Next Level Writing
A student turned our lesson about the D5PE(dreaded 5-paragraph essay)into art. 😉 My message to students over the course of this assignment will be that this format is contrived but can still be used to showcase great written communication & critical thinking. @connectcharter pic.twitter.com/JTsNVHJHOP
— Jaime Groeller (@missg_teaches) October 19, 2018
This week, we started exploring the five-paragraph essay as a model of "academic" writing, examining its pros, and its cons. The basic ideas behind a D5PE (dreaded 5-paragraph essay) are useful: organization in written communication and supporting one's arguments. With a focus on the quality of communication, rather than just the format, this can be a great starting point for all students, and those who are passionate about writing can quickly take this to the next level. Those that are less passionate can stay within this format and find success communicating their ideas, especially in high school. This format includes:
- introductions (hook, general to specific, thesis)
- body paragraphs
- conclusions (touch back, hit the heart, look to the future, and zinger)
- topic sentences
- just write it
- This refers to novice writers' use of superfluous phrases such as "In this essay I am going to" or "I believe that." While there may be a place for phrases like this in certain types of communication, I am encouraging students to avoid telling me what they are going to write, and to just write it!