Exploring the Start of my I-Search

For my I-search I am going to explore the movement away from the 5 paragraph essay that we have all come to know and love. In the 6^th grade I first met the 5 paragraph essay when this ela specific teacher came into my class and handed out worksheets that were split into 5 boxes to develop a 5 paragraph essay, and this is what essay writing became to me. Any writing assignment I was given turned into a 5 paragraph essay. It was simple, structured, solid, and BORING. I’ve come to realize that these are just as boring to read as they are to write. In high school, this type of essay continued, but when I got into higher grades and advanced classes, I realized that 5 paragraphs wasn’t enough and I adjusted my technique.

I personally was never given any instruction on how to get away from the daunting 5 paragraph essay and had to discover it on my own. So naturally, I would like to research how to get away from this boring type of writing so I can teach real writing to my students. I also through my last post realized just how little I know about the essay beyond using it to analyze literature, I think education students on the history of the essay and showing students how versatile an essay can be that this will inspire students to use essays in a more creative well and really help them to develop their writing. Something that I personally wish I would have been given because the word essay still sends shivers down my spine. Searching this may not only help my future students, but really open up my own mind and thinking. I am extremely excited.