writing a multi paragraph essay

The Ultimate Guide to the 5-Paragraph Essay

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• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

A five-paragraph essay is a prose composition that follows a prescribed format of an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph, and is typically taught during primary English education and applied on standardized testing throughout schooling.

Learning to write a high-quality five-paragraph essay is an essential skill for students in early English classes as it allows them to express certain ideas, claims, or concepts in an organized manner, complete with evidence that supports each of these notions. Later, though, students may decide to stray from the standard five-paragraph format and venture into writing an  exploratory essay  instead.

Still, teaching students to organize essays into the five-paragraph format is an easy way to introduce them to writing literary criticism, which will be tested time and again throughout their primary, secondary, and further education.

Writing a Good Introduction

The introduction is the first paragraph in your essay, and it should accomplish a few specific goals: capture the reader's interest, introduce the topic, and make a claim or express an opinion in a thesis statement.

It's a good idea to start your essay with a hook (fascinating statement) to pique the reader's interest, though this can also be accomplished by using descriptive words, an anecdote, an intriguing question, or an interesting fact. Students can practice with creative writing prompts to get some ideas for interesting ways to start an essay.

The next few sentences should explain your first statement, and prepare the reader for your thesis statement, which is typically the last sentence in the introduction. Your  thesis sentence  should provide your specific assertion and convey a clear point of view, which is typically divided into three distinct arguments that support this assertation, which will each serve as central themes for the body paragraphs.

Writing Body Paragraphs

The body of the essay will include three body paragraphs in a five-paragraph essay format, each limited to one main idea that supports your thesis.

To correctly write each of these three body paragraphs, you should state your supporting idea, your topic sentence, then back it up with two or three sentences of evidence. Use examples that validate the claim before concluding the paragraph and using transition words to lead to the paragraph that follows — meaning that all of your body paragraphs should follow the pattern of "statement, supporting ideas, transition statement."

Words to use as you transition from one paragraph to another include: moreover, in fact, on the whole, furthermore, as a result, simply put, for this reason, similarly, likewise, it follows that, naturally, by comparison, surely, and yet.

Writing a Conclusion

The final paragraph will summarize your main points and re-assert your main claim (from your thesis sentence). It should point out your main points, but should not repeat specific examples, and should, as always, leave a lasting impression on the reader.

The first sentence of the conclusion, therefore, should be used to restate the supporting claims argued in the body paragraphs as they relate to the thesis statement, then the next few sentences should be used to explain how the essay's main points can lead outward, perhaps to further thought on the topic. Ending the conclusion with a question, anecdote, or final pondering is a great way to leave a lasting impact.

Once you complete the first draft of your essay, it's a good idea to re-visit the thesis statement in your first paragraph. Read your essay to see if it flows well, and you might find that the supporting paragraphs are strong, but they don't address the exact focus of your thesis. Simply re-write your thesis sentence to fit your body and summary more exactly, and adjust the conclusion to wrap it all up nicely.

Practice Writing a Five-Paragraph Essay

Students can use the following steps to write a standard essay on any given topic. First, choose a topic, or ask your students to choose their topic, then allow them to form a basic five-paragraph by following these steps:

• Decide on your  basic thesis , your idea of a topic to discuss.
• Decide on three pieces of supporting evidence you will use to prove your thesis.
• Write an introductory paragraph, including your thesis and evidence (in order of strength).
• Write your first body paragraph, starting with restating your thesis and focusing on your first piece of supporting evidence.
• End your first paragraph with a transitional sentence that leads to the next body paragraph.
• Write paragraph two of the body focussing on your second piece of evidence. Once again make the connection between your thesis and this piece of evidence.
• End your second paragraph with a transitional sentence that leads to paragraph number three.
• Repeat step 6 using your third piece of evidence.
• Begin your concluding paragraph by restating your thesis. Include the three points you've used to prove your thesis.
• End with a punch, a question, an anecdote, or an entertaining thought that will stay with the reader.

Once a student can master these 10 simple steps, writing a basic five-paragraph essay will be a piece of cake, so long as the student does so correctly and includes enough supporting information in each paragraph that all relate to the same centralized main idea, the thesis of the essay.

Limitations of the Five-Paragraph Essay

The five-paragraph essay is merely a starting point for students hoping to express their ideas in academic writing; there are some other forms and styles of writing that students should use to express their vocabulary in the written form.

According to Tory Young's "Studying English Literature: A Practical Guide":

"Although school students in the U.S. are examined on their ability to write a  five-paragraph essay , its  raison d'être  is purportedly to give practice in basic writing skills that will lead to future success in more varied forms. Detractors feel, however, that writing to rule in this way is more likely to discourage imaginative writing and thinking than enable it. . . . The five-paragraph essay is less aware of its  audience  and sets out only to present information, an account or a kind of story rather than explicitly to persuade the reader."

Students should instead be asked to write other forms, such as journal entries, blog posts, reviews of goods or services, multi-paragraph research papers, and freeform expository writing around a central theme. Although five-paragraph essays are the golden rule when writing for standardized tests, experimentation with expression should be encouraged throughout primary schooling to bolster students' abilities to utilize the English language fully.

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• The Introductory Paragraph: Start Your Paper Off Right

How to Write a Multi-Paragraph Essay: Tips and Pointers

If you have taken any type of writingclass in high school or college, there is a very good chance that you have been assigned a multi-paragraph essay. In essence, it follows the format that almost all essays take - typically in the form of five paragraphs - although it can be longer when necessary. The content of a multi-paragraph varies depending on the type of essay the writer is being asked to write. If you understand how to structure this type of paper, you will be able to best organize your thoughts and ideas on paper. A multi-paragraph essay example can serve as a guide if you are having difficulties.

What is a Multi-Paragraph Essay Worksheet?

When you are asked to write a lengthy essay, your instruction will sometimes ask you to fill out a multi-paragraph essay worksheet so that you will be able to plan the assignment well. Since this assignment is more complex than the general 5-paragraph essay, it is typically given to students only after they have enough writing experience. The information in the worksheet includes your introduction and conclusion paragraphs and the body paragraphs in between.

Suggestions for Using the Worksheet

The multi-paragraph essay format is ideal for a wide variety of essay types whether it is argumentative, persuasive or comparative. Teachers will often ask students to use the multi-paragraph essay so that they can improve their formal writing. Rather than being limited to three body paragraphs or main arguments, it helps the student utilize far more examples and therefore write a more insightful, comprehensive paper. 

First Paragraph

As with pretty much every essay, you will use the first paragraph to introduce the topic. Since you want to hook the reader, make sure the first sentence is intriguing and memorable. The following sentences provide some context and inform the reader what to expect, and the final sentence will contain the thesis statement, the main idea that the entire paper is centered around. 

The body of the essay is used to highlight your points that provide support for the thesis. In a multi-paragraph essay, the body will contain a minimum of three paragraphs, with each of them focusing on a particular idea that can be linked back to the main idea of the paper. The paragraphs begin with a topic sentence after which you provide more elaboration and thereby strengthen your thesis argument.

If you are writing a conventional multi-paragraph essay, the conclusion will be in the fifth and final paragraph. Use this opportunity to restate your thesis and main points, reaffirm that you have proven your thesis, and finish by discussing the broader implications of your paper. It is the last thing that the reader will see, so make it count! 

Additional Elements

If your paper includes any outside sources, they should not only be cited in the text, they should be attached on a separate page in the form of a reference list/bibliography/work cited. Using reputable sources to support your opinion adds credibility to your paper. Make sure to format this page according to your instructor’s preferred citation style.

How to Create a Multiple-Paragraph Essay

Michael Hicks 0

In addition to the article to follow, here’s a quick video that gives the very basics of how to compose this type of paper.

essaypop organizes the multiple-paragraph into three sections: The introduction, body paragraphs, and the conclusion. Let’s take a look at how students will compose each section.

The Introduction

When the essay is first accessed by students, they are taken to the introduction view that looks like this:

In the introduction, students create their hook and their thesis statement; they add pops (which introduce upcoming body paragraphs, and they write a short closer. You’ll notice that each time a student adds a pop , a new body paragraph appears in the header.

Here’s an example of an introduction that is starting to take shape:

This article from our style guide goes into more detail about the introduction:

Read the article: How to Write a Perfect Essay Introduction?

Body Paragraphs

When finished with the introduction, students can then begin composing their body paragraphs each of which they access by clicking in the header. There will be as many body paragraphs as there are pops in the introduction. A five-paragraph essay, for instance, will have three pops/body paragraphs:

Here is an example of a body paragraph that is starting to take shape:

This article from our style guide goes into more detail about body paragraphs:

The Conclusion

The essaypop method for crafting the essay’s conclusion will help students create substantive and reflective final paragraphs. The conclusion writing space is accessed by clicking “conclusion” in the header.

This article from our style guide goes into more detail about conclusions:

Any type of multiple-paragraph essay can be mastered using the essaypop writing frames.

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• Parts of a Paragraph; Multi-Paragraph Documents
• The Writing Process
• Definition of a Paragraph
• Rhetorical Modes; Review of Paragraphs
• Unity and Coherence in Essays
• Proving the Thesis/Critical Thinking
• Appropriate Language

Parts of a Paragraph

Topic sentence – purpose of a paragraph.

Unless you are writing specialized report such as a scientific research paper or a feasibility study that may otherwise show the purpose of a paragraph such as a heading , a well written paragraph must have a topic sentence which states what the paragraph is about.

Whether you are writing a paragraph for a specific assignment, an academic essay, a research paper, or a simple letter, each paragraph

The topic sentence should be the first sentence of the paragraph so that the reader knows what the paragraph is about.  The topic sentence in a body paragraph of an essay must be support for the thesis: a reason why the thesis is true or accurate.

The rest of the sentences in the paragraph of an essay support, elaborate, and/or further explain the topic sentence.

Here is an example of a paragraph:

The first sentence is the topic sentence. See how the rest of the sentences support, elaborate, and/or or further explain it.

Almost every aspect of modern life has been improved through convenience provided by technology.    From the alarm clock in the morning to the entertainment center at night, everyday life is improved.  The automatic coffee maker has the coffee ready at a certain time. Cars or public transportation bring people to work where computers operate at the push of a button.  At home, there’s the convenience of washing machines and dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, and power lawn mowers.  Modern technology has made life better with many conveniences.

Everything in this paragraph is about how modern life has been improved through convenience provided by technology.

Unity and Coherence

A paragraph must have unity.

All of the sentences of a particular paragraph must focus on one point to achieve one goal: to support the topic sentence.

A paragraph must have coherence.

The sentences must flow smoothly and logically from one to the next as they support the topic sentence.

The last sentence of the paragraph should restate the topic sentence to help achieve unity and coherence.

Here is an example with information that  does not  support the topic sentence;

Almost every aspect of modern life has been improved through convenience provided by modern technology.  From the alarm clock in the morning to the entertainment center at night, everyday life is improved. The automatic coffee maker has the coffee ready at a certain time. People are more concerned about health issues and good air quality, so they have started walking or riding a bike to work even though they have the option of using a car or public transportation.   There’s the convenience of washing machines and dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, and power lawn mowers.  Modern technology has made life better with many conveniences.

See how just one non-supporting sentence takes away from the effectiveness of the paragraph in showing how modern conveniences make life better since the unity and coherence are affected.  There is no longer unity among all the sentences.  The thought pattern is disjointed and the paragraph loses its coherence.

Here’s another example of a paragraph:

Not only has modern technology improved life through convenience, it has improved life through efficiency.  The time saved with machines doing most of the work leaves more time for people to develop their personal goals or to just relax.  Years ago, when doing laundry could take all day, there wasn’t time left over to read or go to school or even just to take a leisurely walk.  Nowadays, people have more time and energy than ever to simply enjoy their lives thanks to the efficiency of modern technology.

Note: See how all the sentences work together to support the point that technology has improved lives through efficiency.

Transitions – Words that Connect

Transitions  are words, groups of words, or sentences that connect one sentence to another or one paragraph to another.

They promote a logical flow from one idea to the next.

While they are not needed in every sentence, they are missed when they are omitted since the flow of thoughts becomes disjointed or even confusing.

There are different types of transitions such as the following:

• Time – before, after, during, in the meantime, nowadays
• Space – over, around, under
• Examples – for instance, one example is
• Comparison –  on the other hand, the opposing view
• Consequence – as a result, subsequently

These are just a few examples.  The idea is to paint a clear, logical connection between sentences and between paragraphs.

Here’s how transitions help make a paragraph unified and coherent:

Not only  has modern technology improved life through convenience, it has improved life through efficiency.  The time saved with machines doing most of the work leaves more time for people to develop their personal goals or to just relax.   Years ago,  when doing laundry could take all day, there wasn’t time left over to read or go to school or even just to take a leisurely walk.   Nowadays , people have more time and energy than ever to simply enjoy their lives thanks to the efficiency of modern technology.

Each part of a paragraph must support the topic sentence.  In addition, the sentences must flow logically from one to the other.

See how the following paragraph has ideas that don’t seem to belong:

Growing flowers is fun.  The sun rises in the morning and warms the soil.  Flowers come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors.  Sometimes, there is not enough rain.  Flowers also bloom during different times of the year.  Flowers need nutrients to grow strong and beautiful.  There are some children who like to pick the flowers. There are different growing seasons in different parts of the country.  Flowers that will grow high should be planted behind those that will not grow as high.  Some people let their dog’s leash extend allowing the dog to go into the flower beds which is not very nice. Designing a flower bed has to consider the different times the flowers will bloom.  A substitute for rainfall should be planned.  It is fun to grow flowers.

Here is a revised version with unity and coherence.  See how each sentence is clearly part of the whole which is to show how it is fun to grow flowers.

Growing flowers is fun.   Planning the garden is the first step, and it is part of the fun.  Flowers must be selected for their size, color, and time of bloom.  Selections should be made so that there is at least one type of flower blooming throughout the season and that taller flowers are behind shorter ones.  Meeting the challenges to assure growth such as with an irrigation system or hand watering and fertilizing when needed is also part of the fun.   It’s wonderful to check the garden every day to see the little green sprouts starting to appear.  It gives a great sense of accomplishment and joy to see the flowers in bloom.  It is fun to grow flowers.

An example of a paragraph from a business letter  which does  have unity and coherence:

There are several reasons to select my company to do this job.  We are a family owned and operated business and have been in business in this county for thirty-five years.  In addition to thousands of satisfied customers, we have proudly sponsored many community events and organizations.  All of our employees live in this county, and most have stayed with us for years.  We have successfully kept our overhead low and pass those savings onto our customers.  By far, we are the best company to complete this project.

Note: See how all the sentences work together to support the point that we are the best company to hire.

Here’s a version of the paragraph which  does not  have unity and coherence:

I am happy that the warm weather is finally here! It’s been a cold winter. There are several reasons to select my company to do this job.  By far, we are the best company to complete this project.  I have a large family, and in addition to having Sunday dinners, we work together in the company which has many satisfied customers.  Some of my employees take the bus to work, so I am concerned about our public transportation system.  We have proudly served our community, and we use cost saving methods to keep prices low.

An example of a paragraph in an inter-office memo

Beginning January 1, we will have a revised policy concerning new customers.  The updated intake form includes additional information, so please be sure to read through and complete each section.  Pay particular addition to the additional questions at the bottom as they are now required by the insurance company.  We would like to have e-mail addresses as well.  You can assure customers that we will not be sending them solicitations nor giving the list to any other business.  Be sure to fill in the information neatly and accurately. It is preferred that the information be entered directly into the computer although we realize there are times when that is not practical and a hard-copy form will have to be completed by hand.  Review the instructions on the back page of the form for more details on the revised policy for new customers.

Note:  See how all the sentences work together to support the point shown in the topic sentence that modern technology has expanded accessibility.

Closing/Transitional Statements

The last sentence of a paragraph should remind the reader of the point of the paragraph and transition into the next paragraph if there is one.  See how the last sentence, for example, in the above paragraph reminds the reader of what the paragraph is about: Review the instructions on the back page of the form for more details on the revised policy for new customers.

Multi-Paragraph Documents

Most paragraphs we see are part of a multi-paragraph document: newspaper and magazine articles, books, business letters and inter-office memorandum, “how-to” documents, and other informational documents.  Usually, there is an organization of the paragraphs in a specific way.  The opening paragraph generally gives some idea of what the document is about.  The middle paragraphs give more details about the specific point.  The last paragraph ends the writing, generally by summing up and repeating the point.

There are some context-specific documents that have moe clearly defined paragraphs which are something included as sections of the writing.  For example, a feasibility report might have paragraphs as follows: abstract and/or summary, introduction, discussion, conclusion, recommendations.

Paragraphs in Business Letters and Inter-Office Memorandum

Business letters and inter-office memoradums basically have the same organization of the content:  an introduction paragraph, paragraphs that prove or further explain, and a concluding paragraph which sums up and repeats the point.  A business letter, however, is generally written on company stationery and has the date and address block in the upper left, a Re: line, a salutation such as Dear Mr. Haller (although some are no longer using a formal salutation), and a complimentary closing such as Sincerely.    An inter-office memorandum is generally written on plain paper, sometimes with the company logo as part of the template, lines with To:, From:, Date:, and Re: in the upper left, and no complimentary closing.

Paragraphs in Informational Documents and Academic Essays

Informational documents.

This refers to groups of writings that are designed to give information about a topic or position on a topic.  While they all include a specific thesis (point), have an introduction and concluding paragraph, and have paragraphs that proof or explain the point, there can be wide variety on where the thesis is expressed and the ancillary information presented that is supplemental to the thesis.  These are sometimes called essays.  However,  academic  essays do have a very specific organizational pattern.

Academic Essays

The introduction paragraph and the concluding paragraph of an essay are different from a general paragraph.  An introduction contains general background information on a topic and leads into a thesis statement.  The sentences with background information are not really in support of the thesis, but they are relevant and do logically flow into the thesis.  In other words, there must be unity and coherence in an introduction paragraph as well.

While the body paragraph of an academic is the same as a general paragraph in that they have a topic sentence and sentences that support it, the topic sentence must be a reason why the thesis of the essay.  Body paragraphs should be clearly support for the thesis and not contain any extraneous information.

A concluding paragraph sums up the proof and restates the thesis. Some instructors ask for a statement drawing an implication of the information presented instead of or in addition to a restatement of the thesis.  In either case, while a concluding paragraph as with the introduction paragraph does not start with a topic sentence and have the rest of the sentences support the topic sentence, the concluding paragraph is similar in that the summary of the proof ties directly into the thesis or statement of general implication.  There are not extraneous, off-topic sentences.

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Sample Multi-paragraph Essay

Throughout human history, the physical universe has often presented dangers to explorers. For example, when primitive humans left their tribal villages to search for food and water they risked death or injury from dangerous animals. Later, when people sailed the oceans in search of new lands for settlement or trade, many died in terrible storms. Similarly, outer space has many dangers, but it also has several unique challenges for explorers.

One of the challenges of outer space is that it is vacuum, which is a risk for several reasons. First, in a vacuum there is no atmosphere and no air pressure. Without air pressure, the human body has no oxygen to sustain itself. After too many minutes without oxygen, a person’s blood will gradually begin to boil. Moreover, without an atmosphere, the rays of the Sun can cause radiation poisoning. 

Another difficulty that is unique to outer space is the presence of meteors and micrometeorites. These are pieces of rock and metal that are left over from the formation of the solar system. Many of these objects travel at very high speeds. Under the Earth’s blanket or air people are usually protected from meteor impacts. However, in space, people and spaceships are vulnerable to collisions with meteors. It is true that the chance of meteor impacts is relatively slim, but if even a micrometeorite happens to collide with a spacecraft it could cause serious damage.

A third special challenge involved with the environment of space involves the fact that it is very difficult to find life-sustaining water off the Earth. For example, the planet Mercury, which is the closest to the Sun, is too hot to have water. Therefore, space travelers must take water from Earth if they want to visit Mercury. A similar situation exists on Venus, the second planet from the Sun. This planet is also too hot for water to exist. Similarly, the fourth planet, Mars, is too cold and dry, although there may be some water frozen at the north and south poles of the planet. There are other difficulties involved with space exploration, but these are three of the most important ones.

In conclusion, without adequate air pressure, the unprotected human body may be seriously harmed in outer space, which is a vacuum. In addition, meteors can threaten human life and damage spacecraft. Finally, the lack of water is space means that human life may have a difficult time surviving on other planets. As one can see, the challenges of space travel are different from terrestrial dangers.

How Do You Write a Multiple Paragraph Essay: How Many Paragraphs Is a Multi-Paragraph Essay

Essay writing is probably one of the never-ending tasks in an academic institution. And with multiple types of essays, sometimes it may get confusing to distinguish one from the other. Nevertheless, it does not have to be that way, as we are here to help you understand one of them- a multiple-paragraph essay.

As the name suggests, a multiple-paragraph essay is one with several paragraphs. And because many students have trouble creating such pieces, this piece will look at the definition, structure, and writing tips of this essay type to help you have the edge over your classmates.

What Is a Multi-Paragraph Essay

Simply put, a multi-paragraph essay is a form of writing with multiple paragraphs. Generally, these types are common in college courses but can also be used in the workplace. Sometimes, these essays have only two sections, but others can have five or seven.

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While many factors determine the essay’s length, the final say is your instructor; thus, listening to them is of utmost importance.

The essay’s length varies depending on the topic, but typically, each paragraph has two or so parts. The opening sentence presents the paragraph’s idea, the second part gives evidence, and the concluding part summarizes what you’ve said.

Also see: How to write a three-paragraph essay

However, the entire piece structure is very similar to other types of essays. It will begin with an introduction paragraph, which leads into a body section that contains at least two paragraphs, each with its topic sentence. Each paragraph will have supporting evidence, examples, and details related to the topic sentence you wrote at the beginning of each section.  

The conclusion paragraph will summarize everything you said and restate your thesis statement from the introduction paragraph. This is for readers to understand how all parts fit together and helps them reach a conclusion based on what they have read in this piece.

How Do You Write a Multiple-Paragraph Essay

Generally, the writing process for a multi-paragraphed essay is similar to other pieces. However, there are some finer tips you can follow to help you churn out a spectacular one.

The writing process entails;

Brainstorming ideas

Brainstorming helps you come up with good ideas relevant to your topic. And it is an essential step in the writing process because it allows you to organize your thoughts and decide on relevant points.

This step is crucial because it helps you organize your thoughts and get them down on paper, which allows you to develop a clear thesis statement. A good brainstorming session should be followed by a review of the ideas so that you can pick the most appropriate ones for your essay.

You can brainstorm in two ways;

Freewriting. It involves writing down everything that comes into your head about a particular topic or idea. You don’t stop writing until you have exhausted all that you can think of on the subject. If you find yourself getting stuck, try changing the topic slightly so that it becomes more interesting.

Clustering. Depending on the topic, this involves grouping thoughts under a heading, such as facts, opinions, or examples.

Thesis development

A thesis statement is a statement of your position on the topic or an argument you will support throughout your essay. The thesis should be clear and concise and include the perspective you will take on the issue.

This helps you narrow down the brainstormed ideas and will give readers what the essay is about and why they need to read it.

Creating an outline

An outline lists the main points you want to include in your essay. This step helps you to organize your ideas before you write because it is easier to write about something when you know what you’ll say. Additionally, it helps determine if you have enough information before starting to write.

You can write this list as bullet points or paragraphs, depending on your essay’s complexity and how many points it needs.

Writing the rough draft

This process is the actual writing, although the output is not the final piece. You can view the draft as an experimental version of the final paper, allowing you to assess your understanding of the subject matter and develop ideas through writing.  

The purpose of a rough draft is to get ideas onto paper so that they can be shaped into an effective essay later on

Final draft

This is the ‘real’ paper. The process involves polishing the draft by checking for grammar, editing, structure flow, and tying up other loose ends.

Overall the following tips will help you have a perfect piece.

• Use of transition words

A multi-paragraphed essay needs a good flow, and excellent use of transition words will help you achieve this. These words include similarly, on the other hand, additionally, among others.

• Captivating introduction

An introduction will determine whether a reader will continue with your essay. You must capture their interest if you want them to continue reading.

• Check for plagiarism and grammar errors

Always run your work on plagiarism and grammar checker tools to catch any mistakes

How Many Paragraphs Is a Multi-Paragraph Essay

The standard multi-paragraph essay has five paragraphs, although it may contain more depending on the topic. This essay type has several paragraphs, each with its topic sentence and supporting details. This means each paragraph covers one main idea.

The first paragraph of a multi-paragraph essay should introduce the topic and provide some background information that supports it. The second paragraph should explain why this issue is important, while the third paragraph should support your opinion.  

The fourth paragraph should discuss possible solutions to the problem and address any objections raised against your viewpoint. Finally, the fifth paragraph should summarize all of your ideas and restate them clearly so that readers can understand your point of view entirely.

Nevertheless, you can opt to organize a multi-paragraph essay by covering two or three issues in each paragraph. If you choose to cover multiple topics in a paragraph, you will arrange them in order of complexity and importance.

How Long Is a Multi-Paragraph Essay

As seen, a multi-paragraphed essay has five or more paragraphs. The average length of a paragraph is 5 to 6 sentences, with a typical paragraph containing between 100 and 200 words, although this is not a golden rule. However, the shorter the paragraph, the better.

Generally, the length of each paragraph will vary depending on the number of sentences and words within each sentence. The more information you need to present, the more sentences you will have in each paragraph. Also, if your topic requires a lot of detail, it may be appropriate to use many sentences within each paragraph.

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Putting the Pieces Together: Tips for Writing Prompts

Writing prompts: the instructions.

A writing prompt in WRIT will ask you to consider the same set of questions each week. The prompt instructions remind you that there are three very important components that should be included in your response for optimal success. Below is the standard prompt instructions that you’ll see each week in WRIT:

Write a multi-paragraph response (in essay format: introduction, body, conclusion) to the article below.

Your response should accurately summarize the author’s main argument AND critically respond to it.

You may choose to agree with the author’s argument, to disagree with it, or to partially agree/disagree with it.

Your essay should also consider at least one objection a reader might have to your argument. You may respond to this objection in different ways. For example, you may argue against the objection, or you may acknowledge that the objection is a good point and incorporate it into your argument. It’s your choice.

Failing to address each of these goals will significantly reduce your ability to respond appropriately and completely to the prompt.  Don’t worry, though! In WRIT, you’ll learn how to respond to each of the requirements listed in the instructions above; it will just take a bit of time and practice.

Prompt Writing Guide

When you study a writing prompt closely and use it as the basis for your outline, you will be better equipped to address the goals of your own response.  It’s important to do the following when reading and responding to a prompt:

Putting the Pieces Together Copyright © 2020 by Andrew Stracuzzi and André Cormier is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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What this handout is about

This handout will help you understand how paragraphs are formed, how to develop stronger paragraphs, and how to completely and clearly express your ideas.

What is a paragraph?

Paragraphs are the building blocks of papers. Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc. In reality, though, the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. A paragraph is defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit” (Lunsford and Connors 116). Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long. Ultimately, a paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea. In this handout, we will refer to this as the “controlling idea,” because it controls what happens in the rest of the paragraph.

How do I decide what to put in a paragraph?

Before you can begin to determine what the composition of a particular paragraph will be, you must first decide on an argument and a working thesis statement for your paper. What is the most important idea that you are trying to convey to your reader? The information in each paragraph must be related to that idea. In other words, your paragraphs should remind your reader that there is a recurrent relationship between your thesis and the information in each paragraph. A working thesis functions like a seed from which your paper, and your ideas, will grow. The whole process is an organic one—a natural progression from a seed to a full-blown paper where there are direct, familial relationships between all of the ideas in the paper.

The decision about what to put into your paragraphs begins with the germination of a seed of ideas; this “germination process” is better known as brainstorming . There are many techniques for brainstorming; whichever one you choose, this stage of paragraph development cannot be skipped. Building paragraphs can be like building a skyscraper: there must be a well-planned foundation that supports what you are building. Any cracks, inconsistencies, or other corruptions of the foundation can cause your whole paper to crumble.

So, let’s suppose that you have done some brainstorming to develop your thesis. What else should you keep in mind as you begin to create paragraphs? Every paragraph in a paper should be :

• Unified : All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea (often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph).
• Clearly related to the thesis : The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or thesis, of the paper (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Coherent : The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Well-developed : Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph’s controlling idea (Rosen and Behrens 119).

How do I organize a paragraph?

There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The organization you choose will depend on the controlling idea of the paragraph. Below are a few possibilities for organization, with links to brief examples:

• Narration : Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish. ( See an example. )
• Description : Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic. ( See an example. )
• Process : Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third. ( See an example. )
• Classification : Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic. ( See an example. )
• Illustration : Give examples and explain how those examples support your point. (See an example in the 5-step process below.)

Illustration paragraph: a 5-step example

From the list above, let’s choose “illustration” as our rhetorical purpose. We’ll walk through a 5-step process for building a paragraph that illustrates a point in an argument. For each step there is an explanation and example. Our example paragraph will be about human misconceptions of piranhas.

Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence

Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling idea.

Controlling idea and topic sentence — Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans.

Step 2. Elaborate on the controlling idea

Paragraph development continues with an elaboration on the controlling idea, perhaps with an explanation, implication, or statement about significance. Our example offers a possible explanation for the pervasiveness of the myth.

Elaboration — This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media.

Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples)

Paragraph development progresses with an example (or more) that illustrates the claims made in the previous sentences.

Example — For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman.

Step 4. Explain the example(s)

The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence. The explanation should demonstrate the value of the example as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph.

Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence.

Explanation for example — Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear.

Notice that the example and explanation steps of this 5-step process (steps 3 and 4) can be repeated as needed. The idea is that you continue to use this pattern until you have completely developed the main idea of the paragraph.

Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph

The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information to the larger paper, or you can make a concluding point for this example. You might, however, simply transition to the next paragraph.

Sentences for completing a paragraph — While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Finished paragraph

Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans. This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media. For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman. Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear. While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Troubleshooting paragraphs

Problem: the paragraph has no topic sentence.

Imagine each paragraph as a sandwich. The real content of the sandwich—the meat or other filling—is in the middle. It includes all the evidence you need to make the point. But it gets kind of messy to eat a sandwich without any bread. Your readers don’t know what to do with all the evidence you’ve given them. So, the top slice of bread (the first sentence of the paragraph) explains the topic (or controlling idea) of the paragraph. And, the bottom slice (the last sentence of the paragraph) tells the reader how the paragraph relates to the broader argument. In the original and revised paragraphs below, notice how a topic sentence expressing the controlling idea tells the reader the point of all the evidence.

Original paragraph

Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Revised paragraph

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Once you have mastered the use of topic sentences, you may decide that the topic sentence for a particular paragraph really shouldn’t be the first sentence of the paragraph. This is fine—the topic sentence can actually go at the beginning, middle, or end of a paragraph; what’s important is that it is in there somewhere so that readers know what the main idea of the paragraph is and how it relates back to the thesis of your paper. Suppose that we wanted to start the piranha paragraph with a transition sentence—something that reminds the reader of what happened in the previous paragraph—rather than with the topic sentence. Let’s suppose that the previous paragraph was about all kinds of animals that people are afraid of, like sharks, snakes, and spiders. Our paragraph might look like this (the topic sentence is bold):

Like sharks, snakes, and spiders, piranhas are widely feared. Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless . Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Problem: the paragraph has more than one controlling idea

If a paragraph has more than one main idea, consider eliminating sentences that relate to the second idea, or split the paragraph into two or more paragraphs, each with only one main idea. Watch our short video on reverse outlining to learn a quick way to test whether your paragraphs are unified. In the following paragraph, the final two sentences branch off into a different topic; so, the revised paragraph eliminates them and concludes with a sentence that reminds the reader of the paragraph’s main idea.

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. A number of South American groups eat piranhas. They fry or grill the fish and then serve them with coconut milk or tucupi, a sauce made from fermented manioc juices.

Problem: transitions are needed within the paragraph

You are probably familiar with the idea that transitions may be needed between paragraphs or sections in a paper (see our handout on transitions ). Sometimes they are also helpful within the body of a single paragraph. Within a paragraph, transitions are often single words or short phrases that help to establish relationships between ideas and to create a logical progression of those ideas in a paragraph. This is especially likely to be true within paragraphs that discuss multiple examples. Let’s take a look at a version of our piranha paragraph that uses transitions to orient the reader:

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, except in two main situations, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ instinct is to flee, not attack. But there are two situations in which a piranha bite is likely. The first is when a frightened piranha is lifted out of the water—for example, if it has been caught in a fishing net. The second is when the water level in pools where piranhas are living falls too low. A large number of fish may be trapped in a single pool, and if they are hungry, they may attack anything that enters the water.

In this example, you can see how the phrases “the first” and “the second” help the reader follow the organization of the ideas in the paragraph.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Lunsford, Andrea. 2008. The St. Martin’s Handbook: Annotated Instructor’s Edition , 6th ed. New York: St. Martin’s.

Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook , 5th ed. New York: Longman.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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• Multi-paragraph essay writing made easy! (Upper Elementary)
• Posted on October 4, 2023
• By Christine
• In Articles , Literacy

By Vanessa Fontana-Berul M.Ed.

Most of us have experienced a time when we have an essay or writing assignment that is due that is looming over us like a storm cloud, we try to put it out of our minds but no matter how hard we try it remains! Imagine what a young person might feel if they have a writing assignment due, it is a daunting task to say the least. Over the years, as a teacher of 3 rd to 5 th graders and many, many years back as an undergraduate English major I have gathered some tools for my writing toolbox, let me share them with you now to help your youngster be better able to manage writer’s block!

Brainstorming is the first recommendation because the actual start of getting the creative ideas to flow may be keeping your 4 th or 5 th grader stuck. They may feel a sense of drudgery when asked to write and that can be very difficult to overcome. A suggestion is to purchase a whiteboard and some fun-colored whiteboard markers, then draw a circle in the middle with the assigned subject, or the one chosen by the student, then from that circle, start to free associate images and thoughts about that idea, write them down quickly with line emanating from the circle. For example, let’s use the word, science as an idea example, what comes to mind immediately for me are the words: logic, reason, testing, society and future, these random associations can hold the seed of an idea that can be developed into an essay. The main thing to remember is that this a pre-writing practice , and that part of it is to think freely and leave judgement behind. Brainstorming can be done as a team, with one person writing the ideas and the other free-associating or vice versa. Also, it can be done on one’s own, but I enjoy doing this with others, it can be exciting, fast-paced and it really helps with getting ideas to flow!

After students have homed in on the main idea for their writing assignment, they can use the tried and true 5 paragraph approach to essay writing. This utilizes having a main topic with an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs for support, and one concluding paragraph . So, using my word science, as an example of my main topic, we can use the introductory paragraph to define the word science and then use the ideas that came to me during brainstorming, such as, the logic and  reasoning could be one of the three body paragraphs, testing could be another paragraph and future and society could be the third supporting paragraph, the conclusion comes next, where you sum up what you have said! A quick tip, encourage your child or student to proof-read what they have read aloud, if something seems awkward and does not flow, it will most likely be apparent when you listen to the words, do not be afraid to make edits and changes, fine tune and smoothing out can be done easily in this way. Also, emphasize that a paragraph is 3-5 sentences, so that can be a relief for some reticent writers, that each paragraph does not need to very long.

Another helpful hint to help writing for a your child is to offer a choice of modalities for writing such as Chromebooks and using a laptop to use, or simply a yellow pad of paper to write the rough draft on. Many schools already offer Chromebooks and laptops to use in the classrooms and are very helpful for minimizing spelling errors or help if handwriting is a challenge or a deterrent for writing. I feel that these are useful tools that cross-over with benefit for students now and as they get older into higher grade-levels. Some students prefer to write it all down first and then type it, let them choose! The overarching idea is to have a choice of modalities, that helps make the writing process more enjoyable Also, attractive pencils pens and writing paper can help too.

In closing, even though writing can be challenging and a little bit scary for young folks. There are ways to make it less so, by making it fun and focusing on the ideas of what you want to say versus the mechanics of spelling and grammar only. In my experience, having an idea, an over-arching main topic that I am passionate about is key that helps open the door to the writing process. I believe that 4 th and 5 th graders can soar in their writing if they are encouraged to think freely, with the help with brainstorming and making choices of how they write, all while using the 5-paragraph approach simultaneously, anything is possible!

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What Should My Beginning Multi-Paragraph Writers Write About?

What your students write about is one of the most important decisions you make in teaching writing. To a large degree, it defines (1) what you teach about writing, and (2) how you teach writing. Put simply, we can’t leave what our students write about to chance.

By the way, if you need a system and methodology to teach multi-paragraph writing, be sure to check out Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay on the homepage. You will get twice the results in half the time, and you will create smiles on your students’ faces while you do so.

What Is a Beginning Multi-Paragraph Writer?

According to most state writing standards, multi-paragraph writing is a fourth-grade standard. In other words, by the end of fourth grade, students should be competent multi-paragraph writers. However, on released samples of student writing from state writing assessments, most of the best third-grade writers use a nice and natural multi-paragraph form. And that is INDEPENDENT writing! That nice and natural multi-paragraph form is what these third graders choose to do when left to their own devices.

Where are your students in their multi-paragraph writing career? Are they just beginning, or are they highly skilled? Here’s a model to help teachers gain their bearings and put things in perspective.

✈  Stage 1: Beginning Multi-Paragraph Writers: ♦ Level 1 ♦ Level 2 ♦ Level 3 ♦ Level 4 ♦ Level 5 ✈  Stage 2: Competent Multi-Paragraph Writers: ♦ Level 6 ♦ Level 7 ♦ Level 8 ♦ Level 9 ♦ Level 10 ✈  Stage 3: Skilled Multi-Paragraph Writers: ♦ Level 11 ♦ Level 12 ♦ Level 13 ♦ Level 14 ♦ Level 15

Once again, this page is primarily devoted to “Beginning Multi-Paragraph Writers,” but it certainly has relevance for “Competent Multi-Paragraph Writers.” Additionally, it has relevance for any teacher who is wasting class time by assigning writing tasks that don’t actively improve their students’ on-the-page writing, along with their understanding of writing.

The Two Basic Ways to Assign Topics

Teachers have two basic ways to assign topics:

1.   The teacher chooses what students write about.

2.   The students choose what they write about.

Of course, it’s not quite that simple. Let’s say that the teacher assigns one of these topics:

1.   Write about something interesting that happened over your weekend.

2.   Tell us about your weekend.

Although the teacher has assigned the general topic, the students are still choosing the specific topic. That’s the reality of most topics that students write about, including all topics that students write about on writing assessments.

Here are three released writing prompts from state writing assessments that illustrate different levels of specificity:

✈  Grade 3: Kentucky: You were invited to a sleepover for one of your good friends. You are really excited and cannot wait to go. After showing the invitation to your mother, she reminds you that Grandmother from another state is coming in for an overnight visit the same day. Task: Write a letter to your friend explaining why you cannot attend the sleepover. Describe your feelings and something you and your friend could do together at another time.

✈  Grade 4: Texas: Write a composition about the best thing that has happened to you.

✈  Grade 4: Tennessee: Forgetting can cause problems. Think about a day when you forgot something. Task: Before you begin to write, think about what you forgot and what happened. Now, write a story about what happened the day you forgot something.

These prompts alone contain an enormous amount of information about how to teach beginning multi-paragraph writers, so much that I can’t even cover it all here.

Assigning Writing vs. Teaching Writing

Early in my teaching career, when I asked teachers how to improve my third and fourth grade ELL students’ writing, many teachers recommended those little tan journals: “Kids like to write in them.” I guess these teachers didn’t understand what I meant by improve my students’ writing . I wanted clear, concrete, objective, substantial multi-paragraph improvement.

A year is a long time, and if your students struggle with multi-paragraph writing, you can easily transform your students into competent multi-paragraph writers in that year. But to achieve this goal, one must approach teaching writing with a strong purpose and intent.

Teachers must focus this strong purpose and intent on all of these aspects of teaching writing:

1.   What they want to teach their students. 2.   What they are required to teach their students. 3.   How they teach writing—i.e., their systems, routines, strategies, curriculums, theories, and methodologies. 4.   How to use their time wisely. 5.   How to meet the needs of their students. 6.   How to monitor and evaluate writing progress. 7.   What their students write about.

All of these aspects of teaching writing are important, but we are focused on the last one here.

Why Multi-Paragraph Writing Is Important: The Commission Says that Students Need to Write More

In “The Neglected ‘R’: The Need for a Writing Revolution” (2003), The National Commission on Writing made various recommendations, including these two: 1) “The amount of time students spend writing should be at least doubled,” and 2) “Writing should be assigned across the curriculum.”

The reality is that it’s difficult to have even young students write more (as much as needed) if they don’t have at least some skill with multi-paragraph writing. I’ve found that to be true even in second grade.

To be clear, I don’t demand or even encourage formulaic writing. I simply want my students to have a good idea of where to indent. When students have a good feeling of where to indent, they are in control of their writing, and they are in control of what they are saying. If students don’t know where to indent, they are probably creating stream-of-consciousness writing. This kind of writing usually rambles endlessly and doesn’t make its ideas clear.

Naturally effective multi-paragraph writers have internalized two concepts: 1) A paragraph is a whole in itself, but it’s also a part of a whole composition, 2) The word paragraph is both a noun and a verb. If students haven’t internalized these two concepts on a kinesthetic level, they don’t understand anything about paragraphs in real writing.

How to Teach Multi-Paragraph Writing to Beginners?

All over this website, I link to systems, routines, resources, and eBooks on how to teach writing. Many of these materials focus on how to teach writing across the curriculum. Of course, Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay is the foundation and framework for everything I do in teaching writing. It truly is the missing piece of the puzzle that makes teaching multi-paragraph writing.

Although I can’t cover everything related to teaching writing here, I will present a few ideas that relate specifically to teaching multi-paragraph writing to beginners. To be clear, my goal is always to get students to internalize multi-paragraph writing so that they become highly effective natural paragraph writers. I want my students to feel when they should indent as they write because students who can do this can stay in control of their writing.

1.  Persistency, Consistency, Repetition, and Variety: When teaching beginning multi-paragraph writers, use persistency, consistency, repetition, and variety. To be clear, it is a process, and it takes time to get students to internalize natural multi-paragraph writing. Because of this, teachers need to keep things novel and interesting and always moving forward.

2.  Prewriting: Teach prewriting consistently if not constantly. Teach students how to grasp the whole before they start writing. Stop thinking that students must directly translate their prewriting into their multi-paragraph writing. If you are teaching prewriting consistently, the main goal is to teach students how to divide a topic into pieces so that they can grasp the whole. As students write, they learn to feel all of the new divisions (paragraphs) as they write. Of course, their prewriting also serves as a guide.

3.  Scaffold Prewriting: Initially, scaffold the prewriting as needed to get your entire class writing. Don’t leave half of the class behind. You want to create a classroom full of writers so that writing takes on a life of its own. In reality, all beginning multi-paragraph writers need to develop great skill in GETTING IDEAS and ORGANIZING IDEAS. Of course, I am talking about skill in getting LOTS of ideas and organizing them FAST! With Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay as your foundation and framework, you will have a class full of amazing multi-paragraph writers in no time!

4.  Writing Prompt Breakdown: Teach prompt breakdown. To be clear, teaching prompt breakdown is a part of teaching prewriting. We want our students to be able to correctly breakdown writing prompts so that they can generate ideas and organize ideas that are related to the prompts. When it’s time for a writing assessment, you will be thrilled that you spent time breaking down some of these Released Writing Assessment Prompts .

5.  Teach Writing Across the Curriculum: Be sure to read Nine Strategies for Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum and combine that knowledge with Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay . You will create the best writers you have ever taught—quickly and easily!

The more your students are true multi-paragraph beginners, the more you should have your students write about topics that they are experts on. Your students are experts on their personal experiences, their personal opinions, and various common topics. Due to the nature of writing assessments, nearly all of the Released Writing Assessment Prompts are topics that your students are experts on. However, many of these prompts are not easy to break down. You may want to start more simply.

Essays: The term essay is frequently thrown around as a generic term. Aldous Huxley, a famous essayist, said, “The essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything.” While that is true, it’s also a bit more complicated than that. An essay communicates a personal understanding, interpretation, or perspective. As an example, traditionally, most writing assessments have required essays. If the prompt did not require an imaginative story, it required an essay. Think about it: A traditional writing assessment involves four things: 1) a student, 2) a prompt, 3) a blank piece of paper, and 4) a pencil. In short, the student is the source of all the ideas, so unless it’s a story, it requires the student’s personal understanding, interpretation, or perspective.

The Four Main Genres: Every whole composition that your students write will primarily be one of these four main genres: 1) expository 2) narrative 3) descriptive, or 4) argument.

Division: The Heart of Multi-Paragraph Writing: Students learn to write by (1) prewriting, (2) writing, (3) rewriting, and (4) publishing. However, students learn to create multi-paragraph writing by internalizing how to divide topics into paragraph size chunks. At least, that’s half the battle. Keep that in mind as you create writing assignments for your beginning multi-paragraph writers. Topics that require complex critical thinking are difficult to divide into clear paragraphs size blocks.

As you read over these types of writing, consider how you can help your students divide the topics you assign into paragraph size blocks.

1.  Essays: Opinion, Persuasive, and Argument: We all have opinions, and we can all give reasons for why our opinions are correct. That’s argument. Most students can easily write down a few reasons why their lunchtime should not be reduced to make time for silent reading.

2.  Essays: Personal Narrative: Personal narrative essays are great for teaching multi-paragraph writing because students are experts on their personal experiences. Initially, these essays will border on being informational narratives, but that’s a great place to start.

3.  Essays: Reflective: Back in 1580, when Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) invented essay writing with his book Essais (1580), reflection was a core component. These days, most essays that contain a large amount of personal understanding or reflection are classified as “informal essays.” In the modern classroom, we could classify a large amount of reflective journal writing and learning-log writing as being reflective essays.

Reflective writing isn’t great for teaching multi-paragraph writing. The goal of reflective writing is to explore ones thinking and understanding, and in the process, possibly meander. The goal of reflective writing is at odds with effectively dividing a topic into paragraph size chunks.

4.  Stories: Narrative Stories: Great imaginative stories require a natural paragraph style. In fact, one reason that teaching multi-paragraph writing is difficult is that our students spend so much time reading great narrative stories. These stories don’t follow the same rules that we teach. For this reason, formal multi-paragraph structure and great story writing are at odds with each other. Despite that conundrum, we must still teach our students to write multi-paragraph stories. I know that when I teach story writing, I’m also teaching many essential narrative-story concepts and techniques. Initially, the paragraphs are a bit blocky, as they are built around “first, next, then, and finally,” but that’s how we teach multi-paragraph story writing.

5.  Informational, Expository, Reports, and Articles: These types of writing are great for teaching multi-paragraph writing. Of course, our students must have the required information in their brains or in front of them to write about. Students can write about two basic types of information:

a)  Expert Knowledge: All students have expert knowledge on many different topics: their family, sports, what schools are, different types of games, etc.

b)  Across the Curriculum: It’s easy to teach multi-paragraph writing across the curriculum if you scaffold the prewriting on the front board. Of course, if you don’t have an amazing methodology like Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay , it’s going to be far more difficult.

6.  Letters: Business, Friendly, For a Transactional Purpose, etc.: Letters work well for teaching multi-paragraph writing because we usually write letters with a message in mind that easily breaks down into paragraph size ideas. Put simply, we don’t write a letter without knowing why we are writing a letter. Most letters are primarily 1) expository, 2) narrative, or 4) persuasive, opinion, argument.

7.  Research Papers: Research papers are not appropriate for beginning multi-paragraph writers. On the other hand, we do want to introduce students to some of the “point patterns” early: e.g., PQE (point, quote, explanation).

More Ideas on What Your Beginning Multi-Paragraph Writers Should Write About

All of the above ideas are genre and format related. Here are a few more practical ideas that can help you get your students writing.

1.  Personal Experiences, Personal Opinions, and Common Topics: Students are experts on these topics. As an example, students know what they did over their weekend. Teachers can choose the specific topics, or they can let students choose. If I’m letting my students choose, I usually tell them about the writing assignment in advance so that they can have a topic ready.

2.  Released Writing Assessment Prompts: Nearly all of these Released Writing Assessment Prompts are personal-experience and personal-opinion prompts. The fact that these prompts were used on a writing assessment adds a layer of legitimacy and importance. Additionally, many of them are excellent writing prompts.

3.  Topics Across the Curriculum: Most everything students learn across the curriculum can be divided up in a way that is it is easy to write about. Think: three steps, three reasons, three types of rocks, three of the 6Ws, cause/effect, compare/contrast, etc.

4.  Prompts That Use Patterns of Organization: Be sure to see Appendix D and E in Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay , along with The Definitive List of Writing and Grammar Skills .

Use the Term “Whole Composition”

I encourage all multi-paragraph teachers to introduce their students to the term “whole composition.” By definition, it communicates to students that their multi-paragraph writing is a whole that is made up of parts. Although I initially did not like the term, I now use it routinely, especially when discussing aspects of writing that apply to most types of multi-paragraph writing. Put simply, I don’t want my students to think what we are discussing applies only to the type of writing we are currently discussing. The term whole composition refers to all forms of multi-paragraph writing.

Should I Let My Students Write About Whatever They Want to Write About?

Although I still let my students choose their own topics from time to time, I don’t do it as much as I used to. In short, I’ve learned how to teach writing far more strategically. I largely teach writing while teaching subject content across the curriculum. Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay is the foundation and framework that allows me to do this.

However, I do believe that students should be able to look at writing and the world in a way in which they see that most everything is worth writing about. As an example, I’ve read fascinating student essays about chairs . When students view writing this way, they view themselves as true authors. Furthermore, they see writing as an artistic tool for reflecting on and experiencing life, and that writing has intrinsic value.

When Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) reinvented writing with his book Essais (1580), this is the kind of writing he was doing. My students weren’t aware of Montaigne when they chose to write about chairs , but I can only assume Montaigne would have approved, as he wrote an essay about thumbs .

To be clear, most students did not write about chairs. Most students wrote about things that kids tend to write about: their lives, their interests, etc. I still have my students write about that stuff, but I am usually teaching and targeting a genre when they do.

I do want to point out a problem that I have come across when I let my students write about whatever they want. I first noticed this problem when I was looking over the Timed Writing System , and I was quite surprised at what I saw.

Problem: Some students don’t challenge themselves at all. They may choose the same topic repeatedly or approach slightly different topics the same way every single time. Although students should begin their multi-paragraph writing career simply, they must also challenge themselves to keep moving forward. Keep an eye out for this.

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"Essay" generally means a short writing on a particular subject. Analytical, interpretive, reflective and expository essays are common examples of writing assignments given to high school and college students. A multi-paragraph essay simply means the paper is two or more paragraphs. A common structure for an extended essay includes five paragraphs.

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Neil Kokemuller has been an active business, finance and education writer and content media website developer since 2007. He has been a college marketing professor since 2004. Kokemuller has additional professional experience in marketing, retail and small business. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Iowa State University.

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NROC Developmental English

Unit 8: informed opinions through causal chains, writing assignment and rubric, writing assignment.

Write a multi-paragraph essay identifying at least two of your personal or lifestyle choices and explain the positive and/or negative effects they have on the environment. Support your opinion with effective examples showing the impact of your individual actions externally (close to home and/or on a larger scale). Make sure you AVOID logical fallacies, meaning that your connections between causes and consequences are carefully considered and sufficiently proven.

Your response should clearly explain and describe at least two personal choices and use details to show how each choice impacts the environment, close to home, out in the world, or both. To do a good job you need to convince the reader that what you have to say, although personal, impacts them in some way. Ultimately, why should your reader care that these choices lead to these consequences? This means each paragraph should include a personal choice, the effects of this choice, and the points that show why this information matters to your reader. You should have at least two body paragraphs, depending on how many personal choices you plan to discuss, an introduction that is attention-grabbing and reveals your argument (your thesis goes here), and a conclusion that offers some memorable final thoughts on the connection between individuals and their environments.

In all, you will have at least four paragraphs, depending on the number of personal choices you include. Each paragraph should have a unique link between it and the one that comes after it. The order of these points is up to you, but make sure you have placed each paragraph purposefully and that the body paragraphs show causal relationships (choice causes effect).

Remember that you need to write sound arguments, so you can avoid logical fallacies. Refer to the foundation lesson on this topic if you need examples of logical fallacies.

The grading rubric below will help you develop your paper.

Your essay will be graded using five separate categories: Purpose, Thesis Statement, Supporting Ideas, Paragraph Development, and Grammar & Punctuation. Each of these five categories will be rated as Proficient, Developing, or Needs Improvement.

Proficient means that you have met the standards of an effective analysis essay. Developing means you have partially met the standards of an analysis essay, but it needs some revision. Needs Improvement means you did not meet the standards of an analysis essay.

Multi-Paragraph Causal Essay

Developed by The NROC Project. Copyright ©2014 Monterey Institute for Technology and Education