1. 5 Paragraph Essay
“The Basics”

2. Getting Started Establish your topic: Define your audience:
state your thesis or theme in one or two sentences
Define your audience: 
instructor
fellow classmates
other professionals
Keep your audience in mind as you write
Plan ahead: 
set a time line
plan for the unexpected
Often a paper is best finalized when it is finished, then revised!

3. Getting Started Use good logic in a reasoned argument
to develop the theme and/or support the thesis
Make sure your spelling is correct

4. Paragraph One Introduce the topic!
Inform the reader of your point of view!  
Entice the reader to continue
problems??
just get your thoughts down
re-write later if needed

5. Paragraph Development
Establish flow from paragraph to paragraph
transition sentences, clauses, or words at the beginning of a paragraph connect one idea to the next
topic sentence in each paragraph needs to be near the beginning
avoid one and two sentence paragraphs

6. Paragraph Development
Keep your voice active
"The Academic Committee decided..." not "It was decided by..."
avoid the verb "to be“ and your presentation will be effective, clear, and dynamic
avoiding "to be" will also avoid the passive voice

7. Paragraph Development
Use quotations to support your interpretations
properly introduce, explain, and cite each quote
block (indented) quotes should be used sparingly; they can break up the flow of your argument

8. Paragraph Development
Continually prove your point of view throughout the essay
don't drift away from the primary focus of the essay
don't lapse into summary in the developing paragraphs
wait until it’s time, at the conclusion

9. Conclusion Read your first paragraph and the theme development
Summarize, then conclude your argument
refer back once again to the first paragraph(s) as well as the development
do the last paragraphs
briefly restate the main ideas
reflect the succession and importance of the arguments
logically conclude their development  

10. Almost Done!! Edit/rewrite the first paragraph
fine tune your development and conclusion.

11. Celebrate a job well done.
Final Touches
Take a day or two off!
Re-read your paper with
a fresh mind and a sharp pencil
edit, correct, and re-write as
necessary
Turn in the paper (on time)
Celebrate a job well done.

12. The End