5 Paragraph Essay Hmmm…. What do I want to tell my readers?

The 1 st (Introduction) paragraph begins with a thesis. This is what the essay is about.

In Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Scout Finch often retaliated by fighting when angered.

1st supporting idea to back up my thesis is: She rubbed Walter Cunningham’s nose in the dirt for getting her in trouble at school.

2 nd supporting idea: She beat up Francis on Christmas when he said mean things about her father.

3 rd supporting idea: Scout also fought her brother, Jem, when he tried to tell her what to do.

The conclusion sentence should restate my thesis (using similar words) When Scout was unhappy with other children, she often resorted to hitting.

The 2nd paragraph should expand upon the 1 st supporting idea. Scout rubbed Walter Cunningham’s face in the dirt on the first day of school.

You need to explain/clarify you main idea before supporting it with a quote. She felt Walter got her in trouble with the teacher when she tried to explain why he would not take the offered lunch money.

You need a quote to strengthen the main idea, but quotes must have a lead in. When her brother told her to stop, Scout said, “He made me start off on the wrong foot” (Lee 22).

Remember, Orange is always surrounded by??? Yellow!!

So, there should be a connecting sentence to follow the quote. She told the teacher that Walter was a Cunningham which most people knew meant he would not take anything that he could not pay back.

This paragraph’s conclusion sentence should be similar to???

Which is the best conclusion? A.Scout was a bad student. B.Scout was very silly at school. C. Scout tried to hurt Walter Cunningham by mashing his face in the ground.

The 3rd paragraph should expand upon the 2nd supporting idea. Scout punched her cousin, Francis when he called her father terrible names.

While visiting Aunt Alexandra on Christmas, Francis said horrid things about Atticus, to Scout, repeatedly, until she socked him in the mouth. “This time, I split my knuckle to the bone on his front teeth,” Scout explained (Lee 84).

Even though Scout did not understand what Francis said, she knew it was very bad because of the way he said it and felt she needed to defend her father.

Scout was offended by Francis’ hateful remarks about her father and responded by hitting him in the mouth.

The 4th paragraph should expand upon the 3rd supporting idea. Scout pounces on her brother, Jem when he tries to tell her how to behave.

He told her to stop worrying their aunt and father and that she thought like a child.

He told her, “That’s because you can’t hold something in your mind but a little while....It’s different with grown folks, we - ” (Lee 138).

With this proclamation she became angry with Jem and began fighting him until Atticus pulled them apart.

Scout did not appreciate Jem telling her what to do and initiated a brawl with him.

The 5 th (conclusion) paragraph is a restatement of the introduction paragraph.

Take out a sheet of paper and complete the conclusion paragraph.

The character Scout Finch displayed her emotions physically when she was annoyed. On the first day of school, she blamed Walter for making her annoy their teacher and shoved his head in the dust. Scout injured her hand when she hit her cousin Francis for saying unkind things about her father. Last, she exchanged blows with her brother Jem, when he attempted to tell her how she should conduct herself. Scout did not normally use words to settle differences with other children.