Three Part Essay Structure How to write a collegiate five- paragraph essay.

“Attention Grabber” that “hooks” the reader Background Information ThesisIntroduction

Introduction Attention 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 Summary of Thesis Connection to your Audience Connection to the World

Conclusion Summary 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.