Should a 7-year-old be able to write a five-paragraph essay?

[Anonymous]

My 4th grader will be doing this for the first time at the end of the year. (Fcps aap)

[Anonymous]

In FCPS Gen Ed, they learn to write a 5 paragraph essay in 5th grade. Then they don’t do it again until 10th grade.

[Anonymous]

LOL. When I was in high school, being able to write a 5 paragraph essay was a graduation requirement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You dolt.

Even middle schoolers have trouble with 5 paragraph essays.

Do not traumatize your kid. I can see you're well on your way, so stop it right now.

For real.

[Anonymous]

I love troll questions

[Anonymous]

I don’t teach in FCPS, I am in different district, but I think that it’s important to note that most standards and curriculum in the primary grades are teaching other structures before they teach essays.

5 paragraphs is a lot for early 2nd, but even the kids who can do that are writing multi paragraph stories, or reports, or letters, or how to pieces before they get to essays. When they do persuasive speech, maybe late in 2nd or in 3rd the first pieces are often single paragraphs, and aimed at specific readers, like a paragraph convincing the principal to make recess longer. It’s introducing some of the components of an essay, but it’s not exactly an essay yet.

I say this to respond to your question of whether 2nd grade teachers teach structure. They do in most districts. But teaching structure doesn’t mean teaching essay structure.

[Anonymous]

Um Im happy if my 8 year old writes two full sentences to answer a question. If given more time and organizers he can write a “report.” But no it’s not a 5 paragraph essay with thesis, topic sentences and evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t teach in FCPS, I am in different district, but I think that it’s important to note that most standards and curriculum in the primary grades are teaching other structures before they teach essays.

5 paragraphs is a lot for early 2nd, but even the kids who can do that are writing multi paragraph stories, or reports, or letters, or how to pieces before they get to essays. When they do persuasive speech, maybe late in 2nd or in 3rd the first pieces are often single paragraphs, and aimed at specific readers, like a paragraph convincing the principal to make recess longer. It’s introducing some of the components of an essay, but it’s not exactly an essay yet.

I say this to respond to your question of whether 2nd grade teachers teach structure. They do in most districts. But teaching structure doesn’t mean teaching essay structure.

My 3rd grader, who is a strong writer for the grade (in the most advanced writing group, has been singled out by the teacher as an example for others) just started learning about persuasive writing this fall. They are writing one and two-sentence opinions at this point. They *read* a lot of persuasive essays (as well as speeches), but they are clearly building up from the basics right now. I think the plan is for them to be able to write a persuasive paragraph with a topic sentence, three supporting details, and a conclusion, by the end of the year. I think given that many kids were still working on reading fluency in 2nd, this is ambitious.

My kid would happily write four or five paragraphs, but it would not be a structured essay, as she has not been taught how to do that yet. She writes short stories and she journals. TBH I'm a little worried right now because she's always been a kid who loves writing and does it on her own with no encouragement, and this push into persuasive writing has not been particularly fun for her (she finds both the reading and many of the subjects they are asked to write on dry). I worry she's losing her love of writing and wonder if this could have waited until 4th because 3rd graders are still very focused on narrative writing and fiction. I think it would be better to encourage them to write more free-form narrative this year just to get them writing and having fun, and then start bringing in more rigid forms later in elementary.

[Anonymous]

I work in 3rd grade with 8 year olds and we are working on a single 5-sentence paragraph! Topic sentence, 3 supporting details, conclusion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is in 2nd grade at a well-regarded DCPS school. He’s doing fine overall, but when I asked him to write about what he did last weekend, he gave me six short sentences with almost no detail. I tried to walk him through writing an intro and some supporting ideas, and he got frustrated and said, “I don’t want to do paragraphs.”
I know writing develops at different speeds, but is it unreasonable to expect basic essay structure by this age? I’m not pushing for college-level writing, but I don’t want him to fall behind either. Do teachers focus more on structure later?

Um, what? You are asking your kid to write you essays about his weekend for funsies? This sounds like an inventive punishment not reasonable parenting.

6 sentences in response to a parent prompt is already over the top. Expecting five paragraphs is, frankly, insane. Calm down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS is in 2nd grade at a well-regarded DCPS school. He’s doing fine overall, but when I asked him to write about what he did last weekend, he gave me six short sentences with almost no detail. I tried to walk him through writing an intro and some supporting ideas, and he got frustrated and said, “I don’t want to do paragraphs.”
I know writing develops at different speeds, but is it unreasonable to expect basic essay structure by this age? I’m not pushing for college-level writing, but I don’t want him to fall behind either. Do teachers focus more on structure later?

Um, what? You are asking your kid to write you essays about his weekend for funsies? This sounds like an inventive punishment not reasonable parenting.

6 sentences in response to a parent prompt is already over the top. Expecting five paragraphs is, frankly, insane. Calm down.

I am wondering if OP knows what an essay is. Writing a 5 paragraph chronological narrative of the weekend might be realistic for some third and many fourth graders and an occasional younger kid. But a five paragraph persuasive essay where you use events from the weekend as evidence to support an argument? That’s high school.

[Anonymous]

End of 3rd grade last year in MCPS they were doing 5 para essays. My well read child needed help organizing thoughts, doing an outline and adding sufficient details. But she managed. They definitely need more and specific writing instructions. But I've been pleased with how they learned transition words, to summarize at the end and to do a block draft (draft in 5 blocks) and that's graded before they do the final

[Anonymous]

My first grader cannot even write one sentence, except I love you.

[Anonymous]

We talked to a tutoring agency who told us that the some privates teach 5 paragraph essay formats at the end of 3rd grade. Public schools (we are public) are a year behind. The tutoring agency's syllabus starts with a descriptive paragraph but with many details and iterations, then a persuasive argument that is 3 paragraphs long, then a 5 paragraph essay.

[Anonymous]

You’re a fool OP