5 paragraph essay is standard
for structure and strategies training

Research has shown again and again that poor writers do little, if any planning. Struggling writers don't plan because they know how to plan or what to plan for.

If you want struggling writers to become successful writers, you need to help them learn to use strategies for efficient planning. The best tool for teaching strategic planning to stuggling writers is the 5-paragraph essay format.

The beauty of the 5-paragraph format is that after students have mastered it, they can scrap the format while retaining the underlying planning process.

Skill learners need rapid feedback

The kid who hates to write may also be the kid who is enthralled by video games. The games are probably more complicated than writing, but they appeal to kids because, among other things, they give rapid feedback.

For planning strategies to be effective for struggling students, the strategies must have a quick pay off. Struggling writers cannot wait three days or a week to learn whether their plan worked. They need to know NOW.

The popular writers' workshop strategy that has students write and rewrite to find their thesis does not give positive reinforcement soon enough to be effective with struggling writers or with writers who have learning difficulties.

Feedback should be part of strategies

Anyone attempting to learn a skill wants immediate feedback. Would you learn to knit if you had to wait until the end of the grading period to know if you were correctly applying the directions for knit and purl? I don't think so.

The strategies you teach to your least experienced writers should provide feedback apart from any feedback you, as the teacher, provide.

If the first sentence Josh writes is a sensible working thesis sentence, that initial success makes it more likely that he will go on to prepare a 3-sentence writing skeleton™. Applying writing skeleton™ strategy reinforces Josh's writing effort and makes it likely he will attempt another step in the 5 paragraph essay process.

Let students work in short bursts

Struggling writers do better work if they work in several short sessions arranged so students end each session with something finished. For novice and struggling writers simply finishing a task is a victory.

For example, if students have a fairly restricted topic, they usually can prepare a working thesis and writing skeleton™ in a half hour. Because those items are written in full sentences, students not only reach closure, but also have no difficulty picking up the work later to do the next step.

I recommend beginners write a 5 paragraph essay in 5 stages over 5 to 10 days. Each session ends with one task finished.

Suggested times for each stage

Once students know what to do and have had a bit of practice, I suggest beginning writers ought to be able to complete various stages of their essays in roughly the following times:

Session 1: Prepare working thesis and writing skeleton™ (30 minutes).

Session 2: Complete a full-sentence plan (30–45 minutes).

Session 3: Compose(draft) the essay (60 minutes).

Session 4: Revise the essay (15 minutes)

Session 5. Edit the essay for three mechanical errors one at a time (5-15 minutes per error).

Your students may take more or less time depending on their ages, their motor skills, whether they are writing longhand or at a computer, etc.

Unless they have some disability that requires accommodation, don't let beginning writers take much more time than shown above at one sitting.

Taking a lot more time on some or all aspects of the 5 paragraph essay is usually a symptom of lack of focus.

Don't drag the writing process out

Students develop a distaste for writing if it takes too long—even if the reason it takes long is that they were woolgathering.

Students usually respond positively if you let them know what a reasonable time frame is for a given task. For example, you might say:

"We are going to take 15 minutes now for you to edit your papers for your three most frequent errors instead of doing the editing tonight as homework. Of course, if you want to take more time, you may edit at home later."

Such phrasing gives students an reasonable estimate of time required for the activity. It also leaves the students' options open. They can take longer if a they needs more time or want to edit for five errors instead of three.

Minimize pre-draft writing

Minimize the amount of handwriting students must do so they can concentrate on planning, especially if you are teaching younger students who may find handwriting physically challenging.

You can make graphic organizers in minutes using the tables function in your word processing program and print them for students. See some on my page about the outline template. Writing Points subscribers can also access a single-page version of the template in PDF and fillable versions. Get a free subscription and access to many other freebies.

Or set up a table on the computer and let students input their plans there. Then they can use copy and paste to eliminate some of the drudgery.

Note: You will find more on the essay writing thread about reasons for using the 5 paragraph essay.