This lesson focuses on strategies for moving essay writing beyond the five-paragraph essay structure to one whose structure is determined by the content. W.11-12.4 Clear/Coherent Writing

This lesson introduces essays and common essay formats.

This lesson focuses on the difference between formulaic writing such as the five-paragraph essay and an organic structure that puts forward an arguable statement.

After researching a place/event of interest in Alabama, students write a five-paragraph essay. Students include maps and written directions to the location, describe activities and/or events associated with this location, include in this...

This reference page focuses on compare and contrast transition words including defining transitions and compare and contrast transitions, providing a list of transition words, and showing how to use transitions in writing essays.

This is a fun lesson to demonstrate the power of words to describe a simple chocolate treat prior to writing a five-paragraph descriptive essay.

Learn to write a five-paragraph persuasive essay by working through six links to videos, graphic organizers, and activities on space exploration.

This lesson involves research on scientists whose accomplishments have impacted areas of nutrition, sanitation, or health care. Students will research an area of their choice, record information on a graphic organizer, and use the...

Harriet Tubman was a leading figure in the Underground Railroad movement. In this instructional activity, students research information about her using informative resources and look at impressionistic artwork depicting her life....

Two slideshows and a screencast on organizational patterns used when writing essays and speeches. The first is a 20-slide presentation explaining the seven most common organizational patterns used in writing: time sequence, spatial,...

This lesson focuses on the writing in high school. Whether you write expository and persuasive essays or short stories, your first steps are to determine and define your audience. After that, you will begin to generate ideas and...

This tutorial focuses on the introduction for an expository essay or research paper. It states the purpose of an introduction, what should be included, and ways to begin.

This resource from Kim's Korner for Teacher Talk defines various patterns of text organization and provides a brief essay example of each pattern.

A tip sheet on how to create and outline for a research paper.