The
classic five paragraph essay can be learned as a series of problem-solving
strategies.
One problem all writers have to solve is determining what they
know about their topic. An easy way to solve that problem is through
ripple strategy, a kind of
focused brainstorming, ideally suited to the five-paragraph
essay.
A student writing problem
Glenn has finished a writing
skeleton for a five paragraph essay on the working thesis
"computers can hurt you." Here is his writing skeleton
with the keywords for each topic
sentence in bold.
- Computers can hurt you because computer
use can cause eyestrain.
- Computers can hurt you because computer
use can cause repetitive stress injury to hands.
- Computers can hurt you because computer
use can cause neck strain.
Ripple along each topic sentence
Instead of trying to think of everything he knows about computer
related injuries, Glenn applies a systematic problem solving approach.
Working with the first point of his writing skeleton,
Glenn uses ripple strategy, systematically working outward from
himself and his personal network to increasingly distant sources.
Personal experience
"Using the computer doesn't bother
me except when I have to use one of those folding chairs in
the computer lab. What hurts there isn't my eyes."
Personal network
"Mom had to get special glasses
because the eye doctor said working at the computer was causing
her headaches. I can use that in my first paragraph.
Wider network, secondhand information
"What else? Can't think of anything
I've heard or read on eyestrain.
Published information
"Guess I'll have to look up eyestrain
somewhere.
In a few minutes, Glenn mined his personal experience and his network and came
up with one definite piece of evidence (his mom's experience)
his fall-back plan of doing "library" research.
Depending on the assignment specifications, two sources may give
Glenn all the evidence he needs to develop his first body
paragraph for his five paragraph essay.
But wait; there's more.
Before Glenn gets finished noting those potential information
sources, he gets another thought.
Wider network
"Wait a minute. That eye doctor
at that place that just opened. Maybe I could interview him.
He's on my paper route."
After Glenn finishes rippling through his first point, he will
apply the same strategy in turn to the second and third points
of his five-paragraph essay.
Repeat rippling until it is a habit
If you use the rule of thumb that you need to do something 28
times to make it a habit, your students would have to apply the
ripple strategy consciously in six different five paragraph essays
before you could reasonably expect students to use it regularly
and well.
If you don't have students write five paragraph essays regularly
(by which I mean completing at least one essay every other week),
you have almost no chance of having students master the strategy
or any other writing strategy. Learning
to write takes practice over time.
Habitual use breeds speed, efficiency
Once using the ripple strategy becomes a habit, students' brains
will run through the process in a flash. What's more important,
their brains will keep working while the students are at soccer
practice or play rehearsal.
Students' planning time will become more productive as they effectively
tell their brains what to look for each time they plan a five
paragraph essay.
Teaching ripple strategy
For convenience, I recommend you teach students to apply the
ripple strategy to a single point of their writing skeleton at
a time, taking each topic sentence in turn.
When you teach any strategy, you have to teach rather
than present. Students must understand what they are doing and
why they are doing it. They also need to experience how the strategy
accomplishes something they want to do. That something might be
passing English, or it might just be getting to soccer practice
early.
You also must monitor students' use of a strategy. If
they don't use it well, or don't use it at all, you have to reteach.
Ripple strategy is built into the 40 questions of my peer
learning activity Talk It Out. The materials
are designed for repeated reuse so students master efficient,
effective strategies for planning essays.
Published 26-Aug-2009; updated 15-Jun-2010