8 THE RIGHT TO GO BEYOND FORMULA

I have to admit that I was involved in promoting the 5-paragraph essay as a way of helping teachers prepare their students for our state writing test.  In addition to suggesting the hamburger analogy, we (writing project consultants) also recommended the train as a way to help students understand the necessary components of an effective essay.  These were ways to demonstrate the introductory paragraph (top bun/engine) that included the topic sentence; the developmental paragraphs (meat/cars), the connecting ideas (condiments/couplings), and the concluding paragraph (bottom bun/caboose).  In addition, the student could strengthen the writing with an attention-getter, much as the train’s whistle that signaled the train’s approach.  We were able to be quite creative!  

The problem that occurred was students/teachers relied so heavily on this formula because it was so easy to follow (and to correct) that we failed to help students develop more genuine ways of writing. We should have been instructing students in ways to go beyond this basic formula. Rarely do we find five paragraph writing in the real world, except in essay tests. We needed to spend more time helping them develop effective writing that depends on audience and purpose.  As Spandel shares, “The most important reason to avoid formula – indeed, to run from it as fast as our feet will carry us – is that it stifles higher thinking skills.” (p. 125, The 9 Rights of Every Writer)   

As they craft their pieces, writers should consider purpose, audience, and format. One way to investigate possible options is to do an activity such as RAFTSin class. Here’s a sample:

Role	Audience	Format	Topic	Strong Verb
student	administrator	action plan	school issue	persuade
(Who)	(Reader)	(Product)	(Focus)	(Purpose)

Create (instructor/students) multiple options and then mix and match possible writings. Such an activity should generate interesting possibilities and help to develop more authentic writing.

Throughout all writing various types of assessment occur – whether for class, school, state, college, etc., and these assessments all include the same features: clarity, focus, organization, development, conventions.  Often a rubric(a set of scoring criteria) is provided to explain the possible score, from below passing (1) to exemplary (5) so that students will know what is expected and how they will be evaluated.  In addition to the rubrics created by institutions, I liked to have my classes create their own rubrics for various assignments.  In addition to providing an exciting class discussion, the task of creating the rubric gave students a better understanding of the assignment’s components, and of what was expected.  

Writing that follows the five-paragraph formula tends to discourage voice.  I’m not certain the first time I heard about voice in writing – I know that it was well into my career as a teacher.  I certainly understood voice in music, but no one had introduced me to this component in writing until I became involved with the National Writing Project.  I knew that I found certain writing more effective and enjoyable than other writing, but I didn’t identify it as the voice in the writing. The writing assignments using the five-paragraph formula become virtually cookie-cutter pieces with little evidence of the writer (personal voice).  How refreshing it is to read a student’s creation that “sings” with clarity, focus, organization, development, and control of conventions.