The Five Paragraph
Essay
a step- by- step introduction……….
The Bing The Bang and
The Bongo
Writing the Five Paragraph Essay
Why Learn How to Write a 5 P
Essay?
 Can be used for both informative and persuasive
writing
 Incorporates many of the basics of good writing
 Speeds up the writing process because of its
formulaic nature
 Can be used for structure of a research-based
essay when expanded
An Essay is a group of
paragraphs relating to one
main idea. The
, the
, the
is a method
for organizing your thoughts
when you write an essay.
The Introduction-The Hook,
Paragraph 2Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4-
First….
THE HOOK
THE INTRODUCTION
the hook
 HISTORICAL INFORMATION: Some topics are
better understood if a brief historical review of the
topic is presented to lead into the discussion of the
moment:
 Make sure it’s factual
 Keep it brief
THE INTRODUCTION
important definitions
An opening sentence or two that
grabs the reader’s interest and
introduces the general topic of the essay
 Hook:
 Examples:
 Historical information
 An anecdote
 A surprising statement
 A declarative statement
 A quote
Introduction
Consists of:
o The Hook
o General topic sentences (2 or 3)
which are more specific than the
hook
o A thesis statement including
three supporting ideas, (Bing,
Bang, Bongo)all written in parallel
structure
Example of hook with
Historical Information:
If I wanted to write an informative
essay on cool skateboarding tricks:
In the spring of 1975, skateboarding took an
evolutionary boost toward the sport that we see
today. In Del Mar, California a slalom and
freestyle contest was held at the Ocean
Festival. That day, the Zephyr team showed the
world what skateboarding could be. They rode
their boards like no one had in the public eye,
low and smooth, and skateboarding was taken
from being a hobby to a serious, exciting sport.
TAKEN FROM: http://skateboard.about.com/cs/boardscience/a/brief_history.htm
THE INTRODUCTION
the hook
ANECDOTE: An interesting
little story
Include sights, sounds, smells
and other sensory images
Keep it brief
Example of hook with
Anecdote:
If I wanted to write an informative article on
auctions:
Mike Cantlon remembers coming across his
first auction ten years ago while cruising the
back roads of Wisconsin. He parked his car
and wandered into the crowd, toward the
auctioneer's singsong chant and wafting smell
of barbecued sandwiches. Hours later, Cantlon
emerged lugging a $22 beam drill-for
constructing post-and-beam barns—and a
passion for auctions that has clung like a
cocklebur on an old saddle blanket. "It's an
addiction," says Cantlon, a financial planner
and one of the growing number of auction
fanatics for whom Saturdays will never be the
same.
THE INTRODUCTION
the hook
 A SUPRISING STATEMENT: There are many
ways a statement can surprise a reader.
Sometimes the statement is surprising because
it is disgusting. Sometimes it is joyful.
Sometimes it is shocking. Sometimes it is
surprising because of who said it.
o Take care to explain how the statement relates to
your topic
o Description is great, over- exaggeration is not
o Make sure that the statement is relevant, not just
shocking
Example of hook with a
Surprising Statement:
If I wanted to inform parents of ways to
protect their children and prevent
accidents:
Have a minute? Good. Because that may be
all it takes to save the life of a child—your
child. Accidents kill nearly 8,000 children
under age 15 each year. And for every
fatality, 42 more children are admitted to
hospitals for treatment. Yet such deaths and
injuries can be avoided through these easy
steps parents can take right now. You don't
have a minute to lose.
THE INTRODUCTION
the hook
A DECLARITIVE STATEMENT: In this
pattern, the writer simply states straight out
what the topic of his paper is going to be about.
It is the technique that most student writers
use with only modest success most of the time,
but good professional writers use it too.
oDon’t give too much information
oDon’t write, “In this essay…”
oDon’t write, “I’m going to tell you about…”
Example of hook with
Declarative Statement:
If I wanted to explain why people should
consider attending a free concert in a public
park:
If you attend a concert in a city park, chances are
you’re less interested in the performance than in
the whole package, in which the music, the
weather, the general gregariousness and the spirit
of the moment become inseparable.
TAKEN FROM: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/arts/music/13squa.html
THE INTRODUCTION
the hook
A QUOTE: When a writer uses the words of
another to help illustrate a point
 Your quote should be unusual, funny, or obscure
 Don’t choose a long quote
 Your quote should have a meaning you plan to
reveal to the reader as the essay progresses
 Remember to put opening and closing quotation
marks around your quote
 Include who said or wrote your quote
Example of hook with a
Quote:
If I wanted to write an informative
essay on how to recover from making
a mistake:
"You must never feel badly about making
mistakes," explained Reason quietly, "as long as
you take the trouble to learn from them.”
-Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth
NEXT:
The
GENERAL TOPIC
SENTENCES
after the hook
General Topic
Sentences
Why do we need them?
 They keep the reader focused on the
point of the essay
 They serve as a transition between
the hook and the thesis statement
Lets Create an Essay together
 Using the
guide
the b
and the
pattern as our
 Introduction-
 Of all the holidays throughout the year, Halloween is my
favorite. I love Halloween because we get to dress up in
scary costumes, decorate the house and hand out candy
to little kids. Halloween is the best holiday ever!
 (what is missing from the above Introductory
paragraph?)
Paragraph Two  First of all, I plan and create the best original
Halloween costume I can. I actually create two
costumes, one I can wear to school and one I can wear
to our Halloween party. I make sure it is original, spooky
and comfortable to wear. I like to make my own and not
just buy one from a costume store. I love to see what
the trick or treater’s wear when they ring my door bell.
Dressing up is really one of my favorite parts of
Halloween.
Paragraph 3 –
 The second best part of Halloween is decorating the
house. I have more boxes of Halloween decoration’s
than I do of Christmas. I set up a graveyard out front
and hang spooky garlands and lights around the
windows. I use strobe lights and a fog machine too! I
have a reputation in the neighborhood and children
come from all around to see the best Halloween
decorated house on the block.
Paragraph Four  What is Halloween without the treats, not just tricks? I
choose the candy we hand out so that any leftover
candy is the type of candy that we like to eat. We love
chocolate so I stock up on lots of small chocolate bars.
Every year we seem to have less trick or treater’s and so
we have a lot of candy left over. I always have extra
special treat’s for my grandchildren who also stop by to
show off their costumes and collect their candy treats.
Conclusion,
Bo
 Halloween is the best holiday of the year because of the
costumes, decorations and candy treat’s. No other
holiday compares, not Easter, Thanksgiving or
Christmas. I am even planning what costume I will wear
next year. What are you planning to wear for
Halloween?
Transitions
The glue that holds all
our thoughts together!
Common Transitions
Try these
Or these
 First
 Afterwards
 First of all
 In the beginning
 Second
 In the morning
 Secondly
 Third
 Next
 Then
 In addition
 Also
 More importantly
 Finally, therefore, In
summary, In conclusion