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Reflective Memo
Dr. Hartman,
This has been a wonderful project! It has driven me to craziness at times
considering all of the possibilities and then trying to organize my information in a
way that does not exist in traditional formats. However, it has really helped me to
reconsider the ways in which writing and information can be communicated. It
was really difficult for me to imagine sorting through all of this information,
research, etc. and then not writing about it in a traditional, alphabetic sense. In
many ways there was so much freedom to this thought process, but it was also
really terrifying for me. I guess I still feel like I am missing something. I hope I
have met all of the expectations! Looking forward to using what I learned for my
future endeavors and for my classroom.

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Kali Oldacre
Dr. Hartman
Teaching of Writing
3 May 2015
Inquiry Project Part III
Research Question(s): What, if anything, are students learning about the
writing process from creating a thesis statement and developing a fiveparagraph type argument? Is the process itself the most beneficial element
of teaching writing? How, if at all, does this type of structured, formulaic writing
affect the way students learn to construct their ideas?
Part I: Written Alphabetic Piece:
Recipe for the Five-Paragraph Essay:
Ingredients:
Introduction Paragraph (Thesis Included)
3 Body Paragraphs
Conclusion Paragraph
Directions:
Begin by introducing your purpose for writing and end your first paragraph
with a well-developed thesis statement that will state your argument
specifically for your reader.
Then begin your first body paragraph. Use a clear topic sentence to begin
this part of the process that will again point to the thesis statement.
Support this sentence with a concrete, factual example or two, as well as
your own commentary.
Repeat this process 2 more times for the 2nd and 3rd body paragraphs. Be
sure to use an effective transition between paragraphs.
Finally use one more transition and begin your concluding paragraph with
a restated thesis statement. This should not look exactly like your thesis
in your introduction, but should remind your audience of your argument.
Finish the essay with a final sentence or two to wrap up your argument.
Serve immediately, as the product really is the most important part! (Serving
Size/Audience: 1)
Through the process of investigating my inquiry project, I have come to
understand the five-paragraph essay writing process to be very much like a
recipe. Some find stability in this [E]very house was built in the same
fashion every time: a foundation is poured, walls are constructed and raised, and
a roof is framed and attached (Seo 15)viewing the structure as something to
depend on. While others find this to be problematic and find that it leaves little

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room for creativity. Students learn that writing means following a set of
instructions, filling in the blanks (Brannon et. al 18). After inquiring, I have come
to understand this formulaic as a blessing and a curse. It is often a good starting
place for students who struggle to write, but it should only be a jumping off point.
Obituary for the Five-Paragraph Essay:
Today, we are saying goodbye to the introduction that funneled into a thesis
statement, three paragraphs supporting the thesis, each with a topic sentence,
and a conclusion that recapitulated the thesis (Anson 212). The Five-Paragraph
Essay, known as the 5PE, has been an active part of the English classroom,
since teachers first began to teach composition. It has very few relatives, but is
survived by its son, the thesis statement. In recent years, the 5PE has battled
the sickness of new methods of organic and process writing, as well as the digital
era, including multimodality. This made-up-for school essay format (Brannon
et. al 16) has not survived, as it is not effective outside the walls of academia,
and it struggled there. We will miss the ease of slotting information into
prefabricated formulas (16), but we must begin to move on to more effective
writing practices.
Part II: Spoken Piece (1-2 minutes):
Sounds of Process:
https://soundcloud.com/kali-oldacre/process-work.
Throughout this inquiry, I have been bombarded by the concept of process.
When using the 5PE or other format methods, the focus is on the product. In
order to teach a more organic process and certainly to add the multimodal
concept into the mix there must be a requirement for an emphasis on the process
time and exploration. Murray states, What is the process we should teach? It is
the process of discovery through language. It is the process of exploration
(Anson 216).
Students Multimodal Work:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENwa0sx72Go.
This is an example of a students final product from an assignment I gave where
students had the freedom to present their final product in whatever way they
chose. This student has struggled to write any kind of an essay all year long. He
can sit and discuss what he reads at length with me, but he struggles to write it
down in any kind of a structure. We spent several days on the process
component of the essay, and this more multimodal work shows his ability to
create and support an argument and use good interpretive, critical thinking skills
without writing anything down a page. He did ALL of the work himselfscript
writing, putting together the presentation, etc.

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Part III: Visual Piece:

This graph shows a comparison of score results from a previous essay compared
with the essay allowing less traditional formats that I mentioned above. See the
text below the table for more analysis of the scores.
https://infogr.am/inquiry_project_data_score_comparison.
Part IV: Tactile Piece:
I used a Jenga tower to depict the possibilities of structure, but also the idea that
sometimes working outside the structure can produce different and better results.
Structure is good, but it may be boring. It has its limits of what it is capable of
communicating. It looks stable, but if you take out a couple of key pieces it may
fall apart.

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While the jagged Jenga tower below may not appear to have as good a
structure, its ability to communicate goes beyond the parameters of a form fitting
structure. The ability to see the differing angles of the disproportionate tower
allows for new and exciting possibilities. Most students never experience the
power of their ideas or the structuring of them within a larger conversation, never
get the chance to use writing to think, feel, and wonder (Brannon et al. 18).
While the process may not start with the same sturdy foundation, the final
product may go far beyond the expectations and capabilities of the five
paragraph Jenga tower. It has the capability to stand in many different ways.
There are a variety of directions that you can go, jumping off points, etc.

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Works Cited
Anson, Chris M. "Process." A Guide to Composition Pedagogies. 2nd ed. New
York: Oxford UP, 2001. 212-30. Print.
Brannon, Lil, Jennifer Pooler Courtney, Cynthia P. Urbanski, Shana V.
Woodward, Jeanie Marklin Reynolds, Anthonoy E. Iannone, Karen D.
Haag, Karen Mach, Lacy Arnold Manship, and Mary Kendrick. "The FiveParagraph Essay and the Deficit Model of Education." English Journal
98.2 (2008): 16-21. Print.
Seo, Byung-In. "Defending the Five-Paragraph Essay." English Journal 97.2
(2007): 15-16. Print.
Smith, Kerri. "In Defense of the Five-Paragraph Essay." English Journal 95.4
(2006): 16-17. Print.
Primary Sources
Interview with English Department Chair at St. Davids School
Class Observations
Analysis of Student Work Essay Samples