Wow! Who knew the five-paragraph essay was such a controversy?
So what are my thoughts, you ask? I think that there is a time and a place for the good ol five paragrapher, and also a time and a place for students to step outside the box. Ok, I know I am being extremely diplomatic and nebulous, but seriously, it’s true! I think that presenting students in middle school with this format will give them a fundamental understanding of how to argue a point, and it also provides a springboard for students to develop and modify this fundamental understanding as they progress through their education. Besides, I suspect that we’d be picking a lot of 11-year-old jaws off the floor if we said to them, “Ok, kids, today we are going to learn about the 13 paragraph essay!” We don’t tell a beginning runner that they are going to run 10 miles right off the bat; it’s all about the baby steps.
Is it the number five that is scaring us? Is it putting at definitive number on the amount of paragraphs that an essay has to be? Come on, guys, that’s an easy fix! I think that we need to be lenient on the definition that we give it and on the rigidness of its structure. In the Wesley article she states, “Students' mere awareness that they must mold a topic to the FPT style inhibits their learning.” While I agree with this statement, I partially think it is because of the way we defining it. I mean, what if we didn’t put a limit on the amount of paragraphs it should be and we focused on staying clear, and on point? I can see how the five paragraph essay can be limiting, but I also value a student finding and discerning pertinent information to make an argument.
Although I think multi-genre papers are great, and offer a chance for students to exercise their creativity, it is not an accepted form of currency here in Collegeville. I have talked to a number of people that didn’t even know what a mult-genre paper was, let alone were asked to write one in college. For the simple fact that students are more likely to be expected to write a five paragraph essay-or some variation of it-in college, I think that it would be fruitful to focus on them in high school. Sorry to be such a buzzkill.
Nicole,
ReplyDeleteWe’re the same person! Just kidding, but I actually COMPLETELY agree with your statement that there is a place and time for a five-paragraph essay and a place and time for students to step outside of the box and do something more creative. I know it sounds like we are just being “neutral” on the situation, but I believe that there are many teachers who are very one sided when it comes to this discussion. I feel that we are becoming educators in a time where creativity is encouraged; therefore, our instructions, activies, units, and teaching styles must also stretch beyond the traditional forms and, as you said, step outside the box.
Going off of our “sameness” again, I almost picked the quote to include in my reflection from the Wesley article! I feel that while students need a format/guidelines to follow (so they don’t run amuck!) five is such a restricting number!! I think it does inhibit their thinking, not promote it. Who knows, if we leave papers open ended, maybe students will write more than the required five paragraphs! So often, you give a student an assignment and they struggle to do the bare minimum. Rather, you tell them things they have to include (a main idea, an argument, support) and they provide above and beyond that (sometimes, not always). Heck, I do that when and I’m in graduate school!!
I completely agree that open-ended papers are not widely accepted in college… there is such a pressure to follow a set guidline for paper writing so that it is easy to check off that we included all aspects of a paper that were required by a teacher/professor. I agree that a five paragraph essay is more suited for high school… that still gives plenty of students time to learn that important structure in time for college. Instead, let’s get them excited and motivated about writing first by allowing them more space for creativity!