Parts of an Essay

How to write a five paragraph essay

Essays are necessary for MYP, IB, university and in several jobs. They also help in organizing ideas, speeches, and effective communication.

It's a a piece of writing on a specific topic, that often expresses personal views.

What is an Essay?

In this lesson, we're going to learn about the first paragraph in a five-paragraph essay: the introduction paragraph. Click on the moving word to see what is the purpose of an introduction paragraph.

Introduction

Five- Paragraph Essay Structure

From their origin in the Andes Mountains as food to their popularity as classroom pets, guinea pigs are adorable exotic pets that have interested many people into buying or adopting one. Known as “cavias”, guinea pigs are unique rodents very similar to capybaras, chinchillas, and porcupines. They were used as food in South America, and commonly used as a form of therapy, now they’re mostly known as adorable companions for people to have. However, even though they’re small, guinea pigs are very difficult to take care of. On one hand, they’re expensive to take care of. On the other hand, they require a lot of space. Not to mention, they are very delicate creatures. For these reasons, not everyone can have a guinea pig.

Hook

Main Ideas

Thesis Statement

Bridge

Parts of an Introduction Paragraph

6th grade English

3 main ideas are included.

No clear thesis statement.

This is not a main idea, it's an example.

Missing bridge

Didn't start with a hook.

Yes, they should, for many reasons. Stubby was a pitbull in the war who saved lives from a gas attack. Pit bulls save lives, there are less pitbull attacks than other dogs and they can even save other animals.

Prompt: Should people be allowed to have pitbulls as pets?

Evaluate this intro paragraph

6th grade English

Just like some people, pitbulls have been excluded for a while. And just like some minority groups, pitbulls have been feeling this pain for years and no justice has been served. Many people have been influenced to think pitbulls are bad. Not to mention laws have been passed against pitbulls in many states. However, pitbulls aren't as bad as you hear, they save lives too! So, people should be able to keep pitbulls as pets.

Clear thesis statment

Three main ideas

Bridge

Hook

Just like some people, pitbulls have been excluded for a while. And just like some minority groups, pitbulls have been feeling this pain for years and no justice has been served. Many people have been influenced to think pitbulls are bad. Not to mention laws have been passed against pitbulls in many states. However, pitbulls aren't as bad as you hear, they save lives too! So, people should be able to keep pitbulls as pets.

Prompt: Should people be allowed to have pitbulls as pets?

Evaluate this intro paragraph

6th grade English

Only included two main ideas.

Bridge

Didn't start with a hook. Started with the thesis statement.

People should be allowed to have pitbulls as pets. I know some people think that pit bulls are mean, vicious, and bad dogs, but aren't bad at all! Pit bulls are actually known to help people. Not to mention that the reason people think they're bad is only because of the media.

People should be allowed to have pitbulls as pets. I know some people think that pit bulls are mean, vicious, and bad dogs, but aren't bad at all! Pit bulls are actually known to help people. Not to mention that the reason people think they're bad is only because of the media.

Prompt: Should people be allowed to have pitbulls as pets?

Evaluate this intro paragraph

6th grade English

Now we're going to talk about the next three paragraphs: the body paragraphs.

Body paragraphs

Five- Paragraph Essay Structure

First off, because they are exotic creatures, guinea pigs are expensive to take care of. They need an unlimited supply of hay, which is hard to find in Costa Rica. Most mini haystacks cost about 5000 colones, and a mini haystack only lasts about a week. Not to mention that guinea pigs need to eat 1 cup of vegetables every day, and those vegetables have to be different every day. This means you cannot give guinea pigs carrots for a whole week because they’ll get sick. Speaking of getting sick, since guinea pigs are considered exotic pets, there are not a lot of veterinarians that can treat them, and the ones that do are a bit pricey when they must go to a vet every 3 months for a check-up.

Transition word

Examples/details

Main idea

Parts of an body paragraph

6th grade English

Known scientifically as Selachimorpha, sharks have been around even before dinosaurs existed! Yet, for some reason, they're always percieved as the villian of the ocean.

Sharks are one of the most feared carnivores in the sea.

Bridge

Hook

The bridge is made up of 1-3 sentences that give more details about the topic. It also connects the hook with the next section.

Bridge

Sharks are facing many threats from humans.

Sharks help keep the ocean balanced.

There are other animals more dangerous than sharks.

Example

Main ideas, also known as topic sentences, are the 3 main things you want to talk about regarding your topic.

Main Ideas

Types of hooks

1-2 sentences that grab the reader's attention.

Hooks

So, although Hollywood makes shark seem like the bad guy, an effort should be made to protect sharks.

Example

It's your main point or basically what your whole essay was about!

Thesis Statement

The main ideas are the reasons that were mentioned in the introduction paragraph. Each body paragraph contains one of those main ideas.

Main Idea

These are elements that support your main idea. Minimum three examples/details per main idea.

Examples/details

• Thirdly,

• Secondly,
• Next,
• Similarly,
• Also,

• First off,
• Firstly,
• First of all,
• To begin with,
• To start off,

Different transition words

One or two words to transition from one sentence to the other.

Transition Word