Five Paragraph Essay 3 Colours

The Five-Paragraph Essay

A Framework for
Expository Writing

Different Kinds of Writing


We write for fun. We write letters, stories, jokes, and to share information with our family or friends.



Most school writing, however, is expository writing and fits into a different category.

The purpose of most expository writing is to communicate ideas or answer questions.

Expository Writing


Gives information about a topic



Explains ideas



Gives directions



Shows how to do something

Expository Writing Uses
Transitions
Writer’s Express says:
“Expository writing uses transition words (such as first, second, and most importantly). These words help guide the reader through the explanation.”
Writer’s Express - A Handbook for Young Writers, Thinkers, and Learners ©1995

So, your teacher gives you a prompt and tells you to write an expository essay:

“Write about your favorite pet.”
What do you do???
Don’t panic.
Follow this plan…
(Watch for the color-coding, it will help you organize your ideas.)

It’s Easy!
Start with your main idea or topic.
(use key words from the prompt)

You ONLY Need Three Ideas...


Three reasons that show your topic sentence is true



And three examples for each of your reasons (Remember to show, not tell.)

That’s all you need for the start of a great essay!!!

Use Correct
Paragraph Form
Each paragraph must include:

Topic Sentence
 Three Examples
 Conclusion


No paragraph should be less than five sentences.

The Beginning Your First Sentences
Start with a thesis statement that uses the key words from the prompt. Then write three reasons that prove the thesis statement is true.
My favorite pet is my dog,
Romeo. He is a beautiful and easy to care for. Playing with him is lots of fun. He always takes care of me.

Now end with a conclusion:
Remember, each paragraph must have a concluding sentence.
Finish with a sentence that restates your thesis statement “My favorite pet is my dog,
Romeo.” using different words.
I have never had a better pet.

You already have your first paragraph done!
Pretty easy, huh?
To make it even easier look at this organizational plan using color-coding. Paragraph 1: The
Introduction
 Introduction or Thesis
Statement

(Use key words from the

prompt)

 First Subtopic (A “Showing” Example)
 Second Subtopic (A “Showing”
Example)

 Third Subtopic (A “Showing”
Example)

 Conclusion (Restates Introduction)

Paragraph 1: Example
My favorite pet is my dog, Romeo. He is beautiful and easy to care for. Playing with him is lots of fun. He always takes care of me. I have never had a better pet.

Restate each subtopic as the topic sentence for each of the next three paragraphs.
First Subtopic

(Example #1)

“He is beautiful and easy to care for.” is the topic sentence you will restate for your next paragraph.

Paragraph 2: Example #1
 Topic Sentence (Restates
Example #1 from the Introduction “He is beautiful and easy to care for.” )

 3 Example Sentences
(Prove your Topic Sentence)

 Concluding Sentence
(Restates Topic Sentence from
Example #1)

Paragraph 2: Example #1
Romeo is beautiful and easy to care for. He is a tricolor
Sheltie, mostly black with white and a bit of brown. Caring for him is easy because I simply have to make sure he has fresh water and food every day. I exercise him by throwing his toys. Because he is good looking and doesn’t require much care Romeo is a good pet.

Restate the second subtopic as the topic sentence for the next paragraph.
Second Subtopic

(Example #2)

“Playing with him is lots of fun.” is the topic sentence you will restate for your next paragraph. Paragraph 3: Example #2


Topic Sentence



3 Example Sentences

(Restate
Example #2 from the Introduction
“Playing with him is lots of fun.”)
(Prove your Topic Sentence)



Concluding Sentence
(Restates Topic Sentence from
Example #2)

Paragraph 3: Example #2
Romeo is lots of fun to play with. He loves to play catch.
He follows me around the house with a toy and drops it on my foot so I will toss it. He can catch just about anything, but his favorite is chasing a
Frisbee. I really have fun playing with Romeo.

Use the third subtopic (example) as the topic sentence for the next paragraph.
Third Subtopic

(Example #3)

“He always takes care of me.” is the topic sentence for your next paragraph. Paragraph 4: Example #3
 Topic Sentence

(Restates

Example #3 from the Introduction
“Romeo takes care of me.”)

 3 Example Sentences

(That

prove your Topic Sentence)

 Concluding Sentence
(Restates Topic Sentence from Example
#3)

Paragraph 4: Example #3
Romeo takes care of me. He always follows me when I leave a room. When I am sitting on a couch he plops down right beside me. On sunny days when we are hiking in the woods he always makes sure that I keep up with the rest of the family. He always watches out for me.

Paragraph 5: Conclusion
(Restates Paragraph 1: Introduction)

 Introduction
 First Subtopic (Example)
 Second Subtopic
(Example)

 Third Sentence
 Conclusion

(Example)

Paragraph 5: Conclusion
(Restates Paragraph 1: Introduction)

As you can see, Romeo is a great pet. I am proud of him and he doesn’t require much care. Playing with him is very pleasurable. I am always safe because he watches over me. Romeo is a wonderful pet.

There you have it!
Expository writing isn’t that difficult when you have a plan. To make it even easier you may want to use a graphic organizer like the following ones to organize your thoughts.

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Five-Paragraph Essay
Organizer

Example 2

Name _____________________

Example 1

Main Example 2

Main Idea
Example 1

Example 2

Main Example 1

Example 3

Example 3

Example 1

Example 2

Main Example 2

Example 3

Have fun with your writing & remember, you only need
THREE IDEAS for a great expository essay!