The Best Ways to Teach Students to Write Effective Essay Paragraphs

Most teachers today realize that assigning a topic on Monday and collecting the essays at the end of the week doesn't cut it when teaching students to write. Students generally feel challenged when they must think critically or write reflectively. I taught middle school English for several years and realized that these kids needed to be shown just what kinds of sentences make up effective essay paragraphs. They need to include both concrete details (facts) and commentary (opinion) in their essays.

Method

I used a loose version of the Jane Schaeffer method, and I found it to be effective in teaching paragraph structure. Once students mastered the art of creating effective paragraphs, they could stray from the Schaeffer guidelines-although some initially still felt more comfortable not doing so.

The Essay

Students are often placed in testing situations where they must create essays within given time frames. Essays at least four paragraphs long generally garner higher grades. The first paragraph is the introductory or thesis paragraph which introduces the topic. The last is the concluding paragraph which sums up ideas and reflects on what's been said. The middle two or more paragraphs make up the body of the essay, and that's the type of paragraph I'll address in this article.

Concrete Details vs. Commentary

Students need to learn the difference between concrete details and commentary.

Concrete details are the facts. They include evidence, examples, quotes, specifics, illustrations and proof. They are the "what" of the paragraph. New writers typically lean toward writing entire paragraphs of concrete details, leaving out the commentary.

Commentary sentences are opinion. They include personal response, reflection, insight, evaluation, and analysis. They are the "so what" of the paragraph. It's higher level thinking, so students need lots of practice in order to get used to writing commentary. If students have trouble writing commentary, encourage them to mentally start each commentary sentence with the phrase "this shows that".

Ultimately, each body paragraph consists of the following:
Topic Sentence: TS
1st Concrete Detail: CD
Commentary: CM (says something about the first concrete detail)
Commentary (expands on the first commentary)
2nd Concrete Detail
Commentary
Commentary
Concluding Sentence

A concrete detail and the following commentary sentences make up a "chunk". I required a minimum of two chunks per paragraph in middle school, with at least two commentary sentences following every concrete detail.

Half-Paragraph Example
(Taken from Jane Schaeffer material)

My bedroom is the place where I like to relax and let go of the day's worries (topic). For example, I can play any music I want, from my mother's old Beatles' tapes to my own Boyz II Men compact discs (concrete). (This shows that) In my room I don't have to be concerned about the sound bothering other family members (commentary). (This shows that) Being able to listen to my songs in the privacy of my room helps me unwind and takes my mind away from daily problems (commentary).

Practice

It's tough for students to differentiate between fact and opinion. Start off by having them write several of these half-paragraph, four-sentences exercises like the example above. You might give the entire group the same topic sentence and have them practice writing a "chunk" of concrete detail and commentary based on that topic. Then pair the students and allow them to work as a team on half-paragraphs.

Benefits

Eventually, when students are placed into timed-writing situations, they'll feel more comfortable. They can concentrate on the subject matter of the essay, since the paragraph structure now comes naturally.

Teachers: Empower Your Students with These Four Writing Traits
Slideshow: Bulletin Board Idea for Teaching the Writing Traits

Reference: Teaching the Multiparagraph Essay; Jane Schaeffer Publications