Simple Steps to Writing a 5-Paragraph Essay
A large part of school is learning how to write a basic five-paragraph essay or to write a basic submission for other assignments. Let’s break it down by using our “secret formula”. This secret formula will keep you organized and focused.
Have you ever watched Spongebob? Do you remember all the fun talk about Mr. Crab’s Secret Formula to make a Krabby Patty? If you ever watched that show you might remember that it was a perfect and popular Krabby Patty that brought in a lot of money for Mr. Crabs. Just like him, we have a secret formula called, the Hamburger Method. Here are the basics of the formula.
Top Bun = introduction (your thesis Statement and introduce the topic).
Hamburger Patty = body of the paper (all your juicy details)
Bottom Bun = (conclusion & wrap).
It’s that simple. To begin, the Top Bun, is your introduction. This part includes opening arguments that you will be presenting and discussing in your paper. Think of an introduction as the opening in a conversation. Just like you want to introduce yourself and leave a good first impression, you want to hook your reader in with a nice introduction.
The introduction is also where you will write your Thesis Statement. Think of your thesis statement as what you want the conversation to be about with that new person you’re talking to. Maybe you’re talking about sports, so your thesis statement should be on something sports related.
A Thesis Statement is one to two sentences in your introduction where you explain to the reader what the main Idea of your paper will be. For example, if you are writing about why Lebron James is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), your thesis statement will be introducing Lebron James and giving a brief explanation as to why he is the GOAT. You will list 2-3 reasons you’ll use to prove this point.
The Hamburger Patty, or body paragraph, is where the meat of your paper will be. Many times there are several body paragraphs. There is no set number of body paragraphs. A good guideline for a basic five paragraph essay would be to have one paragraph for each main point you mentioned in the introduction.
You will build the paragraph as you begin to presenting your main arguments and your sources to support your argument. EVERYTHING in this paragraph is on the same topic (or same main point). Think about that conversation with a new friend. Maybe you both like basketball and you start discussing who is the greatest of all time, your body paragraphs would be about Michael Jordan or Lebron James — not about Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck — because every detail in the body paragraph points back and proves the one main point you mentioned (in other words it’s all on the same subject).
For example, in one of your body paragraphs you can talk about Lebron’s 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors in 2016 to explain why he is the GOAT. Then you can provide his stats as evidence. In another body paragraph you can talk about how he passed the All Time Scoring Record. You should have around 3 body paragraphs. It should be the biggest section in your paper.
Finally, the Bottom of the Bun is the conclusion. This is where you wrap up your paper with a neat little bow. This is where you summarize the conversation you were having with your new friend. Think about how you would end the conversation with a nice little wrap up and a goodbye, and have that same frame of mind when writing your conclusion to wrap it up for the reader.
HINT: This final paragraph can be very, very similar to the first paragraph but re-worded in a different order. Almost like coming full circle back to the introduction. You will briefly restate your thesis statement and your -3 main points. Your conclusion should end with a closing statement where the whole thing comes together — similar to the catchy opener you used at the beginning.
Whenever you have an assignment due, remember the Secret Formula! It will help you stay focused, organized and complete, when writing a basic five-paragraph essay.
Summarize here
