Looking for new ideas to teach essay writing in middle or high school ELA? English teachers know that the basic five-paragraph essay is the backbone of all academic writing. But that’s not the only reason why essay writing matters! Students can apply the skills involved in writing an essay, such as communicating clearly, introducing ideas, and supporting their thoughts with factual evidence, to many areas of their lives outside the classroom.

Essay-writing lessons have an undeserved reputation for being a bit dry, but I actually think it can be a lot of fun to teach essay writing in middle and high school! The trick is to establish a clear structure that scaffolds the learning and keeps your students engaged. From start to finish, here’s how I like to teach essay writing to middle and early high school students.

Get Familiar With the Format

It is important to remember that many students may not be familiar with formal academic writing. This is why I like to start with an overview lesson. This helps acquaint students with what an essay is and what it intends to do. To begin, I explain that a five-paragraph essay provides a clear, focused framework for communicating ideas clearly. From here, I share that this format is the foundation for most academic writing, and can give structure (and power) to students’ creative and thoughtful ideas. 

As I teach this introductory essay writing lesson, I find students are responsive to the “sandwich method” comparison. I like to invite students to compare the processes of writing an essay and making a delicious sandwich. 

In this comparison, each section of the essay represents a part of the sandwich: 

• Introduction = the top slice of bread
• 3 Body Paragraphs = the fillings inside
• Conclusion = the bottom slice of bread

Once students understand these basics, a graphic organizer can help students begin to plan their ideas and structure their essay.

Think About the Thesis

After students understand the purpose and general structure of an essay, it’s time to move on to the thesis. The thesis statement is the backbone of the entire essay, and, in my experience, students might need to experiment with two or three different versions before they find the most effective one.

To teach middle and high school students how to write a thesis statement, I like to explain its two essential parts. Effective thesis statements must contain a subject (or a topic), as well as an opinion or assertion about that topic.

When it’s time for students to practice writing thesis statements of their own, I like to share a checklist to help them ensure they have all the required components.

Strike a Formal Tone

When I teach essay writing in middle and high school, I always make sure to include a lesson about tone. After all, an essay in English class is the first time many middle and high school students encounter formal writing. In my experience, they want to get it right, but they don’t always know how.

First, I like to explain to students that the right word choices can lend clarity and sophistication to their writing. From here, they might like a chance to practice with an activity where “weak” words are replaced with stronger alternatives. I also like to spend some time on the various transition words students can consider as they move between ideas. 

Some students find it useful to explore these words by category, including:

• Words that show how a new idea builds on a previous thought
• Words that suggest a time or sequence relationship
• Words to introduce an example
• Words to compare or emphasize ideas
• Words that show reasons, or cause and effect

Reference handouts can be useful tools to support students as they work to convey their understanding more effectively. At the end of the lesson, I like to provide students with a one-page academic dictionary and list of transition words, which they can refer to as they continue to work on their essay.

Embed Evidence

When I teach essay writing to middle or high school students, I often find they have a hard time integrating evidence to support their ideas. Luckily, this is a skill that can be developed through instruction and practice!

I like to start by explaining how quotations can be used in academic writing to:

• Support the central idea of the essay
• Add credibility to the writing
• Demonstrate thoughtful understanding of the topic
• Emphasize specific points the writer would like to make

Once students understand why quotations are useful, it’s time to explain how they can be effectively integrated into an essay. During this part, I like to share three ways that writers can introduce quotations and how to format quotations of varying lengths (including short, long, and block quotations). I also like to share some tips to help students transition back from the quotation into the rest of the paragraph. Here, I encourage students to include some personal analysis, a related thought, or a concluding sentence after the quote, connecting back to the thesis statement.

To wrap up the lesson, I find it useful to share a brief summary sheet that reviews how to embed quotations. This helps guide students as they develop and extend their ideas.

Preventing Plagiarism

Because academic integrity is an essential component of middle and high school ELA, I like to include a lesson on plagiarism when I teach an essay writing unit. To start, I like to explain that plagiarism is when a writer uses words, ideas, or creative work without giving credit to the original author. I share that plagiarism is serious in academic writing because it involves “stealing” the ideas of others, and also because it can lead to a loss of trust.

While all of this seems serious to students – and rightly so – I like to then pivot the lesson to focus on the various different ways students can avoid plagiarism. Here, I like to discuss how direct quotes and paraphrased ideas can be correctly attributed. In addition, I share many common plagiarism pitfalls – instances where students may be more likely to accidentally plagiarize others’ ideas without realizing they are doing so.

One of the best ways to prevent plagiarism is to have a consistent way to cite the works of others. To support students through the basics of MLA citation, including in-text citations for direct quotations and paraphrased ideas, I like to provide each student with a booklet-style Guide to MLA Formatting, which they can refer to as they write their essay.

Sometimes, I also like to reinforce this lesson with a Plagiarism One-Pager activity. In this creative task, students can outline the consequences of plagiarism using colors, words, images, and symbols!

There you go! I hope these resources support you with everything you need to teach essay writing in middle and high school ELA! You can grab everything you need to teach essay writing in our Essay Writing Unit below:

Need some tips for teaching students how to write a personal narrative essay? Check out my post on 10 Tips for Teaching Personal Narrative Writing in Middle School ELA.

If you’re struggling to “hook” your most hesitant students, try my 8 Ways to Engage Reluctant Writers.