Three Part Essay StructureHow to write a collegiate five- paragraph essay.
“Attention Grabber” that “hooks” the reader
Background Information
Thesis
Introduction
IntroductionAttention Grabber: “hooks” your
reader’s attention: Rhetorical question, quote, bold statement
Background Info: Introduce the subject of your essay including all relevant information: Names of texts, authors, time periods, why they are significant…
Thesis: answer to the question asked/statement of point to be proven (usually a single sentence) Forecasts the rest of the essay.
Main Idea (Transition)
Evidence (2-3)
Links
Body Paragraphs
Body Main Idea: identifies the subject of the
paragraph and relates it to the thesis and starts with a transition
Evidence: gives specific examples about the subject of the paragraph. A strong paragraph provides 2-3 of these.
Links: explains the connection of each piece of evidence to the Main Idea.
Hint: Using MEL-Con will be helpful here!
Conclusion
Summaryof Thesis
Connection to your Audience
Connection to the World
ConclusionSummary of Thesis: Summarize
your main idea in different words!
Connection to Audience: These are your last words. What do you want the audience to understand from your essay?
Connection to the World: How can the world benefit from your essay?
Step 1: A strong thesis!
Topic+Claim+Reasoning (forecast)1. Topic: Clarifies the subject of your
paper.
2.Claim: Expresses what you have to say about the topic.
3.Reasoning: Explains why you are making this claim and forecasts what’s
to come in the rest of your essay.
Let’s try!Write a thesis answering the
following question:Should high schools separate classes according to gender?Topic=Claim=Reasoning=High schools should not have gender separated classes because it will cause psychological harm to students.