As a former English teacher, I can vividly recall the sheer joy on my students' faces when I announced that we would be writing an essay. Usually, a round of applause would ensue. Maybe someone would shout, "Finally! Thank you!" Friends would jump up and high five each other. It's every student's favorite thing to do, right? 

...Right? 

Just kidding. Very few students find it fun to write an essay (can't relate). In fact, there are many students who avoid writing an essay at all because it's just too much. They used to tell me they would do it later and then they used Grammarly, which didn't even know the kind of essay I was looking for. Sometimes I knew a student used AI because the writing sounded nothing like them, but I still graded it using the rubric and they ALWAYS ended up failing. Don't be one of those students.

Okay, but how do you get through writing this monumental thing that you've never had to do before without totally losing it? Great question. Your first time writing a 5-paragraph expository essay is not going to be easy, but it's also manageable if you follow these steps:

1. Start with a very basic outline. For a 5-paragraph essay, you will start with an introduction paragraph. This is where you introduce the details of what you're talking about and explain your main argument (a.k.a. your thesis statement). Then, you have 3 body paragraphs where you will prove each of the points you made in your thesis. Finally, you end the essay with a conclusion paragraph. All this to say, you want to create some sort of visualization of these 5 paragraphs. This is usually what I type when I start a new essay (I delete these words when I start typing the paragraphs): 

Intro

Body

Body

Body

Conclusion

2. Next, write your thesis statement. This is the map for the rest of your essay, so if you can write this, you can write everything else. To do this, you need to look at the essay prompt. It's usually a question (How does the author use symbolism to communicate the theme of the book?) or a request (Write an essay about how the author uses diction to convey tone). Your thesis statement should answer the question or request. So if your teacher asks you if Romeo and Juliet's deaths were caused by fate or free will, you want your thesis to respond to that question. For example: Romeo and Juliet's deaths were caused by fate.

But don't stop there. You want to include the same number of reasons as the number of body paragraphs (for a 5-paragraph essay, there are 3 body paragraphs, which means your thesis should have 3 reasons). A reason is an example from the text that proves your point without being too specific. You'll explain your point later in your body paragraphs. So for example, a thesis with 1 reason might look like: Romeo and Juliet's deaths were caused by fate because their families were involved in an ancient rivalry. Remember, you want 3 reasons for a 5-paragraph essay, so you would want 2 more reasons to have a complete thesis. 

I know this is an oversimplification of this process. You don't just come up with a thesis statement out of nowhere. Be nice to yourself while you're thinking of your answer to your teacher's prompt. Your opinion is valuable. For example, if you read the prompt and think that there is no black-and-white answer to the question, then I highly encourage you to fit that into your thesis statement. Maybe your reasons are your 3 different thoughts about how to answer the question. Get creative and believe in yourself.

3. Now that you have a thesis statement, everything else falls neatly into place. Your first body paragraph will be about your first reason, your second body paragraph will be about your second reason, and your third body paragraph will be about your third reason. Your next step is to find the quotes that will prove each of these points. I like to use google to help me figure out which chapter I can find the quotes. I would search for the topic, so if I'm looking for a quote about the ancient grudge between the Capulets and the Montagues, I would type: family rivalry quotes Romeo and Juliet. But make sure you're using the book to copy down the quotes because other sources might have gotten it wrong.

4. In 9th grade, your body paragraphs generally fall under this basic structure (teachers sometimes use different words to describe these elements):

Answer

Context

Evidence

Support

Your answer is the same thing that you said in your thesis with one of your reasons. Make sure you list your reasons in the same order as your body paragraphs.

The context is any background information from the text that we might need to understand the following evidence. Ideally, your context leads directly into the quote so that you're not starting a sentence with a quote. 

The evidence is the quote from the text that proves your answer. Make sure to put quotation marks around your quote so that you don't get accused of cheating.

The support is your time to explain HOW your quote proves your answer. You can do this by explaining exactly how this quote relates to the point you're making. You can also explain how the outcome would have been different if the text was written differently. Then, you can wrap it up with a thematic statement about what we are learning from this paragraph. 

5. Now you've written most of your essay. All you need are the finishing touches: the hook and the conclusion. The hook is how you get your reader excited to read. It's similar to how a content creator keeps you from scrolling onto the next video. How can you frame what you're talking about in your essay in an attention-grabbing way? There is no easy way to know what will hook people, but I recommend you start with yourself. What do YOU find interesting about this essay? Dig deep, I know a 5-paragraph essay doesn't feel interesting, but it's your job to make it interesting. 

6. And finally, the conclusion. This is where you reiterate the point you have argued throughout your essay. I think the thesaurus is particularly helpful for this paragraph. You want to make the same point, but in a new way. Look for synonyms and also restructure your thesis. Your thesis typically starts with your answer to the question and then lists your reasons. What if you start your conclusion with your reasons? Don't be afraid to try new things and flip stuff around. 

Then, you can end your conclusion with a deeper thought about what you're learned about the world from this essay. Or perhaps leave the audience with something related to your topic, but new to think about. Let them wonder as they look up from the last line of your essay.

7. Great work! You did it! Don't forget to proofread, peer edit, and all of that fun stuff. But you made it through the hardest part and I'm proud of you.

If after this, you're still not sure, then that's a good time to reach out for help. I can take you step-by-step through this process so that you're not staring at a blank screen getting frustrated all alone. You will become a master essay writer and you will wonder why you ever rolled your eyes when your teacher announced a new essay assignment. You're welcome. Hehe.

Further Reading...