How to Write a 5-Paragraph Essay in 15 Minutes: The End Result

I have a student who is constantly cracking me up.  She’s the absolute best combination of whip smart and irreverent, but she also has a heart of gold—which she usually tries, unsuccessfully, to hide.

I’ll say something like, “Now you guys know I don’t have favorites…I’m not allowed!” and I’ll notice how, without looking up, she’ll allow a little smirk on her face because she knows I’m lying since she’s obviously my favorite.

Of course, at the same time, there are at least 20 other smirks popping up all around the room because every kid thinks he or she is my favorite. Not to toot my own horn (toot tooooooot!), but I imagine that’s a pretty strong sign of a good teacher.

(I’m not very humble, you guys.  I’m really not.  I think I’m really pretty and I know I’m always right, so if you’ve stumbled across this website mistakenly, thinking you were going to get something else…well, you might as well just stop wasting your time and move right along.)

Anyway, the subject that I gave my students for our “Five Paragraph Essay in 15 Minutes” lesson back in December was a breezy, fun one:  What are your three favorite things about Christmas?

The aforementioned student modified the prompt just a little bit, and this was what she turned in.

She got an A+.



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