next.
How Many Words Should Your 5-Paragraph Essay Really Have?
The conclusion should complete the essay's circle. It's a chance to restate the thesis, summarize the main points, and wrap up any loose ends. No new arguments should be introduced here. However, students should examine the points made in the body paragraphs and perhaps add a new perspective. Address the essay question effectively by incorporating essay question terms and phrases into the conclusion.
Words that Count: How Many Are in a 5-Paragraph Essay?
Foster genre awareness in students while interrogating authentic texts (and rejecting artificial writing templates). As , writing templates may prepare students for artificial demonstrations of literacy (high-stakes tests), but they ultimately fail authentic writing and literacy goals. Published writing nearly never follows the 5-paragraph essay template, and the whole thesis idea is equally rare in published writing. Students as writers need to be eager readers who are encouraged to mine that reading constantly for greater genre awareness about how any writer makes a piece what the writer is seeking to accomplish. What is an Op-Ed? A memoir? Investigative journalism? A feature story on an Olympic athlete?
How many words are necessary for a 5 paragraph essay? - Answers
When I decided to stop teaching the 5-paragraph essay to my own 9th graders last year, I took this approach. I called it the 5-part essay, which includes the introduction, narration, confirmation, refutation, and conclusion. It’s a form that asks students to think about the purpose of each part of the essay. It asks students consider audience. It asks students to weigh evidence. It asks students to determine how many paragraphs they need instead of how many paragraphs a teacher requires. Students still needed a tool, I knew, but at least this one could more easily transfer to other types of writing. In fact, one of my students said that she could see how this structure would have been helpful in writing her social studies paper.
How many paragraphs should a college essay be? - CollegeVine
Here’s an example. Just a few years ago, when I was still knee deep in teaching the 5-paragraph essay, a colleague suggested that I give students the opportunity to choose their own topics, to come up with their own thesis statements instead of writing essays in response to the prompts I’d already created. I thought about it but decided against it. Why? Because whenever I’d given them choice in the past, students would come up with topics that did not easily fit into the 5-paragraph and prescribed thesis statement structure. What they wanted to argue—however complex, authentic, or interesting it might have been—didn’t fit the form.