Five-Paragraph Essay Lesson Plan: Producing Writing

Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-8, 9-12

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic, Five-Paragraph Essay, and addresses standards about developing an organized piece of writing with a clear thesis, relevant details, and a concluding statement. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

As a class, or individually, have students read Tim’s model essay, The Case For a Longer School Year. Ask:

What argument is Tim making in his essay?
What are his reasons or evidence for his argument?
Is Tim’s argument persuasive? Why or why not?
What is the purpose of the first paragraph? middle paragraphs? Last paragraph?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

Read aloud the description on the Five-Paragraph Essay topic page.
Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
Pair students and have them read one of the two Related Readings articles, then share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS

Students take the Five-Paragraph Essay Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about writing five-paragraph essays while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

Make-a-Movie: Produce a movie where you present a persuasive argument that follows the format of a five-paragraph essay.
Make-a-Map: Create a concept map that shows the features of each paragraph in a five-paragraph essay.
Creative Coding: Code a meme that shows the benefits of using the five-paragraph essay format.

More to Explore

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of the writing process with these topics: Types of Writing, Writing in Sequence, Research, and Outlines.

Teacher Support Resources:

Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas.
Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2a

Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2b

Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2c

Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.

Grade: 11-12

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2e

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2b

Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2c

Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.

Grade: 03

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.2d

Provide a concluding statement or section.

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2b

Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2c

Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2d

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2e

Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.9a

Apply grade 4 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text [e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions].”).

Grade: 04

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.9b

Apply grade 4 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text”).

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2b

Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2c

Link ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2d

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2e

Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.

Grade: 05

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.9b

Apply grade 5 Reading standards to informational texts (e.g., “Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point[s]”).

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2a

Introduce a topic; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2b

Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2c

Use appropriate transitions to clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2d

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2e

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.2f

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the information or explanation presented.

Grade: 06

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.9a

Apply grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories] in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics”).

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2a

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2b

Develop the topic with relevant facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2c

Use appropriate transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2d

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2e

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Grade: 07

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.7.2f

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2a

Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts, and information into broader categories; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2b

Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2c

Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2d

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2e

Establish and maintain a formal style.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.2f

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented.

Grade: 08

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.8.9b

Apply grade 8 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced”).

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2a

Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2b

Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2c

Use appropriate and varied transitions to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2d

Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2e

Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2f

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

Grade: 09, 10

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.9a

Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work [e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author draws on a play by Shakespeare]”).