Notes: 3-part, 5-paragraph Essay

The 3-part essay, usually characterized by 5 paragraphs, comprises an introduction, the body, and a conclusion.

The first paragraph of the essay is the introduction, which may be a narrative passage that presents the topic of the essay to the reader. The main idea or topic sentence should be the last sentence of the introduction and includes the points to be discussed in the paper.

The second, third, and fourth paragraphs make up the body of the essay. Each presents a point from the topic sentence as the main idea of the paragraph and follows with at least three sentences in support of that main idea.

The fifth paragraph is the conclusion. It summarizes what was discussed in the paper, and restates the topic sentence.

Example: Title of Paper
By Firstname Lastname

Introduction (1st paragraph, ending with topic sentence)

Main Idea 1 (2nd paragraph)
Supporting detail1
Supporting detail2
Supporting detail3

Main Idea 2 (3rd paragraph)
Supporting detail1
Supporting detail2
Supporting detail3

Main Idea 3 (4th paragraph)
Supporting detail1
Supporting detail2
Supporting detail3

Conclusion (5th paragraph, summarizing paper and restating topic sentence)