How to Write a

Five-Paragraph Essay

Five Paragraph Essays

•Follow a defined format

•1st paragraph = introduction

•2nd through 4th paragraphs = body of essay

•5th paragraph = conclusion

•Every paragraph is important!!!

An attention grabberA general topic statement

A thesis statement

A good introductory paragraph includes all three of the following.

To illustrate the information on the following slides, we will pretend to be writing a five-paragraph essay about how playing violent video games can negatively affect teenagers.

Introductory Paragraph

1.Attention Grabber

• Use the very first sentence(s) of your essay to GRAB the reader’s attention so that they want to read further! Use one of the following suggestions.

Ask a provocative question

Can a video game lead to murder?

State a shocking or interesting fact

The game Grand Theft Auto has sold more than 35 million copies, with worldwide sales approaching $2 billion.

Use an anecdote (a very short story)

Police in Alabama believe that months of playing Grand Theft Auto day and night led an eighteen year old man to shoot and kill three people. The District Attorney’s office claims that the video game essentially trained the shooter how to commit the crimes by serving as a “murder simulator”.

Begin with a quote

"Life is like a video game. Everybody’s got to die sometime" (Moore, 2005).

2. General Topic Sentence

Video games are becoming increasingly violent.

Grand Theft Auto is the most notorious of the violent video game genre.

Many parents do not check the ratings on the video games they buy for their teenagers.

In a five-paragraph essay you use your thesis statement to list the three points you will be discussing in your essay in the order you will be discussing them.

Teenage access to violent video games should be further restricted because such games increase aggressive thoughts and behaviours, and decrease self-control in adolescents.

Police in Alabama believe that months of playing Grand Theft Auto day and night led an eighteen year old man to shoot and kill three people. The District Attorney’s office claims that the video game essentially trained the shooter how to commit the crimes by serving as a “murder simulator”. Grand Theft Auto is the most notorious of the violent video game genre.Teenage access to such games should be further restricted because they increase aggressive thoughts and behaviours, and decrease self-control in adolescents.

There are three body paragraphs in a five-paragraph essay. These paragraphs further develop the three main points (subtopics) you listed in

your introduction in the order you listed them.

increase aggressive thoughts in teens

increase aggressive behaviour in teens

decrease an adolescent’s ability to exercise self-control

Therefore, the body paragraphs for our essay would follow the format below.

#1 = how such games increase aggressive thoughts in teens.#2 = how these games increase violent behaviour in teens#3 = how these games decrease adolescent self-control

Restate a reworded Subtopic One and give your supporting information/examples.

Violent video games can increase aggressive thoughts in teenage players. Research by the American Psychological Association has shown that this

negative effect occurs in part because adolescent’s may imitate characters they can relate to (APA, 2005). In video games like Grand Theft Auto, the player takes on the identity of the shooter. Therefore, if the player begins to associate with this character more and more, their aggressive thoughts may develop into violent acts.

Conclusion

The conclusion brings closure to the reader, summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic. All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences that do not need to follow any set formula.

As evidenced by many recent tragedies, violent video games can be a negative influence on teenagers. Bloody games like Grand Theft Auto and Doom can increase aggressive thoughts and behaviours in adolescents.

While created with the purpose to entertain, these games can actually decrease a teen’s ability to censor their own actions.The only feasible way to prevent these negative outcomes is to further restrict teen access to violent video games.