Five Lies We Tell Our Students - #1: "The Five Paragraph Essay is a good form of writing"

In the first series under Lies ELA Teachers Tell, I will discuss the top five lies we tell our students.  As with everything we do as teachers, we are well-meaning with these lies.  But, in the long-term, these lies hurt our students.  I will discuss the lie, what we really mean when we tell the lie, and how we can achieve the same objective. 

Okay, so we never actually say this lie, but we do imply it by teaching this format over and over and over again.  As with all the other lies, we are well-intended.  We want our students to learn how to structure essays.  There's nothing wrong with that.  But there are lots of things wrong with this particular form of writing.

First, the five paragraph essay occurs in no other place other than school.  I've never had to write the five paragraph essay business letter.  Have you?  I can't think of one type of writing I've done outside of being required to write in this form where I had to write in this form.  And this is the danger.

Second, the five paragraph essay is an easy form of writing.  So easy, in fact, that teachers and students never break free from it.  I'd be okay if we taught this type of essay once so that students got the basic idea (everything you write needs a beginning, middle, and end, plus you need to expand upon each of your points) and then moved on.  As a scaffolding tool, it's okay (I'm compromising by even going that far).  But, teachers use it as an real-world form of writing when it is not.

I've even seen teachers tell students to use the form of writing on a standardized test when it makes no sense to write five paragraphs.  For example, I saw a teacher advise her students to use if for a compare/contrast essay.  The first paragraph was the introduction, the second was comparing the two things, the third was contrasting, the fourth was some weird thing that had NOTHING to do with comparing and contrasting, and the fifth was the conclusion.  It would make more sense in that case to do four paragraphs, would it not?

Third, by emphasizing this form over and over and over again, it is the only form that students learn how to write.  And it is a form that has its limitations.  It may be appropriate for middle school and the level of development we expect from middle schoolers, but it borders on basic for high schoolers.  What's worse is that when students get to college, they are still writing in five paragraph format.  I've taught college freshman - and it is not good for a college freshman to be writing in five paragraphs.  They do it because we never taught them how to do it right.

In addition to teaching students that every piece of writing has a beginning, middle, and end, we should be teaching students to look at the purpose and audience of the piece of writing, consider the content they wish to include, and then choose a format.  I tell my 9th graders that before they write, they should look at their brainstorming, think about what they want to include, decide how many paragraphs that will require, and then write a quick outline.  Some write in 4 paragraphs, others in 5, but more and more I see my students in writing in 6, 7, 8, 9, and more paragraphs - getting deeper and deeper into their ideas. 

The five paragraph essay is a box - an easy box.  It's an easy box to write and it's an easy box to grade.  But, it is a box nonetheless from which we must break free.   

Comments

[Emilio Pasmante]

Yes yes you know this is sooo true and im glad ive stumbled into your site accidentally because i was actully look for something of some sort of how to write a fove paragraph essay quick and easy. This is what ive always wandered but Ive never actually wanted to write more than five paragraphs because it was never really encouraged by my teachers or discouraged either way teachers should be more open spirited and open minded and youve set a very supporting point and it can change many many points of views thank you, Emilio

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First, the five paragraph essay occurs in no other place other than school. I've never had to write the five paragraph essay business letter. Have you? I can't think of one type of writing I've done outside of being required to write in this form where I had to write in this form. And this is the danger.
Second, the five paragraph essay is an easy form of writing. So easy, in fact, that teachers and students never break free from it. I'd be okay if we taught this type of essay once so that students got the basic idea (everything you write needs a beginning, middle, and end, plus you need to expand upon each of your points) and then moved on. As a scaffolding tool, it's okay (I'm compromising by even going that far). But, teachers use it as an real-world form of writing when it is not.
I've even seen teachers tell students to use the form of writing on a standardized test when it makes no sense to write five paragraphs. For example, I saw a teacher advise her students to use if for a compare/contrast essay. The first paragraph was the introduction, the second was comparing the two things, the third was contrasting, the fourth was some weird thing that had NOTHING to do with comparing and contrasting, and the fifth was the conclusion. It would make more sense in that case to do four paragraphs, would it not?

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