How to Use Graphic Organizers to Write Better Essays
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If you’re a student, there’s no way around the inevitable: You’re going to have to write essays. Lots of essays. In fact, the five-paragraph essay is so fundamental to the high school curriculum that it’s still used on the ACTs, and knowing how to recognize the organizational structure of essays will help you score higher on the SATs.
Even though it seems like a chore, knowing how to organize and write an essay can have a lasting effect on your life, from getting into a better college to scoring a better job to performing better in that job long after your high school days are over.
Here’s a secret: Using graphic organizers for writing essays can help you write better essays faster. (And don’t count yourself out if you’re an educator—you can offer these tools to help your students succeed.) We’ll show you exactly how to do it.
Why use graphic organizers
When ACT graders or teachers are looking your essay, they’re looking for very specific criteria; essentially, they’re looking at how well you’ve organized your thoughts. Many students don’t take the time to outline their essay structure before writing, and that always means a lower score on a test and a lower grade on the essay in class.
Using a writing template can feel like an unnecessary step in an already complicated process. If you need extra motivation to implement these organizers into your writing routine, consider all of their benefits. Graphic organizers can help you:
- Save time by showing you where each piece of the essay “lives.”
- Have more productive brainstorming sessions, either by yourself or with a group.
- Make connections between ideas and create a more cohesive argument.
- Pinpoint holes in your arguments and either adjust the thesis or find supporting statements.
- Keep track of your research.
- Organize your thoughts and come to interesting, more compelling conclusions.
- Stay in the right direction when you feel lost in a sea of words.
- Manage anxiety by converting the fear of a blank assignment into an action plan with a clear map.
With all those benefits, it’s hard to ignore how useful and vital graphic organizers are to writing. And once you’ve become adept at organizing your thoughts for something like a school essay, you’ll find that skill carries with you throughout your life, whether you’re trying to become a more intelligent debater to negotiate prices. It goes beyond just the essay to becoming a better thinker. And it starts with a simple template.
We’ll walk you through several use cases for graphic organizers and provide templates for you to download and fill in when you’re ready to write.
Brainstorming graphic organizers
Brainstorming is important, not only to come up with ideas for topics but to determine what information you need to include in the essay once you’ve determined your topic. Though many think of brainstorming as just freeflow thinking, brainstorming is most productive when you work within specific parameters.
That’s why essay brainstorming graphic organizers are useful, whether you’re using one to brainstorm on your own or you’re working with a group.
In Lucidchart, our mind map shapes and templates double as brainstorming graphic organizers. Start with an essay prompt as your central shape and then fill in the shapes that branch off your prompt with topic ideas. Alternatively, you can add your selected topic to the center and start brainstorming the different ideas you need to cover in your paper.
When the template is filled in, you’ll have a clear starting point for your essay or research paper.
Research paper graphic organizers
Nothing paralyzes students with fear quite like a research paper. These long-form papers require—as the name implies—quite a bit of research, and their purpose is to teach students how to look for valid sources to support their arguments.
But keeping track of all those sources and tying them into your argument can be tricky. That’s where a research paper graphic organizer can be a student’s greatest ally.
This template lays out the writing process itself. After you come up with a general topic, like “the disappearance of honey bees,” fill in the “Research Paper Topic” box.
Then, start looking for reputable sources (Wikipedia doesn’t count) and use the five sources boxes to hold the most relevant quotes and statistics you find. Using those quotes and statistics, you can then fill out a thesis statement that is supported by the research.
Then, you’ll be able to focus your paragraphs on a single topic each that supports the thesis statement and your overarching argument. After you’ve filled out the template, the backbone of the research paper is complete: All that’s left to do is fill in the spaces between sources and arguments.
5-paragraph essay graphic organizer
When it comes to writing the five-paragraph essay, writing diagrams are key. By using graphic organizers for writing, you’re no longer staring at a giant blank piece of paper with no idea how or where to begin. Your graphic organizer is your map.
Although using writing diagrams may seem time-consuming, the fact is that taking the time to fill a graphic organizer in before writing actually saves time. If there’s a problem with the argument, it will show up on the diagram, or if there’s not enough evidence to support your argument, you’ll know before you’ve wasted time writing the paper. And, as we said before, even if your writing is terrible, if your argument is sound, you’ll still score a decent grade.
Try this 5-paragraph essay template to get you started.
Don’t feel pressured to come up with a compelling title right away. Instead, it’s more important that you come up with a thesis statement that can be supported by three solid arguments. Fill in that thesis statement and your arguments. Then, for each argument, figure out three supporting details to support your case.
That’s it! You’ve got the most essential parts of your 5-paragraph essay completed.
Now, come up with an introduction that sets the stage for your argument and a conclusion that wraps up and restates your thesis and supporting arguments in a compelling way. Now you have a solid plan for your paper and can approach it with confidence.
If you’d like a more linear graphic that exactly follows the structure of the 5-paragraph, use the writing template below and follow the same process.
Visuals, such as graphic organizers for writing, can help you better understand concepts, think creatively, and collaborate with your classmates—and there are plenty of other templates where these came from.
Lucidchart offers hundreds of templates to help you through your studies, including timelines, Venn diagrams, word maps, and more. Sign up for Lucidchart and upgrade to an Educational account for free.
Resources for teachers
Providing graphic resources to students is essential; after all, many of your students will be visual learners, so while you may beautifully explain how the process works, there will be some who won’t understand until they see a template of the essay itself.
Lucidchart has many resources for teachers, from lesson plans to writing templates. While you’re teaching your students how to write essays or research papers, it’s useful to print out the templates and fill them out together (even using a completed template as a separate assignment with a separate grade) so that your students can get a feel for properly filling out graphic organizers before attempting it on their own.
About Lucidchart
Lucidchart, a cloud-based intelligent diagramming application, is a core component of Lucid Software's Visual Collaboration Suite. This intuitive, cloud-based solution empowers teams to collaborate in real-time to build flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, customer journey maps, and more. Lucidchart propels teams forward to build the future faster. Lucid is proud to serve top businesses around the world, including customers such as Google, GE, and NBC Universal, and 99% of the Fortune 500. Lucid partners with industry leaders, including Google, Atlassian, and Microsoft. Since its founding, Lucid has received numerous awards for its products, business, and workplace culture. For more information, visit lucidchart.com.
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5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer
by Admin · 21 September, 2011
Tags: Brainstorming Compare and Contrast Details Organizers Paragraphs
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Thank you for the free very useful material. The graphic organizers are helpful. I teach 8th grade English
Thanks! I love hearing that people enjoy this site.
I needed this for a 5 paragraph persuasive essay I am teaching my seventh grade classes to write. Thank you for the free safe stuff. It is appreciated.
Thanks, I’m glad you found this site!
Yes, greatly appreciated!
This web site is amazing!!!! Love it!!! Thanks for providing these awesome tools to pass on to my students!
I lost my other one but found this online (planning to print this out.)
This is going to come in handy for my niece in grade 5 to complete her essay thank you so much
Great to hear, thanks.
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Five-Paragraph Essay
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5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizers
I will never forget the teacher that taught me how to successfully write a 5-paragraph essay. Her name was Mrs. Wingfield. That one skill has served me well through high school and college. It is a skill that many underestimate. For that reason, I am very mindful to teach it to my students and my children. Our 5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizers make teaching how to write a 5-paragraph paper that much easier!
Before teaching a 5 paragraph essay we always start with more elementary writing including using the Hamburger Paragraph Graphic Organizer . Be sure to check it out!
*You might be interested in purchasing our entire Writing Paragraphs Bundle which is perfect for those looking to teach students how to write paragraphs and then 5-paragraph essays! Take a look!
As a Christian Book and Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support. As always, we only recommend items that we truly feel will benefit your homeschooling experience. We appreciate it.
What is a 5 Paragraph Essay?
A 5-paragraph essay contains within it an opening paragraph, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. Within the paragraphs themselves, there is a topic sentence, 3 supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. 5-paragraph essays are typically used when writing middle school and high school papers. Whether it be a book report, biography project, or an essay on the Civil War, being able to write a comprehensive and organized paper is paramount to becoming a successful student.
Why 5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizers?
Graphic Organizers are students’ best friend. They make organizing facts, examples, and details manageable. For students who struggle with processing information, graphic organizers give them a visual sorting sheet. We have found the 5 paragraph essay graphic organizers helpful while completing our Country Research Projects or Biography Research Project. My students have used similar organizers when writing their planet papers. Whenever your student is required to write an essay or paper, these graphic organizers can help direct their writing.
How do I use them?
There are three different versions to choose from. All three focus on a student organizing 5 paragraphs with each paragraph containing a topic sentence, 3 body sentences, and a concluding sentence. Visually, one may be more appealing to you. My students are encouraged to use one of these before writing their rough draft. For my more advanced writers, they have used one of these to organize their paper and then typed their final papers out on the computer with minimal corrections. These graphic organizers are particularly helpful to those students who struggle processing information. You may offer it to all your students but require it of some.
BONUS 5 Paragraph PRINTABLES
We offer essay writing sheets with an illustration page too. These extras make it easy for a teacher to assign a project on a variety of different topics using only these printables.
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Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizers for Teachers to Use
- Kellie Hayden
- Categories : Teaching methods, tips & strategies
- Tags : Teaching methods, tools & strategies
Organizing Students
Printable graphic organizers are available for all most any task in the classroom, such as organizing a writing piece, studying vocabulary , or learning a new math concept by “chunking” new content. To use printable graphic organizers effectively, teachers need to understand each graphic organizer’s purpose and understand how to teach students to successfully use one. Two popular graphic organizers are the Venn Diagram and the Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer.
Venn Diagram Graphic Organizer
The Venn Diagram is probably the most well known graphic organizers. This basic graphic organizer can help students organize their thoughts and ideas about any two objects that have similarities and differences.
Reasons students will want to use the Venn Diagram is to compare and contrast two characters in a novel, two different items or ideas, two possible decisions to a problem, etc. The information written on the graphic organizer can help a person to organize and write a paper or a debate.
To use the Venn Diagram, students will need to choose two items or subjects that they want to compare and contrast. Next, the students need to write one item in the left part of the diagram and one item in the right part of the diagram. Then, the students need to write the things that the two subjects have in common or are similar in the center section of the diagram. In the left and right section of the diagram, the students need to write information that only pertains to each subject or item. When the diagram is filled out, students now have information to write a paper that compares and contrasts the two items.
Download Venn Diagram
Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer
The Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer is a helpful graphic organizer that can organize an essay. If the student follows the graphic organizer, he or she will be able to write a well-organized essay.
The graphic organizer has places to write the topic of the essay and the thesis statement at the topic. Right below the topic is a section for an attention grabbing sentence or attention grabbing question for the first sentence of the introductory paragraph. If students have a great first sentence the essay will definitely start off right.
A thesis statement box is for one sentence that tells what the essay will help to focus the essay. This will help to focus the essay. The three column bubbles ask for the three main ideas that the essay will discuss. Each will become a separate paragraph. The more detail the students write in the bubble column, the easier it will be to write each body paragraph later. Last, there is a box to write a conclusion.
Download Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer
Printable Graphic Organizers: Venn Diagram Graphic Organizer & Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer
Graphic organizers are a great classroom tool, and there are many reasons to use graphic organizers in your classroom. There are many types of graphic organizers to choose from and they are not just for writing papers. There are vocabulary graphic organizers, reading graphic organizers, math graphic organizers, and graphic organizers to organize a task.
PowerPoint Slide Organization Plan
The PowerPoint Slide Organization Plan can help students to organize an electronic slide project. Deciding how to organize slides can be a mind-boggling task. This graphic organizer has places to write what will go on each slide.
The first slide has lines to write the student’s name, the title of the presentation, the class and the date. There are boxes for slides two through nine. In each box, the students can write the basic information for each slide and decide what order to show the slides. The next box is for references. Students should choose one style or format, such as MLA, APA, Chicago, etc. This will add credibility to the slide show. The last box is to conclude the presentation and ask for questions.
In addition to the Venn Diagram Graphic Organizers, the Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer and the PowerPoint Slide Graphic Organizer, there are other types of printable graphic organizers. There are summarizing graphic organizers to help students to write summaries, which is a very important skill on the reading and writing achievement tests. The story map graphic organizer can help students figure out the important plot elements, such as the setting, conflicts, climax, etc. The reading graphic organizers can be simple ones, such as T-charts and KWL Charts or more complicated ones to help students to understand the novel elements , such as theme, main ideas, and character traits.
Printable graphic organizers can help students to organize information and to learn content. There are many available on the Internet. Teachers just need to be knowledgeable of how to utilize them best.
Download Power Point Graphic Organizer
Printable Graphic Organizer: PowerPoint Slide Presentation Graphic Organizer
This post is part of the series: Graphic Organizers
The articles in this series will explain and give ideas on how to use graphic organizers.
- Styles and Uses of Graphic Organizers in Teaching
- Sharing Printable Graphing Organizers
- Handy Teaching Resources for Graphic Organizer Ideas
- Types of Graphic Organizers to Teach Vocabulary
- Teaching Using Writing Graphic Organizers
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5-Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer I. Introductory Paragraph A. "Hook" B. Thesis Statement (may contain list of 3 main points) II. First Body Paragraph Topic Sentence A. Point 1 1. Proof/Example 2. Proof/Example B. Point 2 1. Proof/Example 2. ...
Five-Paragraph Essay Organizer. Click here to print. Line-by-line color-coded organizer to familiarize students with the nuts and bolts of basic essay-writing and organization. This chart shows students line-by-line how to write an essay. Teachers give students this sheet, and students proceed to fill it in. Once this sheet of essay notes has ...
Graphic Organizer for a Five-Paragraph Essay Paragraph 1: Introduction Paragraph 2: First Body Paragraph (Point 1) Paragraph 3: Second Body Paragraph (Point 2) Paragraph 4: Third Body Paragraph (Point 3) Paragraph 5: Conclusion Topic Sentenc e: Supporting Details : Topic Sentence: Supporting Details : Topic Senten ce:
Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer. Take notes in preparation for writing a five paragraph expository essay using this five paragraph essay graphic organizer. PDF. Filed as: BrainPOP ELL, Pre-Writing, Teacher Resources, Writing Assignments, Writing Help. Share.
In fact, the five-paragraph essay is so fundamental to the high school curriculum that it's still used on the ACTs, and knowing how to recognize the organizational structure of essays will help you score higher on the SATs. ... 5-paragraph essay graphic organizer. When it comes to writing the five-paragraph essay, writing diagrams are key. By ...
9. 5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer. Brainstorming form for the 5 paragraph essay. Use this page to begin shaping the thesis, introduction, body and conclusion of the essay.
Paragraph 2 Example 1 Paragraph 3 Example 2 Paragraph 4 Example 3 Paragraph 5 Conclusion Five NAME: -Paragraph Essay DATE: o, Thesis Statement + Example 1 (Sentence 1) + Example 2 (Sentence 2) Example 3 (Sentence 3) Topic Sentence: Example 1 (from Introduction) + 3 Detail Sentences
McGraw Hill | How to Teach Writing: Middle and High School Graphic Organizer MK22 D 21302 CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH 2 PARAGRAPH 3 TOPIC SENTENCE : TOPIC SENTENCE : DETAILS: DETAILS: INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH 1 THESIS: HOOK: THESIS RESTATEMENT: TOPIC SENTENCE : DETAILS: DETAILS: CALL TO ACTION : 5 PARAGRAPH ESSAY OUTLINE
Graphic Organizer for a Five-Paragraph Essay Topic: Paragraph 1 Introduction Hook: Thesis statement: Paragraph 2 Body Use evidence from Section 48.2 and Documents A-C. Topic sentence: ... Paragraph 5 Conclusion Reordered thesis: Summary: USHS_LM_48.qxp:Layout 1 4/16/07 1:20 PM Page 465. Title: USHS_LM_48.qxp:Layout 1
Help students write five-paragraph essays with a graphic organizer. This printable is customizable. ... Five-Paragraph Essay. Download. Add to Favorites. Add to Folder; creative writing: children's book: activities: classroom tools: language arts and writing: vocabulary: Create new folder. CREATE NEW FOLDER. Share. Help students write five ...
By using a graphic organizer, you can visually map out your thoughts, main points, and supporting details. This helps you clarify your ideas and ensure that your essay has a logical structure. There are various types of graphic organizers you can use, such as mind maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, and flowcharts.
What is a 5 Paragraph Essay? A 5-paragraph essay contains within it an opening paragraph, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. Within the paragraphs themselves, there is a topic sentence, 3 supporting sentences, and a concluding sentence. 5-paragraph essays are typically used when writing middle school and high school papers.
Five-paragraph Essay Organizer PARAGRAPH ONE: INTRODUCTION Sentence one (Restate the question as a sentence - "what will be proven"): Sentence two (Summarize first main point): Sentence three (Summarize second main point): Sentence four (Summarize third main point): PARAGRAPH TWO: FIRST MAIN POINT OR TOPIC
Paragraph III—Int r oduc e s e c ond s uppor ti ve i de a (B ). A.Topic Sentence 1.Evidence 2.Evidence 3.Evidence B.Concluding Senten c e IV. Paragraph IV—Int r oduc e t hi r d s uppor ti ve i de a (C). A.Topic Sentence 1.Evidence 2.Evidence 3.Evidence B.Concluding Senten c e V. Paragraph V—Re s tate T he s i s State me nt
The Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer is a helpful graphic organizer that can organize an essay. If the student follows the graphic organizer, he or she will be able to write a well-organized essay. The graphic organizer has places to write the topic of the essay and the thesis statement at the topic.
The graphic organizer includes a five paragraph layout where a students writes a topic sentence, followed by concrete details and commentary sentences to explain lines from the text. This is a helpful graphic organizer for learning how to write a five paragraph essay using a graphic organizer.
By utilizing various forms of graphic organizers, such as concept maps, Venn diagrams, and flowcharts, you can transform your essay into a compelling and logical narrative that captivates your readers. Navigating the Writing Process with Ease. Writing an essay can often feel like navigating through a labyrinth of ideas, arguments, and evidence.
Example 1: 5 Paragraph Essay Graphic Organzier. The most common type of essay writing format is a 5-paragraph essay. Essay graphic organizer for writing helps organize all those 5 paragraphs and insert valuable information inside them. It includes the first paragraph section in which the writer inserts the topic sentence and at least three thesis statements.
5-Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer: Streamline the essay-writing process with our user-friendly and visually appealing graphic organizer. Color-coded and broken down section by section for easy use. Each section guides students through the introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion, ensuring a well-structured and organized essay. ...
Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer**
EASY TO USE! This graphic organizer for five-paragraph essays will ensure your students' writing is detailed and organized. Use it for opinion, persuasive, informational, and literary essays. With only one paragraph per page, the graphic organizer won't overwhelm students with too much on a page. You can edit the graphic organizer in Word.
Use this organizer with upper grade students to help them write a five paragraph essay! This is an easy way to organize thoughts before writing or typing a final draft. ... Five Paragraph Essay Graphic Organizer. Rated 4.84 out of 5, based on 318 reviews. 4.8 ...
This is a great graphic organizer that breaks down the 5-paragraph essay into an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. Explicit instructions regarding what goes in each paragraph. Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content ...