THE 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY

Miss Gibb-Reading

Research

Before you start your research… Brainstorm phrases related to your main

topic Use those phrases as keywords during your

search

Research

Preparing a brainstorming chart will allow you to narrow your topic on paper, rather than when while you are searching

Brainstorming will also allow you to decide exactly what you want to find out about your topic

Research

Research

Now you can search American Red Cross and Hurricane Katrina Or American Red Cross and fund raising Or American Red Cross and earthquakes Or American Red Cross and history

Essay Map

Use your Essay Map to break down exactly you will be searching for.

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/essaymap/

Your general topic will go under “Introduction.” Pick 3 main ideas that you want to find out more about. Some examples could be history

Research

Type your search topic into Google or another search engine of your choice

Once you see the results, look for extensions that end with .org, .gov, or .edu

After you open your page, make sure you check for

Accuracy Currency Author Objectivity Coverage

Research

http://www.google.com/ Search American Red Cross and

donations Your first page will take you to a page

that lists all of the funds you can donate to through the American Red Cross

Research

Main idea -If you would like to direct your gift to a Red Cross effort not listed, please contact 1-800 HELP NOW or mail your donation to American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. Please indicate how you wish your gift to be used. The best way to help victims of disasters across the country each year is to donate to the Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need.

http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main-4/23/07

Research

Copy the important parts of your web site and paste it into Microsoft Word The important parts are the main idea you

are using from the site and the supporting details

Copy the web address and paste it into Microsoft Word right under your information for that site

Make sure you put the date after the web address

Research

You will be looking for 3 main ideas about your subject and 3

supporting ideas for each main idea An interesting fact, question, or quotation

for your introductory paragraph An interesting fact for your closing

paragraph

Research

Once you move all the information that you need to Microsoft Word, save your work under your Bvcampus drive. Make a new folder titled “Reading” This enables you to access the information from any

computer in the school-not just the computer that you are using

Once you have saved all the information that you need to Microsoft Word, print your document

Bring money to print in the library. You should only need between 20-50 cents.

Research

Cut out and paste, or staple your main ideas, supporting ideas, and web site to your research sheet. This is required. If you are using an encyclopedia or other research tool, you must copy the pages that you are using and paste them onto your graphic organizer

On the other side, use the information you have gathered to summarize the ideas in your own words

These sheets will be handed in so that I can check your sources and check for plagiarism

Web Site Main Ideas/Supporting Ideas

Main Idea If you would like to direct your gift to a Red Cross effort not listed, please contact 1-

800 HELP NOW or mail your donation to American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. Please indicate how you wish your gift to be used. The best way to help victims of disasters across the country each year is to donate to the Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need.

Supporting Idea -NATIONAL DISASTER RELIEF FUND

You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. This Fund enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disasters. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to

designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation.

Supporting Idea Supporting IdeaWeb Site Used http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main-

4/23/07

Research

If you fill out your graphic organizer correctly, you should be able to write your 3 topic paragraphs right from your summarization sheets.

Introductory, or Opening, Paragraph

-Use one of the following techniques to draw your reader in…-Start with a question-Start with an interesting fact-Start with a quotation— “must be in quotation marks”

Introductory Paragraph

Did you know that you can donate a car, a boat, a motorcycle or money to help the American Red Cross?

The American Red Cross accepts donations of cars, boats, and even motorcycles to help families across the United States.

“When disaster strikes, the nation counts on the American Red Cross to embody our compassion for those directly affected.” You can help the American Red Cross by making a donation.

Topic Paragraph

You should include three topic paragraphs Choose three things that you have learned about

your topic that you would like to share with others 1. The American Red Cross raises money for a

variety of different efforts 2. The American Red Cross raises money for

ongoing efforts such as military services 3. The American Red Cross also raises money for

current disasters such as the recent Nor’easter and the Solomon Islands Tsunami

Topic Paragraphs

For each topic, use your graphic organizers to help you keep your information organized Use a “big” idea as your main idea Use smaller ideas as your supporting ideas

Closing, or Conclusion Paragraph For your closing paragraph, use an

interesting fact and a summarizing statement.

The American Red Cross helps families throughout the United States and around the world by using donations from various sources. The American Red Cross responds to ongoing problems such as measles vaccinations as well as current problems, like the Virginia Tech Shooting.

Citations

You are required to cite any sources that you use in your research paper in MLA format. In-text citations are not necessary

Make a separate reference page and attach it after your 5 paragraph essay-you should have a minimum of 3

Refer to your English book for proper citation methods

Citations

To site a website, use the following format

Author (if available). “Page title.” (if available, in quotation marks) Site title. Name of sponsor (if available). Date published (if available). Date found <e-address>.

Final Draft

Remember to use your grading rubric to write your final draft.

Spelling, punctuation, and following the format of the 5 paragraph essay will be areas of concentration in grading

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. If you are found to be plagiarizing, you will automatically fail the research portion of your project. I will be checking sources!