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.