Writing Essays: Best Resources and/or Examples of Tight Well-Written Model Essays

[Spy Car]

So the latest thing on my docket is to work on essay writing with my son. I'm hoping to expand my resources, and would especially like to find examples of well crafted essays, with well formed topic sentences and supporting paragraphs, written either by adults or by (superlative) students that could be read as "models" of the essay writing craft.

 

Anyone have thoughts?

 

I'm not so much looking for a writing program, but if you have one that is so great you can't help yourself (:D) have at it!

 

I need some great sample essays.

 

Bill

 

 

[Cosmos]

The grammar.about.com page is a surprisingly good resource. I don't know who Richard Nordquist is, except that his picture looks kind of like Jeff Goldblum, but he has assembled a nice collection of "stuff" related to writing. The Paragraphs and Essays page may have some good samples you can use, though adult or teen students are probably his intended audience rather than children. There is a link to several classic British and American essays and another link to 60 essays.

[Spy Car]

The grammar.about.com page is a surprisingly good resource. I don't know who Richard Nordquist is, except that his picture looks kind of like Jeff Goldblum, but he has assembled a nice collection of "stuff" related to writing. The Paragraphs and Essays page may have some good samples you can use, though adult or teen students are probably his intended audience rather than children. There is a link to several classic British and American essays and another link to 60 essays.

 

Thank you. I don't mind (at all) essays intended for teens or adults, and would prefer them to ones that are "dumbed down." This sounds perfect!

 

Off to go read.

 

Bill

 

ETA: I must admit Benjamin Franklin's essay "Advice on the Choice of a Mistress" was not exactly what I was going for :D

 

 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I'm assuming you have Essay Voyage? I really like the sample essays in there.  "The Apple is Ridiculous" is a perennial favorite in our house.

 

For a more irreverent approach, I just picked up this book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Mars-Other-Delectable-Essays/dp/1596437375

 

Some of them are very entertaining!  and mostly very well written.

 

The Harvard Classics has a volume of Essays: English & American that looks very nice . . . but maybe for a little later!  No advice about picking mistresses, but still a little advanced for elementary school.  It has Poe's The Poetic Principle, which is a good read.

[Spy Car]

I'm assuming you have Essay Voyage? I really like the sample essays in there.  "The Apple is Ridiculous" is a perennial favorite in our house.

 

For a more irreverent approach, I just picked up this book:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Mars-Other-Delectable-Essays/dp/1596437375

 

Some of them are very entertaining!  and mostly very well written.

 

The Harvard Classics has a volume of Essays: English & American that looks very nice . . . but maybe for a little later!  No advice about picking mistresses, but still a little advanced for elementary school.  It has Poe's The Poetic Principle, which is a good read.

 

I do not have Essay Voyage (yet). We still have a few things left to do in Town, but I could "jump the gun" and do this as a Christmas present.

 

Bill (who is famous in his home for having math and grammar books being his "love language" :D)

[Chrysalis Academy]

I do not have Essay Voyage (yet). We still have a few things left to do in Town, but I could "jump the gun" and do this as a Christmas present.

 

Bill (who is famous in his home for having math and grammar books being his "love language" :D)

 

:lol: I just asked for an Amazon giftcard for my birthday . . . so I can buy schooly books!

 

Shannon is going to find an Astrobiology or Cosmology book under the tree this year.  I haven't decided for Morgan yet.  Maybe some Greek and Roman mythology coloring books? She likes to personalize her ancient dieties.  Hmmmmm . . . . 

[madteaparty]

Perhaps not what you are looking for, and perhaps you already have this, but I am chomping at the bit to start reading the Economist together with my son. We're not there yet ;) but I do consider that some of the best current writing.

[Spy Car]

Perhaps not what you are looking for, and perhaps you already have this, but I am chomping at the bit to start reading the Economist together with my son. We're not there yet ;) but I do consider that some of the best current writing.

 

The Economist is great for what it is.

 

But I would really like to see some basic (but well formulated) examples of the 5-paragraph type essays that include strong topic sentences and supporting sentences with details that support the arguments. 

 

That should be really simple to find, one would think. But no, it hasn't been easy.

 

Bill

[Kalmia]

It might be difficult to find them, because the 5 paragraph essay doesn’t really exist outside a school setting.

 

If you are interested in a program that delves deeply into the invention stage and focuses on developing a thesis statement and supporting points and arranges them much like a 5 paragraph essay, Lost Tools of Writing is a possibility. It is like a whole-to-parts version of Writing with Skill, a short-course in invention and arrangement. It does require a great deal of teacher preparation to use properly. You must listen to all the DVDs or CDs and go through each lesson before you start to teach it because the presentation is ungainly. There may also be some Christian content.

 

Here is a contemporary persuasive essay that clearly demonstrates the use of supporting details. The author persuades herself (over a number of years) to change her position on something near and dear to her. Agree or not, the argument is clear and backed up with strong supporting details, thereby making a good teaching sample. Note: if your kids are sensitive. It might be too sad for them.

 

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/animal-lovers-dilemma-sustainable-farming.aspx#axzz2jBbRScZM

[Kalmia]

I just Googled "Five paragraph essay samples." Amongst some links to the worst-written student essays, I have ever seen, I saw this blog post from a teacher with his argument against the 5 paragraph essay. He suggests substituting instead a Aristotelian model of argument (such as found in Lost Tools of Writing or Writing with Skill). 

 

http://www.chicagonow.com/white-rhino/2012/05/if-you-teach-or-write-5-paragraph-essays-stop-it/

[madteaparty]

It might be difficult to find them, because the 5 paragraph essay doesn’t really exist outside a school setting.

 

Yes, I can't say I had heard of the five paragraph essay until I arrived to the US.

[Another Lynn]

Bill,

I have a much earlier edition of this book:  http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Thesis-A-Rhetoric-Reader/dp/1133951430/ref=dp_ob_image_bk from my school years.  From looking at the Table of Contents, it looks like they've changed the sample essays, so I cannot vouch for their quality, but I like the ones that were included in my old 3rd edition.

[Matryoshka]

I have a few suggestions.

 

Essay Voyage is definitely a great place to start.  It's got essays of the highfalutin, erudite, and distinctly not 5-paragraph sort, from the likes of Emerson and Poe, along with much more down-to-earth 5-paragraph student samples like "The Apple is Ridiculous" - there's one of each type in each chapter. 

 

I do really like The Lively Art of Writing for teaching essays in middle school, but it does not have good sample essays.  Almost all of its samples are about silverware and drag racing. :confused1:

 

Then I just found what I think may be my favorite go-to-reference book on this for high school.  It's Homework Helpers' Essays and Term Papers.  The first chapter is on thesis development, note-taking and the outline, and then each subsequent chapter is on various essay types (11 kinds).  Each chapter has a sample essay - in three stages no less! - draft, with revisions, and final.  I will admit that I have not yet scrutinized these samples in great detail to see if they are indeed excellent examples - but I have to share that the sample essay in the Research Paper chapter is titled: From Van Helsing to Buffy: the Evolution of the Vampire Slayer.  Call me a geek, but I'm sold. ;)  It also has sections on Tips for Researching, Citations (MLA, APA, Chicago and CSE, and which disciplines use which kind), and the SAT Essay.  And the book is a reasonably sized paperback only a bit over 300 pages - so the authors must understand tight writing. :)  I really like this book.  Now to get my kids to use it.... :tongue_smilie:

 

Another book I have on hand for reference is They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing.  I think it's aimed at late high school and college.  It focuses on integrating quotes and your own opinions.  I have the version that's just the text, but there's an extended version that is "with readings" that includes sample essays (which I'm rather regretting I didn't buy instead) - I mention it because there may be some good samples in there?  Although probably a bit more than simple 5-paragraph style... 

[Chrysalis Academy]

I just Googled "Five paragraph essay samples." Amongst some links to the worst-written student essays, I have ever seen, I saw this blog post from a teacher with his argument against the 5 paragraph essay. He suggests substituting instead a Aristotelian model of argument (such as found in Lost Tools of Writing or Writing with Skill). 

 

http://www.chicagonow.com/white-rhino/2012/05/if-you-teach-or-write-5-paragraph-essays-stop-it/

 

 

This piece was brilliant.  Thank you so much for posting it!

[Spy Car]

It might be difficult to find them, because the 5 paragraph essay doesn’t really exist outside a school setting.

Mostly so, but they have been the de facto introductory academic writing style in the USA for so long that one might think excellent model essays would be easy to find. But I'm finding it difficult.

 

Bill

[EKS]

I also recommend Essay Voyage.  It does a good job explaining what an essay is and how to write one.  It focuses on the five paragraph essay but stresses that real essays are generally not confined to five paragraphs--that the content should dictate the structure.

 

It has some excellent examples.  They aren't dumbed down but they are exaggerated to illustrate the points being made.

 

[8filltheheart]

Mostly so, but they have been the de facto introductory academic writing style in the USA for so long that one might think excellent model essays would be easy to find. But I'm finding it difficult.

 

Bill

 

You are probably finding it difficult bc the model is not one of quality writing.  ;)   The 5 paragraph essay is a model of construction, not style or argument.   I would compare the 5 paragraph essay to IEW's method of teaching writing.  Each method approaches writing as formula vs. a fluid form of  communication.

[Spy Car]

Yes, I can't say I had heard of the five paragraph essay until I arrived to the US.

For better or worse, it is the standard introduction to academic writing taught in the schools here, and it has been for a very long time.

 

I understand the weaknesses of the "5 paragraph essay," but there is something to focusing young writers on developing a thesis and building paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting sentences that has value.

 

What is strange (to me) is that despite the long tenure of the approach, finding excellent samples is not easy.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

You are probably finding it difficult bc the model is not one of quality writing. ;) The 5 paragraph essay is a model of construction, not style or argument. I would compare the 5 paragraph essay to IEW's method of teaching writing. Each method approaches writing as formula vs. a form of communication.

I don't disagree.

 

What I want are sample essays that do an excellent job meeting "the model of construction." That simple. This is a very "formulaic" writing style, and I'm looking for models that successfully meet the rubric.

 

While I care a great deal about literary style (and content) in most other circumstances, here I am really looking for sample essays that meet the criterion of expectations for the classic 5 paragraph essay (like the model or not).

 

I'm finding good samples difficult to find.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

I have a few suggestions.

 

Essay Voyage is definitely a great place to start.  It's got essays of the highfalutin, erudite, and distinctly not 5-paragraph sort, from the likes of Emerson and Poe, along with much more down-to-earth 5-paragraph student samples like "The Apple is Ridiculous" - there's one of each type in each chapter. 

 

I do really like The Lively Art of Writing for teaching essays in middle school, but it does not have good sample essays.  Almost all of its samples are about silverware and drag racing. :confused1:

 

Then I just found what I think may be my favorite go-to-reference book on this for high school.  It's Homework Helpers' Essays and Term Papers.  The first chapter is on thesis development, note-taking and the outline, and then each subsequent chapter is on various essay types (11 kinds).  Each chapter has a sample essay - in three stages no less! - draft, with revisions, and final.  I will admit that I have not yet scrutinized these samples in great detail to see if they are indeed excellent examples - but I have to share that the sample essay in the Research Paper chapter is titled: From Van Helsing to Buffy: the Evolution of the Vampire Slayer.  Call me a geek, but I'm sold. ;)  It also has sections on Tips for Researching, Citations (MLA, APA, Chicago and CSE, and which disciplines use which kind), and the SAT Essay.  And the book is a reasonably sized paperback only a bit over 300 pages - so the authors must understand tight writing. :)  I really like this book.  Now to get my kids to use it.... :tongue_smilie:

 

Another book I have on hand for reference is They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing.  I think it's aimed at late high school and college.  It focuses on integrating quotes and your own opinions.  I have the version that's just the text, but there's an extended version that is "with readings" that includes sample essays (which I'm rather regretting I didn't buy instead) - I mention it because there may be some good samples in there?  Although probably a bit more than simple 5-paragraph style...

 

  

I also recommend Essay Voyage.  It does a good job explaining what an essay is and how to write one.  It focuses on the five paragraph essay but stresses that real essays are generally not confined to five paragraphs--that the content should dictate the structure.

 

It has some excellent examples.  They aren't dumbed down but they are exaggerated to illustrate the points being made.

Looks like I may need to order Essay Voyage a little early, I'll need it anyway. Thanks. I like the idea that MCT will both cover the 5 paragraph essay and admonish learners about its limitations.

 

Matryoshka, I looked at the sample of Homework Helpers. It looks like it could be useful. I was "surprised" when I hit the "suprise me" button and one of the sample essays was about Guatemala and included the "detail" about Guatemala beng in "South America." good thing it is not a "History Helper" for geography :D

 

Why is this so hard?

 

Bill

[Wildiris]

Magazines can be a good teaching tool. Why not use articles from either Harper's or The New Yorker. Both have short, side-bar style essays, and both can be topical or entertaining. When I worked on the 5-paragraph essay with my oldest DD (middle school) I used a book called Thinking in Threes. This book was a how-to approach for writing the 5-paragraph essay. We were amazed at how the idea of three is so universal to writing. Really a book worth investigating. I also found using models of what one might consider a "bad" essay is more useful than using models of "good" essays.  The 6+1 Traits of Writing uses model writing scaled to their rubric. Kids are surrounded by writing gone through an editor. Reading through the 6+1 samples, kids see and hear how unpolished writing muddles meaning. I find it is more effective for kids to see mistakes in others' writing rather than their own.  

 

HTH

[Matryoshka]

  

Looks like I may need to order Essay Voyage a little early, I'll need it anyway. Thanks. I like the idea that MCT will both cover the 5 paragraph essay and admonish learners about its limitations.

 

Yes, do start off with Essay Voyage. :)

 

Matryoshka, I looked at the sample of Homework Helpers. It looks like it could be useful. I was "surprised" when I hit the "suprise me" button and one of the sample essays was about Guatemala and included the "detail" about Guatemala beng in "South America." good thing it is not a "History Helper" for geography :D

 

 

Well, that is awful. :tongue_smilie:  But now you have me really curious - which essay was that?  'Cause now I've flipped through the book five times or so (admittedly skimming, not reading - I said I hadn't read it in detail yet...), but I can't find any essay that even mentions Guatemala, much less is about Guatemala...

[EKS]

Now that I have more time, I wanted to mention that I don't like using Essay Voyage as written (as I did with my older son).  So for my younger son, I compiled a writing course that relied very heavily on the lessons in Essay Voyage but eliminated the voyage aspect as well as the examples from other authors he used (and some of the other superfluous stuff).  For example, at one point MCT uses an excerpt from Peter Pan to make some point about paragraph unity that I thought was ridiculous because the focus of EV is not creative writing.  So I substituted an excerpt from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance instead.  The "book" I compiled ended up being 200 pages long because I added many *long* examples of what I thought was good writing (authors like Carl Sagan, for example).

 

I designed the course to be used in a conversation on the couch fashion.  We went through it last summer and my son loved it (even though I was forcing him to do "schoolwork" during the summer).  The test came when he was assigned an essay in his b&m school this year and the teacher told me it was by far the best in the class, which is even more amazing than it sounds because my son is two years younger than the other kids in his class.

[Spy Car]

Well, that is awful. :tongue_smilie: But now you have me really curious - which essay was that? 'Cause now I've flipped through the book five times or so (admittedly skimming, not reading - I said I hadn't read it in detail yet...), but I can't find any essay that even mentions Guatemala, much less is about Guatemala...

It is on page 12 of the previewed edition, under the heading "Lesson 1-2: Make a List."

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

Now that I have more time, I wanted to mention that I don't like using Essay Voyage as written (as I did with my older son). So for my younger son, I compiled a writing course that relied very heavily on the lessons in Essay Voyage but eliminated the voyage aspect as well as the examples from other authors he used (and some of the other superfluous stuff). For example, at one point MCT uses an excerpt from Peter Pan to make some point about paragraph unity that I thought was ridiculous because the focus of EV is not creative writing. So I substituted an excerpt from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance instead. The "book" I compiled ended up being 200 pages long because I added many *long* examples of what I thought was good writing (authors like Carl Sagan, for example).

 

I designed the course to be used in a conversation on the couch fashion. We went through it last summer and my son loved it (even though I was forcing him to do "schoolwork" during the summer). The test came when he was assigned an essay in his b&m school this year and the teacher told me it was by far the best in the class, which is even more amazing than it sounds because my son is two years younger than the other kids in his class.

I don't suppose this book you constructed is in a digital format that you're willing to distribute to the needy? :D

 

Bill

[Chrysalis Academy]

I don't suppose this book you constructed is in a digital format that you're willing to distribute to the needy? :D

 

Bill

 

Hear, hear!!!!  :hurray:

[Willa]

Glencoe has these booklets with sample student responses.   :leaving:

Not exactly what I would call excellent, but they probably do show what's expected typically out there in 5-paragraph-essay-land.

 

Dr Vavra of KISS grammar has an online anthology of excellent essays. 

(I thought he had some samples of student essays, too, but I can't find them). 

 

I've looked for samples in the past, for my high schoolers to study, but haven't been able to find much of quality, which raises the question of whether 5-paragraph essays exist except in American high schools.  I went to high school in Europe, never had to write one there, and never had to write one in university, either (skipped the entry-level composition course)

 

Keeping an eye on this topic.  

 

[Matryoshka]

It is on page 12 of the previewed edition, under the heading "Lesson 1-2: Make a List."

 

 

Ah.  Well, in its defense, that is supposed to be the list you make about what you think you already know and things you want to find out more about before any research or writing is done (the whole chapter is "Before You Write").  One hopes that in the research phase that item of misinformation would be eliminated.  That is the only time Guatemala is mentioned in the book (the rest of the chapter has examples mostly pertaining to the history of peanut butter, of all things...) which is why I had a hard time finding it...  It would have been nice to use that example as an object lesson on how one might alter their opinions or learn new things while researching a paper.  All the subsequent chapters walk through a complete essay, from pre-writing to final draft.

 

[Matryoshka]

I don't suppose this book you constructed is in a digital format that you're willing to distribute to the needy? :D

 

:D  Admit I could use something like this too... there are golden nuggets in Essay Voyage, but there were bits we definitely skipped (like all the actual assignments at the end of the chapter), and the examples could be more down-to-earth.  Most middle schoolers don't relate to the Transcendentalists all that well...

[Spy Car]

:D Admit I could use something like this too... there are golden nuggets in Essay Voyage, but there were bits we definitely skipped (like all the actual assignments at the end of the chapter), and the examples could be more down-to-earth. Most middle schoolers don't relate to the Transcendentalists all that well...

Wooo....I love the Transcendentalists, and—lucky for me—my son isn't in Middle School (:D), and—unlucky for him—I don't mind torturing him :p

 

Bill

[Mrs Twain]

Bill,

I am dragging up this old thread.  What did you settle on?

 

I have been researching essay programs.  One of the things I want to teach is the 5-paragraph essay, mainly for high school assignments and essays on tests (SAT, AP exams).  This resource may be helpful (if used in addition to other quality essay writing instruction):

PWN the SAT: Essay Guide

 

The best models I have found for the middle school age crowd are in this old book you can download free from Google books, though the models generally do not follow the 5-paragraph model:

School Composition: for use in higher grammar classes.