1. Summer Reading An Introduction to the Five-Paragraph Expository Essay
Adapted from the University Middle School
at Nova Southeastern University
Jacob Glickman, Teacher

2. The Essay
What makes an essay different from a paragraph or a short answer?
An essay has a distinct (separate) introduction, body, and conclusion.
Most of the essays that you will write in 8th grade will be five-paragraphs long.
A five-paragraph essay has an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

3. The Five-Paragraph Essay
Introduction
Body Paragraph #1
Body Paragraph #2
Body Paragraph #3
Conclusion

4. Thesis The heart of every five-paragraph essay is the thesis.
The thesis of an essay is the essay’s argument – the main idea of the essay plus the main idea of each of the body paragraphs.
Therefore, the best way to begin a 5-paragraph essay is to begin with the thesis.

5. Writing a Thesis
Your thesis should always be the last sentence of your introduction.
Make sure that your thesis answers the prompt!
Your thesis should contain three separate ideas.
Each idea should be broad enough that you can devote an entire body paragraph to elaborating and supporting it.
Each separate idea in your thesis will become the main idea of one of your body paragraphs.

6. Each thesis point becomes the main idea of a body paragraph.
Your thesis is always the last sentence in your introduction and must contain three distinct points
Introduction
Each thesis point becomes the main idea of a body paragraph.
Body Paragraph #1
Body Paragraph #1
Body Paragraph #1
The first sentence of your conclusion is always a restatement of your thesis.
Conclusion

7. Your Summer Reading Prompt:
In most stories, the protagonists undergo a set of experiences that changes the way they look at themselves and the world around them. Therefore, examining how a protagonist changes is an effective way to begin literary analysis. Choose one of your two summer reading novels and write a well-organized and well-supported 5-paragraph essay that demonstrates how the protagonist changes.

8. Your Summer Reading Prompt:
In most stories, the protagonists undergo a set of experiences that changes the way they look at themselves and the world around them. Therefore, examining how a protagonist changes is an effective way to begin literary analysis. Choose one of your two summer reading novels and write a well-organized and well-supported 5-paragraph essay that demonstrates how the protagonist changes.
Look for key terms and ideas in the prompt. Here, you need to use the five-paragraph form and specific details from the novel to demonstrate how the protagonist is different from the beginning of the novel to the end.

9. A Sample Thesis
Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences throughout the novel transform her into a confident young woman.
Notice that this thesis does the two important things:
It responds to the prompt in one sentence.
It contains three distinct points.

10. A Sample Thesis Examined
The first thesis point (and body paragraph) will describe the protagonist at the beginning of the story.
Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences throughout the novel transform her into a confident young woman.
This type of thesis breaks the protagonist’s journey throughout the novel into three stages.
The thesis points correspond to protagonist in the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
The second thesis point (and body paragraph) will describe the protagonist’s changes during the story.
The third thesis point (and body paragraph) will describe the protagonist at the end of the story.

11. Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences throughout the novel transform her into a confident young woman.
Thesis

12. Although Kira
Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences throughout the novel transform her into a confident young woman.
begins as an immature and inexperienced girl
Thesis
her experiences transform her
into a confident young woman

13. Kira begins the novel as an immature and inexperienced girl.
Although Kira begins Gathering Blue as an immature and inexperienced girl, her experiences throughout the novel transform her into a confident young woman.
Kira begins the novel as an immature and inexperienced girl.
As she faces new challenges, Kira begins to change.
Kira becomes a confident woman who understands her role in the future of the village.
Kira’s adventures in Gathering Blue change her from a immature girl into a confident woman

14. Other Methods
Of course, there is more than one way to organize your ideas and more than one way to create a thesis statement!
Whatever method you use, make sure that:
Your thesis answers the prompt directly.
Your thesis contains three distinct points.
The main idea of each body paragraph is one of your three thesis points.
Your body paragraphs proceed in the same order as your thesis points.

15. The Outline
Once you have your thesis statement, the next step is the creation of an outline.
An effective outline can help you make sure that your ideas flow – that they are in a logical order.
Use the Sample Five-Paragraph Outline handout to help you organize your thoughts.

16. The Body Paragraph
Remember, the main idea of each body paragraph should be one of your thesis points.
The main idea should be the first sentence of each body paragraph.
Each body paragraph should include at least one quotation from the novel.
Make sure you introduce your quotations and explain their relevance!

17. Citing Your Source
When you use a quote from a novel, you must cite the source of the quote. In this essay, your source is your summer reading novel, of course.
Use in-text citations, naming the author of the novel, and referring your reader to the complete citation at the end of your essay.

18. Citing Your Source
An in-text citation often uses a “signal phrase,” indicating that the words that follow are not your own.
The citation is followed by the page number of the quote in parenthesis.
Be sure to surround the author’s words with quotation marks and quote the author exactly.

19. Citing Your Source Example of an in-text citation:
Billie Jo and her mother are not getting along. Hesse demonstrates the increasing distance between mother and daughter when Bilie Jo proudly announces that she has scored at the top of her eighth grade class on the achievement tests. “ ‘I knew you could.’ That’s all she said. She was proud, I could tell. But she didn’t go on like Mrs. Killian used to do. Daddy says, ‘That’s not your ma’s way.’ But I wish it was. I wish she’d give me a little more to hold onto than “I knew you could.” ‘ (30). Billie Jo feels her mother doesn’t understand or appreciate her. He father often must act as a mediator between the two.

20. Citing Your Source Signal phrase
Billie Jo and her mother are not getting along. Hesse demonstrates the increasing distance between mother and daughter when Bilie Jo proudly announces that she has scored at the top of her eighth grade class on the achievement tests. “ ‘I knew you could.’ That’s all she said. She was proud, I could tell. But she didn’t go on like Mrs. Killian used to do. Daddy says, ‘That’s not your ma’s way.’ But I wish it was. I wish she’d give me a little more to hold onto than “I knew you could.” ‘ (30). Billie Jo feels her mother doesn’t understand or appreciate her. He father often must act as a mediator between the two.
page #

21. Citing Your Source
Ordinarily, you will introduce your quote with a signal phrase that includes the author's name. In addition to preparing readers for the source, the signal phrase allows you to keep the citation brief.
Christine Haughney reports that shortly after Japan made it illegal use a handheld phone while driving, "accidents caused by using the phones dropped by 75 percent" (8).
The signal phrase — Christine Haughney reports that — names the author; the parenthetical citation gives the page number where the quoted words may be found.
Notice that the period follows the parenthetical citation.

22. Citing Your Source
If a signal phrase does not name the author, put the author's last name in parentheses along with the page number.
Most states do not keep adequate records on the number of times cell phones are a factor in accidents; as of December 2000, only ten states were trying to keep such records (Sundeen 2).
Use no punctuation between the name and the page number.

23. Citing Your Source
At the end of your paper, provide publication information about your source.
Author’s name (last name first)
Title (Underlined)
Place of publication
Publisher
Date of publication

24. Citing your source Note the punctuation!
Author’s Last, First. Title. City: Publisher, date.
Tan, Amy. The Bonesetter's Daughter. New York: Putnam, 2001.
Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic, 1999.

25. Citing Your Source
Listing the state or country of a major city is unnecessary.
Use hanging indentation.
Words like “publisher,” “incorporated,” or “company” are not necessary when listing the publisher.
for example: ‘Scholastic’ instead of ‘Scholastic Incorporated’

26. Putting It All Together
A 5-paragraph essay consists of three parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
The key to writing an effective essay is the creation of a thesis.
The thesis statement is used to create the outline.
Each body paragraph should include three specific supporting ideas and at least one quotation.
Make sure to introduce and explain your quotations!