This semester I have been thinking about, reading about, and looking up alternatives to the five paragraph essay. I feel that I’m at a good point in my learning to take stock of what I’ve discovered and invite some feedback.
It probably comes as no surprise that I have become disenchanted with the five paragraph (or 32-sentence) essay. Why? I believe that thoughtful writing is a critical skill that we teachers have the opportunity to encourage our students to develop. I do not believe that every piece of thoughtful writing can be expressed in five neat paragraphs: introduction, three arguments, and conclusion. I believe that the structure of writing should emerge from the ideas and assist in expressing them, rather than strong-arming them into a neat format that, coincidentally, is easy to mark.
Five-paragraph essays are tidy; emerging thinking is not. I wonder if by relying on formulaic writing we are insulating ourselves from the messiness of teaching students how to develop and express an opinion? Teaching a form is relatively easy: a couple of fill-in-the-blank forms go a long way to completing the lesson. Encouraging students to develop and express their ideas is entirely different.
So in the upcoming days, I’ll examine alternatives to the five-paragraph essay that I’ve encountered. Some of these alternatives I’ve tried out in some fashion; some I haven’t yet.
Here’s what’s in store:
- Collaborative essays
- Scripted dialogue
- Reading narratives
- Multi-genre papers
- And what I’m calling “The Organic Essay”
One final note: Many of you will recognize Bruce Pirie’s fingerprints all over this series. It would be hard to overestimate the impact that his writing has had on my own teaching practice. If you haven’t read his Reshaping High School English
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This is a subject close to my heart. I’d argue that not only does the 5-paragraph essay not generally result in good writing, it actually encourages _bad_ thinking, in that students tend to grab at supporting arguments and ignore objections or other possible lines of thought. (The argument is elaborated at http://www.facultyshack.org/article.php3?idnum=152). To your list of alternatives, I’d add the question-based essay (“Identify one question that interests you and explore at least two or three possible answers”) and the process essay (“Walk me through your thinking as it has evolved on this issue: – First I thought… then I talked to xxx and realized… now I find myself…)
Bruce, thanks for stopping by. Mr. B-G introduced me to your essay a few months ago, and I’ve enjoyed reading it (and re-reading it). Thanks for the additional essay alternatives, too.
I’m very excited to have found your blog. (I found it by Googling “Alternatives to the Five-Paragraph Essay.” You garnered first place.) I’ve been traveling down a road parallel to yours since the summer before last when I attended my local writing project’s summer institute. I’ve been blogging a lot about the five-paragraph essay myself. (If you make it over to my site, click “freshman comp.”)
I just got re-jazzed about the topic by reading a devastating indictment of the five-paragraph-essay approach to writing instruction in this month’s NCTE English Journal. I think if enough of us got together, we could collaborate on a book sharing this post’s title and each make, I don’t know, hundreds of dollars!
You have such a wealth of material here. I can’t wait to dive in over the next weeks and months to get ideas for my writing instruction.
Peter, thanks a lot for your comments. I will certainly check out both the English Journal and Freshman Comp right away.
Collaborating on a book is a great idea — Anything to help break the mold of the 5-paragraph, keyhole structure.
I had no idea Mr. Pirie had so much clout in the education world!
He taught me in grade 10 English, and it was probably the most fun I’ve ever had in an English class. And oh yes, students hate the 5 paragraph essay too
Hi Brad – we are discussing this very topic in my intermediate English ABQ course. I’ve suggested your site for some insights and yes – we are debating whether we should teach this form right now – lot’s of fun. I love the new look of your blog! (Love the comment from a former student).