Assessment Genre: Critical Review of The 5 Paragraph Essay

Introduction

At the beginning of every school year I give my middle school students a relatively large, official looking packet. Contained within is a short story by Langston Hughes titled, “Thank You Ma’am” and a prompt which instructs them to write an essay based on what they have read and other well defined criteria. Specific instructions are provided and students are then left to their devices to complete at their own pace. I use 1-2 class periods if necessary. For those requiring additional time, I grant it.

I do not expect my students to do well on this pre-assessment. It is a baseline for forming further instruction and a starting point to show growth from continued practice. The 5 Paragraph Essay remains popular in writing instruction perhaps, because it covers so many of the target standards teachers are asked to develop in their students.

Here are just a few:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1.A Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1.B Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1.C Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1.D Establish and maintain a formal style.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.1.E Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.A Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.B Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2.C Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

Source: http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/

Explanation

For many Secondary ELA and English Teachers, the 5 Paragraph Essay is the Gold Standard for writing assessment. It is eloquent in design in both its efficiency and ease of instruction. Or at least it is meant to be. A standard outline is based on several elements. Illustrating an outline or the “bones” of the essay may be more useful to those unfamiliar with the form.

General 5- Paragraph Essay Outline

I Introduction Paragraph

1. Attention Statement (Hook your reader) 2. General or Connecting Information

3. Thesis Statement (This is your main claim or point that needs to be proven)

II Body Paragraph 1

A) First Topic Sentence (claim)

1. Supporting Detail, Reason, or Evidence:

2. Supporting Detail, Reason, or Evidence:

3. Supporting Detail, Reason, or Evidence:

Transition:

III Body Paragraph 2

A) Second Topic Sentence (claim)

1. Supporting Detail, Reason, or Evidence:

2. Supporting Detail, Reason, or Evidence:

3. Supporting Detail, Reason, or Evidence:

Transition:

IV Body Paragraph 3

A) Third Topic Sentence (claim)

1. Supporting Detail, Reason, or Evidence:

2.  Supporting Detail, Reason, or Evidence:

3. Supporting Detail, Reason, or Evidence:

Transition:

V Concluding Paragraph

1.  Restate Thesis Statement

2.  Summarize Main Points/Make a Prediction/Add an Evaluation, Opinion, or Solution

3.  Final Thought

But in reality, the design is still very dependent upon the even more specific question of purpose. Four common types of Five Paragraph Essay I use are listed below.This is by no means an exhaustive list.

Expository

Analytical

Persuasive

Argumentative

My pre-test is aimed at literary analysis which can also contain elements of persuasive or argumentative writing. Students are asked to make a claim (the thesis) and prove or support that claim using evidence from the text and their own reasoning to prove it. Further incarnations of the 5 Paragraph Essay in the course of a school year may include Descriptive Writing, Expository Essays, and Compare and Contrast structures. But ultimately, a summative assessment will be implemented to gage growth in that same sub-genre of literary analysis, with the same exact tool and prompt.

Analysis

Again, this genre of assessment is used as an ongoing gage for instruction. But more than three or four essays a year may be an overload for many students. I feel that the pre-test at the beginning, one or two formative mid-year submissions which can coincide with class read novels, and a final year-end summative essay, is ideal for developing these larger written works for middle school students. I currently have the luxury of teaching grades 6,7, and 8 in my school, so I will continue this process hopefully for more than a single school year. Students will also have many other written assignments and assessments along the way, but understanding of this form will be the long term goal moving through secondary education.

One key factor in using the 5 Paragraph Essay is that it is a skills based assessment. It is not content driven or is it content focused. There are variations on the how and what, but they should be student generated instead of rote reproduction of a single right or wrong answer. It is a long term goal which drives the design and instruction. If a student has issues with any one the elements in the outline, we can step back, slow down, and break apart the whole process into smaller chunks. Once a student understands that particular aspect of the essay, they can move on to the next piece. After the foundation is laid, students can then apply their own style and craft to their writing while still developing proficiency in mechanics and grammar. I typically use graphic organizers to begin the writing process so that student can organize their thoughts and keep these ideas separated until they are ready to fuse them into one cohesive product. Resources for tools such as this are readily available online.

Recommendation

As I stated previously, to many, this is the Gold Standard for middle school and high school level writing instruction. Although not all agree. It is safe to say that any teacher will have a much harder time with this design if students come in cold at the beginning of the year with no prior exposure to this form. I have taught students who have had both a great familiarity with these essays and those who have not. There are other means to develop literary analysis, argumentative, and persuasive writing skills in students, but a well scaffolded plan of instruction from grade level to grade level will only benefit students within a school of district if the same familiar designs are in place.

Digital Context

In past years, I have always implemented the pre-test essay as a paper and pencil undertaking. This provided me with several additional bits of information including an initial hand writing sample, spelling, mechanics, and grammar usage. Yes, I want to know how well a student can write a 5 Paragraph Essay and all the elements which it entails, but with pencil and paper I can also better gauge a student’s ability to write, edit, and revise. The eraser marks and scratch outs remain. Hand writing skills reflect a more comprehensive look at a student’s skill set and abilities versus use of word processing software.

This year, I abandoned my coveted pre-tests. Both the 5 paragraph essay and a literary devices multiple choice pre-test to gauge what students knew about literature and literary device were left on the cutting room floor of the production of this year’s curriculum. Time was too much of a factor this year, or better stated perhaps, the lack of it. I racked by brain all summer deciding how and what to convert to digital formats for the fall not knowing what platforms, if any I would be utilizing for instruction. As it turns out, the choice my district made is not well suited to conversion if time is an issue. But the reality is, the 5 paragraph essay is just an accessible via digital mediums as it is on paper and pencil. Actually in some ways, the level of design and instruction is elevated through digital mediums in ways that only creativity and intuition could inhibit. Ultimately, what students create with pencil and paper is meant to be published digitally and either printed or submitted as such.

Final Thoughts

At the very bottom of the cover page of the pre-test in fine print are these words:

“Writing is a critical skill for effective communication. It takes effort and development of a variety of skills: clear ideas, organization, a voice that holds the interest of your audience, and a consistent control of language including word choice, sentence structure, and conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization). Writing will continue to be a communication skill that is required in most professions and workplace environments. Acquiring effective writing skills will enhance both your personal and professional opportunities. Therefore, it is essential that you do your very best with each practice and assessment you complete at every level.”

I suspect in some cases they go unread by many of my participants. However, this message is repeated to my students again and again in many forms throughout the course of the year.

WRITING IS A CRITICAL SKILL.

DESIGN, IMPLEMENT, EVALUATE.