In the United States, as soon as the students learn the concept of an essay, they learn about the structure called, “Five-Paragraph Essay.” This structure has been developed to allow students to easily approach the seemingly monstrous concept of essay. However, there are some who are against the idea of imposing this structure against the students. They criticize the Five-Paragraph Essay as a shortcut and a compromise for the sake of proficiency and competency. It is true that Five-Paragraph Essay may limit students’ creativity and capacity to write, but it is hard to see how we can bring changes into classrooms with all the systematic conflicts that must be dealt with first.
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Thanks David for presenting a clear summary of both sides of this debate. You’re right to point out that before we dismiss the five paragraph model, we have to deal with the systems put in place who make the model necessary in the first place. For instance, standardized tests. If we forgo the five paragraph model, these testing companies would have to agree to grade on a different scale, that might be really difficult!