Jim Cope
6/1/07
5th, 8th, 11th grade English
Ms. Spackle

Why I’m Opposed to the Teaching of the Five Paragraph Theme

            In this column I will describe the characteristics of formulaic writing, why the five paragraph theme, the most common form of formulaic writing, does not prepare students for state writing tests, and why the five paragraph theme is a dead end for young writers. My goal is to persuade you to not teach the five paragraph theme.
            The characteristics of formulaic writing are found in the new state “Grade Five Writing Assessment and Instructional Guide” which describes formulaic writing by giving the “Characteristics of A Formulaic Paper.”  Formulaic writing is characterized in this manner: “1. The writer announces his or her thesis and three supporting ideas in the opening paragraph, 2. The writer restates one of the supporting ideas to begin each of the three body paragraphs, 3. The writer repeats or restates his/her controlling idea and supporting points in the final paragraph, 4. Entire sentences may be copied verbatim from the introduction, used as topic sentences in each of the body paragraphs, and repeated in the conclusion” (87).  These four items clearly describe the characteristics of formulaic writing, specifically the five paragraph theme, and why it is not good writing.
            The five paragraph theme does not prepare students for state writing tests, and this is clearly demonstrated in the new state guide.  The guide illustrates this by describing what good writing is not.  “An effective informational composition is NOT:  Formulaic writing or a repetitive, standard five paragraph formula that overshadows the information instead of explaining it” (30).  The guide further illustrates this point on page 35 when it states that good persuasive writing is not “a formulaic response with repetitive ideas and language” and makes the point again on page 39 where it adds that good narrative writing is not “formulaic, repetitive writing.” This information in the new state guide clearly shows that the five paragraph theme does not prepare students for state writing tests.
            The five paragraph theme is a dead end for young writers because mastery of this format does not help students grow as writers.  Too often, teachers spend so much time on this artificial format that students do not get opportunities to experiment with other types of writing.  This stunts their growth as writers.  To grow as writers and gain mastery of the craft of writing, students need time to do a lot of “real” writing using the organizational strategies used by “real” writers.  They won’t get this essential practice if the majority of their writing time is spent on formulaic writing. Therefore, instruction in the five paragraph theme is a dead end for young writers.
            In this column I have described the characteristics of formulaic writing, why the five paragraph theme, the most common form of formulaic writing, does not prepare students for state writing tests, and why the five paragraph theme is a dead end for young writers. I hope I’ve persuaded you to not use the five paragraph theme in your instruction.

Works Cited

“Grade Five Writing Assessment and Instructional Guide.”  http://public.doe.k12.ga.us/DMGetDocument.aspx/Georgia%20
Grade%205%20Writing%20Assessment%20with%20notes.pdf?p=6CC6799F8C1371F6280
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